paddle minesweepers

[bill stafford]

hello,
 i read w interest in the forum , that there were plans for the british paddle minesweeper available , can some-one tell me where ??
i cant find any , sorry ,
bill stafford au

[djcf]

Hi Bill,
I know for sure that there are drawings of the Waverley (1899) and Fair Maid (1915) in WW1 minesweeper condition in the collections in the Mitchell library in Glasgow, as I spent a good few hours going through all available plans for Fair Maid, although I only purchased peacetime drawings. This probably won't help you as you really need to visit to see what's in the collections. The National Maritime Museum in London used to send out a pro-forma detailing what plans are available for a ship, if you have a certain vessel in mind - they are expensive there though.
In the book "Steamers of the Forth" vol.2 by Ian Brodie ISBN 1 84033 3081 there is a two page shipyard drawing of Duchess of Buccleuch as a minesweeper (side elevation only)
I'm not sure if there are any dedicated model-maker plans available, maybe others will know.
good luck,
regards
Clark

[Walter Snowdon]

Hello chaps. I have spent several years looking for plans of paddlers (STUFT ships -ships taken up from trade) but very little has been published. Possibly because each was individual altered by small shipyards using what little equipment was available. There were very few changes made initial other than clearing the decks and mounting an ancient gun forward and sweeping gear on the after deck. As time went on most had a flying bridge (open) built on top of the existing bridge. In 1940 alot of them were altered again into anti aircraft ships with a quite formidable array of close range anti aircraft guns. Most spent a lot of time on active service. My favourite the display electric Talisman was converted on the Clyde and headed south to help at Dunkirk but arrived too late. She spent the rest of the war in a very active roll, Thames  defence, convoy escorts,  fighter direction ship for mulberry harbours on D Day, fighter protection on the assault in Walcheren and led the relief flottila to Rotterdam where she was damaged by A V2 missile. A very active career. Nothing was ever published about her fitting out, no plans etc. There are quite a number of photos of these paddlers and if you have the as built plans it is quite easy to alter them from studying the pictures. Regards, Walter

[Walter Snowdon]

Sorry. My tablet has a mind of its own and won't let me change it! It keeps altering what I type. In the absence, please read DIESEL electric and not DISPLAY electric Talisman Thanks, Walter.

[Brian Gates]

i read w interest in the forum , that there were plans for the british paddle minesweeper available , can some-one tell me where ??

In the downloads section, Magazines, Model Boats, August 1966 "Racecourse Class Paddle Minesweepers"

http://www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=72

Brian

[bill stafford]

thank you so very much for the info , i am interested in the race coarse class ,and do have the very small plan out of Model Boats ,and are following Lachie Stuarts thread on this site ,a very nice model . there doesnt seem to be much info about on these vessels , so the photos on lachies site are great .
 i will follow up in these leads very soon .
 thanks and regards bill Stafford

[scotfriend]

Hi i have been to Glasgow University Archive some years a go. I meet there somone from the archive with a wide knowledge about paddle steamers, his name   I was abel to buy copies of an mine sweeper i think WW I maybe a race class but not sure unfortunately i can not find my copies.

I try to find them, kind regards Hans.

[Walter Snowdon]

Hello Bill and Hanson. I too have an interest in the racecourse class. There was asuperb shipyard model in the old Glasgow transport museum Clyde ship room. I don't know if it is on display in the new museum - any of our Scottish friends know?. What interests me is the fact that they could carry and launch two seaplanes, hence the large Derrick behind the paddle boxes. Using the small plans in model boats I heavily altered a spare Waverley hull but got no further due to lack of good drawings! Regards, Walter

[Sandy]

If you check Andy(marinemole)'s thread about Lachie's HMS Kempton you will see photos of the model that used to be in the old Transport Museum in Glasgow.

I went to the new museum a year or so ago and I can't remember if the paddle mine sweeper modle is there or not.

If it isn't, it will be in the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre where, I suspect, viewing and photographing it will be a lot better than at the new museum, where, I understand, the conveyor has broken down.

All the best
Sandy

[greateastern]

In Marine engineering and naval architecture journal (1920 ) there are a few pages and a drawing. Here they are but they are not great. page order got jumbled 1,2,4,3,5,6,
hope that helps

[Walter Snowdon]

Thanks Greateastern. A super find and a good plan. If you go into photo section and click Glasgow transport museum, you will find two closeups of the bow and midship section of paddle minesweeper HMS Hexham. I thought I had added at least five closeups from a visit wth Eddy and Bob many years ago but they must have been deleted. If I can find the CD with them on (a tall order) I will try to add them.                               . Regards, Walter.