Author Topic: NEW RELEASE FROM DEANS MARINE  (Read 5665 times)

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Offline rondean

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NEW RELEASE FROM DEANS MARINE
« on: 22 March 2019, 17:11:32 »
Dear Modellers
 I thought that you might like more news from the edge of the world near Farcet and to let you know the latest news from DEANS MARINE.
New release in the Fast Launch kit range.

  Elco 80ft Patrol Torpedo Boat.   Scale 1/24th   Length 1.05m   Beam 280mm 
 Release price  £335.00 first run kit only

THE MODEL KIT
 The hull of this model is moulded in lightweight glassfibre, with a moulded in rubbing strip that forms a seating for the 1.5mm LASER CUT PLASTIC  deck. The bridge and aft superstructure is a one piece glass fibre moulding and all deck and structure parts are in laser cut 1mm H.I.P.S.  plastic.
To complement this most attractive model a full set of fittings in cast metal and resin is included along with propeller shafts, tubes and rudders.
  To assist in the construction a FULL SIZE PLAN is provided along with a complete set of comprehensive instructions, A c/d of all the pictures taken during assembly of the prototype model plus a set of decals to give a colourful finished model.
 As in all of the Deans range, the on the water performance is outstanding.

THE PROTOTYPE
ELCO of Bayonne, New Jersey, would 326 PT boats of 80-foot length (total PT boat production of varying lengths by ELCO was approximately 385)
 during the span from 1942 through 1945. 296 are known to have served under the banner of the USN while a further 30 were delivered to
 the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease.

A standard ELCO PT boat of 1943 displaced between 38 to 51 tons with a running length of 80 feet, a beam of 20.75 feet and a draught
 of just 5 feet - the latter a true tactical advantage if attacked by enemy torpedoes, which require a certain depth of the target
under the waterline. Top speed from the combine engine output (concerning the base 1,350 horsepower engine) was approximately 43 knots
in ideal conditions. A typical weapons load came to be 4 x 533mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes with 4 x ready-to-fire torpedoes,
 1 x 40mm Bofors cannon and 4 x 0.50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns. A typical crew complement was 11 personnel including
 two officers. By 1945, the later versions of the vessel weighed in at an increased 61 tons and managed a lower top speed of 41 knots.

PT boat armament soon went beyond the early standard-issue weaponry for many boats were modified in-the-field with a plethora of
 impressive armament arrangements. Boats were being fitted with deck mortars and rocket projectors as well as aircraft-type repeating
 cannons and field anti-tank guns. 37mm M3/M9 autocannons (aircraft-based weapons taken from available Bell P-39 Airacobra stores
 or field anti-tank gun versions) were being deployed on ELCO PT boats and, later, the excellent 40mm Bofors naval cannon was added
To the mix. When these makeshift applications proved their worth in direct action, the USN made them standard.

In operational service, PT boats were put through some very heavy paces, operating in rough waters and under intense danger and stresses
 They were active during the massive Allied D-Day landings of Northern France where they were used to screen amphibious forces from marauding
 German vessels and further keep the English Channel free of enemy patrol/attack vessels. Control of Mediterranean waters was also key
in the Allied advance on Italy and North Africa and PT boats were used to control shipping in the region - often clashing with
German "E" and "S" boots (boats). However, records show that the PT was most active and in greatest numbers in the Pacific Theatre
 where the series made such a name for itself against the Japanese Navy. It became such that IJN personnel feared attacks from these "small" warships to the point that they nicknamed American PT boats "Devil Boats".
 
Regards
          Deans Marine