Clemencau (R98) by Derek Derks | |
Brand: | Heller |
Scale: | 1/400 |
Modeler: | Derek Derks |
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As a retired marine officer I have seen many warships in my career. The ones that always made the most impression on me was and still is the aircraft carrier. The fifties and the sixties were the hey days for this type of warship. Many countries were financially able to keep one or two afloat. To name a few, Canada, Australia, Brazil, The Netherlands all relying on the British Light Fleet Carrier design. The mighty United States Navy possessed the Super Carrier. Away from this all, especially in design, was the Marine Nationale France. In their design was the angled deck incorporated from the start of construction. When completed, to my personal opinion, they were the most beautifully lined carriers afloat in their class.
The carrier Clemencau, pennant number R 98 was laid down on the 15th of September 1955, at the Brest Naval Dockyard. Commissioned on the 22nd of November, 1961. Displacement at full load was 32780 tons. Full complement of the carrier air group was around 40+ aircraft. Crew complement with complete air group, around 1570 enlisted men and 120 officers. Through the years, the carrier received several updates and served the Republic proudly, But dark clouds were gathering. Clemencau was decommissioned on the first of October, 1997. On December 31, 2005, the Clemencau, under tow, left the French port of Toulon, to be dismantled in Alang, India. Greenpeace protested the the “dump” of this 27000 tons warship, full of asbestos, PCBs, lead, mercury and many other toxic waste. It demanded that France should deal with its own toxic waste. The ship was denied access through the Suez Canal, until the 15th of January 2006. Even the Supreme Court of India got involved. On February 15, the Clemencau, already in the vicinity of its final destination was ordered by President Jaques Chirac to return to French waters. The story continues. The Dusquene, guided missile destroyer, pennant number D 603, was laid down in the Brest Naval Yard, 1 February 1965, and commissioned on the 1st of April 1970. Actually, this rather large destroyer is still serving the French navy. It is planned for decommissioning in the year 2007. 6910 tons full load, complement 355 (23 officers). Speed 34 knots. It was seen regularly in the vicinity of the capital ships to give air cover with the surface to air missile system (SAM) ECAN Ruelle Masurca twin launcher. Range 55 km or 30 nautical miles. The warhead contained 98 kg of high explosives. Forty-eight could be carried in the missile magazine.
Both kits are value for money. Although the parts from this kit were not drawn by the computer, fitting is overall good. The box contained 24 aircraft, Crusaders, Alize, Super Etendard. I added two Alouettes and two Lynx helicopters. I used the tow tractors from the carrier Charles de Gaulle. Only item missing at this moment is the deck crane. The instruction booklets are very clear in construction and the colors. I will concentrate on the construction of the carrier. The destroyer was out of the box with hardly any problems to construct.
I decided that the carrier should have the front center and starboard elevator in the lowered position. Giving access to part of the below deck hangar. So the contours of the front elevator were removed from the top deck. In the forward hull, I constructed the beams, on which the elevator could go up and down on a heavy chain. I saw this system on board HMS Ark Royal; but do not know if this was in operation on this particular carrier. The new elevator from Evergreen was placed in the lowered position, giving access to the forward hangar deck.The starboard elevator was lowered on a massive cable system from fishing wire. In the hull, I constructed the large hangar deck, including two aircraft. The sides were stowed with spare parts and fire fighting equipment.
Alize Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW)
Even before starting with construction, I took both hulls and decided on the measurements for the diorama setting material. Because there is no modern underway replenishment vessel available (Durance Class ), I decided that the carrier would transfer fuel to the guided missile destroyer. This is called Underway Replenishment (UNREP). The fuel capacity from the carrier is large enough to transfer large quantities to the some of the ships in the escorting screen. After completion , I would stabilize the two ships, in full hull, in the wooden base plate. I used Styrofoam to fill up the empty places. Finally, from molding powder with water, I created the sea scenery. Having mentioned this, it is certainly not the easiest way to make water. I had experience with it and knew it could be heavy. But with full hulls , this was the only option, at least for me.
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For a reasonable price, I got a complete task group. The detail on both models is adequate. The diorama is in demand and I take it with me regularly to modeling exhibitions in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was a pleasure to build it and much to my surprise, I still admire it a lot. The whole project kept me busy for more than nine months. My wish for the future, a fast fleet tanker from the “Durance” Class. 1/400 from Heller.
Photos and text © 2009 by Derek Derks March 30, 2009 |