USS Montana

Here is hoping that trumpeter has this class of ships for next year.

Reply to
Spaceman
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Reply to
Hub & Diane Plott III

Isn't this akin to "Luft '46"?

Frank Kranick

Reply to
Francis X. Kranick, Jr.

Pretty much. That and the Montana has the added notoriety of being featured in an episode of the "G.I. Joe" cartoon TV series. There are already 1/1250 scale models available of the Tillman maximum battleships, which were Montana's conceptual grandfathers.

Hey, when I first saw pictures of the Montana in a book about American battleships, I wanted to build one. I thought of combining a Midway-class carrier hull with Iowa-class turrets and other such hardware. *shrug*

Stephen "FPilot" Bierce/IPMS #35922 Pilot's Log:

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Reply to
Stephen "FPilot" Bierce

Francis X. Kranick, Jr. wrote: : : Isn't this akin to "Luft '46"? : No. The keel was actually laid for USS Montana, while the Luft 46 stuff is primarily paper napkin.

They were cancelled due to reality (the aircraft carrier was clearly dominant), not created in an environment of suspended reality. :-)

Bruce

Reply to
Bruce Burden

According to My references this class of ship was cancelled before the keel was laid but steel was being procured. I already have the Yamato in 1/350 just thought it would be cool to have what would have been the most advanced and biggest US Battleship sitting beside her. The Yankee resin kit is possible but too rich for my blood right now. Had considered converting tamiya's Missouri but looks like that will be a project for after I retire....Real life intrudes...too much to do around the house and there is always that little thing called a job which gets in the way but pays the bills.

Reply to
Spaceman

This is not correct. No ship of the 'Montana class' (BB67) was ever laid down. There was a USS Montana as a member of the cancelled (BB49) 'South Dakota class' (not to be confused with the later BB 57 'South Dakota class' that actually was built & saw service) that was laid down (01-Sept-1920 at Mare Island).

The actual reason(s) for BB67 cancellation may be debatable. At the time that funds were authorized for 2 new battleships, the design was not far enough along to start construction, so 2 new Iowas were ordered instead. These 2 ships - Illinois (BB65) & Kentucky (BB66) - were cancelled in 1945. Whether it was 2 Iowas or 2 Montanas that were cancelled, perhaps reflects a growing realization on the part of the navy that the war was going to be won, & no new battleships of any class were going to be needed.

JM

Reply to
John Mianowski

And when Wisconsin's bow was damaged they grafted the bow of Kentucky onto her leading to the nickname WisKy........

Reply to
Ron

Interesting: One of the articles on the Montana Class I have read over the years stated that the demise of the Montanas came about because in

1943 the War Production Board put the word out that there was a steel shortage looming with all the material being built for the expanding Naval War and the forth coming Normandy Campaign. Apparently the Navy was given a max available figure and they ended up with a choice between two Montana Class BBs or three Midway Class Carriers. This set the stage for a confrontation between the entrenched "Battleship Admirals" and the new "Carrier Admirals". With the lessons of Coral Sea, Midway and Santa Cruz still so fresh in everyones consciousness, the Battleship Admirals lost this one. Considering that Midway and Coral Sea finished their service with a tour off Saudi Arabia in the 1991 Gulf War, I would say we definitely got better money's worth out of the three carriers.

Bill Shuey

Reply to
William H. Shuey

I want a Scharnhorst!

Bill Shuey

Reply to
William H. Shuey

(snip)

I knew it all along but just now - reading this - it hit me harder; it must've been a huge blow to the 'big gun' navy hawks who still held to the notion of battleships as *the* key players in the fleet. The aircraft carrier's rise to prominance was quick indeed, while the battleship's hold as the main capital ships of fleets was firmly entrenched for decades before WWII. No wonder carriers were looked upon with disdain early on. Only the true visionaries saw them for what they could become. Methinks it's a good thing the Montanas were not built...

Frank Kranick (who does understand that if there were a bunch of Musashis and Yamatos running around, a few Montanas would have been a great card to play)

Reply to
Francis X. Kranick, Jr.

True, yet strangely enough the top Japanese naval commanders seemed to become gun shy at the very moment they need not be (Pearl Harbor-3rd wave attacks, Leyte Gulf-Taffy 3). It turns out all you really needed to counter the Yamatos was a handful of destroyer escorts and jeep carriers together with an incalculable measure of courage, audacity and determination. Thankfully, all of which the US Pacific forces had in plentiful supply.

WmB

Reply to
WmB

I kind of included the German capital ships in the etc......as long as it isn't IJN I'm happy.

Reply to
Ron

Considering that airpower negated the Yamato class....why would Montana be a good card?

Reply to
Ron

You forgot the PT's that took out a few ships in the southern Japanese task force bound for Leyte before Oldendorf's Pearl harbor surviving BB's opened up. And of the major USN surface combatants off Samar the DD's Johnston, Heereman and Hoel did the major work and paid the price. Roberts was the only DE significantly engaged.

Reply to
Ron

Post war haze grey........YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN. Now Mahans, Benhams, Gridley's, etc....those I could go for.

Reply to
Ron

and some jeep carriers and destroyers chased some battlships away.

Reply to
e

would you like fries with that? may i supersize your order?

Reply to
e

Something to keep in mind is that there were also a heck of a lot of carriers cancelled as well. The production phase of the war was winding down & the navy knew it. Had there been a reversal of fortune along the way (like at Leyte Gulf, etc.) then some of those ships - including the last 2 Iowas or even a couple of Montanas - might have gotten built after all.

JM

Reply to
John Mianowski

Spaceman wrote: : According to My references this class of ship was cancelled before the keel : was laid but steel was being procured. : The dangers of posting before consulting references. Sigh. Somehow I thought the keel was laid. Oh well... : : Had considered converting : tamiya's Missouri but looks like that will be a project for after I : retire... : And the Trumpeter NorCal, since the inclined, external armor belt more closely resembles them, plus the Commander IOWA backdate, to capture the open conning tower. :-)

Bruce

Reply to
Bruce Burden

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