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Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 7:15 pm
by Redcap
Hi guys,

Can someone assist with info on what these tubes either side of turret Bruno are ? I see them on some shots of Tirpitz but not on others and was curious to know what they are.
Also keen to know if they were present at the time of her sinking as the attached photo shows her with a late camo scheme on the turret rather than the plain pale grey of her final scheme.

Many thanks

Redcap

Re: Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Sat May 01, 2021 7:19 am
by hans zurbriggen
Hello Mr. Redcap,
the 'tubes' are the 'Rohrkühler', for 20 mm replacement cold barrels, to allow gun crew to replace hot barrels and to achieve a more prolonged usage of mount (there were other 2 on opposite side for the quadruple mount). They were available also for other single and quadruple mounts (starting from 1941 end on main tower) and were installed on turret 'B' one in late September 1942 (source: Gehringer-Bonomi, Schlachtschiff Tirpitz, vol. IV). They were never removed from Tirpitz till sinking.

hans

Re: Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 1:11 pm
by Redcap
Hello Hans,

Many thanks for your reply and the welcome information.

I had been working on a model of turret Bruno and wasn't sure whether to add these , especially when I didn't even know what they were. I will try now to find a clearer image of them

Once again, many thanks

Gordon

Re: Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 7:31 am
by hans zurbriggen
Hello Gordon (if I may),
I doubt this can help much (I don't have many good images of Tirpitz), but here some 'Rohrkühler': a single mount one (left), on weather deck behind the breakwater, (installed in summer 1944 when a single mount was moved back there from the bridge) and (right) ones for the quadruple mount on main tower (added in summer 1941).

hans
Rohrkühler.jpg
Rohrkühler.jpg (42.19 KiB) Viewed 3137 times

Re: Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Wed May 05, 2021 4:42 pm
by Redcap
Hello Hans,

Once again many thanks for your kind assistance. I have added two Rohrkühler either side of the gun tub. I suspect they may be too small diameter so they are only temporarily attached and can be easily replaced if need be. Position is pretty much guesstimated from what photos I have seen.

Best regards

Gordon

Re: Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Thu May 06, 2021 9:34 am
by hans zurbriggen
Hello Gordon,
nice work, very well detailed and executed, especially blast bags, very realistic and general aspect (I never tried to apply 'ageing' to my models).

However, I'm afraid you have represented "B" turret barbette belonging more to Bismarck than to Tirpitz.
Tirpitz had no vent ducts (except one aft, blue arrow on both sides), no catwalks, no stairs around barbette (red arrow).
Instead a ring of boxes (orange arrow) was running around the aft part of the barbette, both sides, with openings on top side. Image from 1941, without quadruple mount yet.

Also afaik, quadruple mount was without shields (added only in 1944 after 'Tungsten' attack). Photo is Vorbaudeck mount (ahead of bridge).

hans
TP_TurretB.jpg
TP_TurretB.jpg (22.91 KiB) Viewed 3062 times
Vorbaudeck_Vierling.jpg
Vorbaudeck_Vierling.jpg (21.4 KiB) Viewed 3062 times

Re: Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Thu May 06, 2021 2:46 pm
by Redcap
Hello Hans,

Ah well, I did suspect there might be more necessary changes. Fortunately the gun tub isn't attached by more than a tiny spot of Blu-Tack and the Roherkühler by tiny spots of pva glue, all easily removed. It wil be simply enough to remove them all and respray the barbette in light grey with dark grey to the turret roof, and return things back to Bismarck.

On the subject of flak on the turret roofs. I built the very large Hachette 1/200 Bismarck which included a lovely little representation of a single 2cm Flak 38 for the the roof of turret Bruno.
The model seems to have been pretty well researched and generally accurate but I hadn't come across any references for this gun. Presumably only a temprary fitting ?

Best regards and thanks for all your advice.

Gordon

Re: Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Thu May 06, 2021 4:11 pm
by hans zurbriggen
Hello Gordon,
you are welcome.
Yes, two single 20mm on 'towable' mount were temporarily fit to roof of turret 'A' and 'C' during transfer from Hamburg to Kiel (March 8,1941, see photo where they are both visible). Shortly after, they were finally moved to the aft superstructure, astern of the aft main guns director (I think around March 15).
I suspect they were C/30 model (not C/38) from their muzzle shape (second image).
I am not aware of any single 20 mm on Bismarck turret 'B', afaik.

hans

Holtenauer_brucke.jpg
Holtenauer_brucke.jpg (41.06 KiB) Viewed 3038 times
Bismarck_paint_hull.jpg
Bismarck_paint_hull.jpg (91.77 KiB) Viewed 3038 times

Re: Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Sun May 09, 2021 2:47 pm
by Redcap
Hello Hans,

Back to being Bismarck. Hopefully correct final colour scheme for Grimstadfjord.

Thanks again for all your advice. I decided not to alter the barbette to Tirpitz. All of the vents , catwalks etc add to the visual interest and removing them would leave a very bland appearance unless paravanes were made to mount there. Much easier to revert back to Bismarck. Maybe the manufacturers will make a Tirpitz variant !

Re: Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 7:48 am
by hans zurbriggen
Hello Gordon,
you are absolutely right: Tirpitz barbette would result too "naked" and your work for the vents is outstanding. May I ask which is the modelling scale for the turret ?

hans

Re: Tirpitz turret Bruno

Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 9:58 am
by Redcap
Hello Hans,

The scale is 1/72. It is produced by Takom who also make the "A" turret for the Japanese battleship Yamato. I hope they may produce a Scharnhorst/Gneisenau. An early Scharnhorst "C" turret with the aircraft catapult would be outstanding.

Best regards

Gordon