What scale? material? How Accurate? etc.
There are people here that could do it, but the time alone typically makes it prohibitive. The only fairly easy way to do it and create something reasonably accurate IMO would be to bash a current plastic kit. There is a 1/700 plastic model of the Sacramento, which the Wabash / Wichita was based on. More than likely a good plastic builder could bash the Sacremento into a good facsimile of the Wichita. That would likely get a pretty good hull then most of the rest like CIWS mounts etc. could be stolen from other kits.
I'm sure someone could get the plans from the national archives and totally scratch build one, but it's a multi hundreds of hours project.
This is irrelevant but In the 80's one of the oilers that refueled the ship I was on had a big "we take Mastercard and Visa" sign on the side, got a big kick out of that.
I also I spent 11 days on the Milwaukee AOR-2 (Same Class) trying to get back to the destroyer I was stationed on.
There are people here that could do it, but the time alone typically makes it prohibitive. The only fairly easy way to do it and create something reasonably accurate IMO would be to bash a current plastic kit. There is a 1/700 plastic model of the Sacramento, which the Wabash / Wichita was based on. More than likely a good plastic builder could bash the Sacremento into a good facsimile of the Wichita. That would likely get a pretty good hull then most of the rest like CIWS mounts etc. could be stolen from other kits.
I'm sure someone could get the plans from the national archives and totally scratch build one, but it's a multi hundreds of hours project.
This is irrelevant but In the 80's one of the oilers that refueled the ship I was on had a big "we take Mastercard and Visa" sign on the side, got a big kick out of that.
I also I spent 11 days on the Milwaukee AOR-2 (Same Class) trying to get back to the destroyer I was stationed on.
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Good luck to a sister ship crew member. I was an RMCS (SW) on the USS KALAMAZOO (AOR6). Best 7-11 afloat.
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Thanks for posting those drawings! That will be a big help.
I was crew on the USS Harry W. Hill (DD-986) during Desert Storm, HT3 at the time. Got out late in 1991, as a DC2 (SW). So now that I am an empty nester, I have some free time, gasp! (Little braggin' here both of my sons are Navy currently, MMN3 and MMN2.) Proud of my little snipes, even if they are nukes.
Anyway my interest in the Wichita class AOR's in particular the USS Kansas City is this:
"Harry W. Hill deployed as part of operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, part of the 1990-1991 Gulf War. On 14 January 1991, she collided with the Wichita class replenishment oiler USS Kansas City while conducting underway replenishment operations in the Gulf of Oman. There were no personnel casualties or injuries reported." -- https://military.wikia.org/wiki/USS_Harry_W._Hill_(DD-986)
We just got the forward and aft refueling rigs pumping at low pressure when the SHTF. I will add there were 2 injured sailors, one of our crew a BM with separated shoulder and one of the KC's crew with a broken arm, or we were told. The Hill with an electrical casualty was the cause of the collision. Our port bows was drug down the KC starboard side, the KC could only hold course as she had the USS Ranger on her port side in the middle of the UNREP. So we did a little bump and grind. There was good seamanship on both ship to minimize. So I have a Spruance Class destroyer (Dragon Brand). I do like the idea of getting a Sacremento and bashing a kit or two to get something close to the KC. I also have a 3D printer so I can print some parts as well. I am on a mission to build one of every class of ship that was in DS. That will be a challenge as there were a few oddballs there. Starting out with the easy (to get) ones first.
I am just finishing up a P-61B, and will do a P-38F next to get back in the swing also did the Apollo LEM, it was pretty rough but my first model in a LONG time... Then likely the Wisconsin because if a hose it I can get another. Then on to either the Ranger or the Hill. I am going after the Ranger Battle group first. Then the others, US ships followed on by foreign Navies.
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Have you started on your ship yet?
Here are some pictures of the UNREP that fateful day. As soon as they had the lines across, I went below to start prepping the Atropine and 2-PAM chloride auto injectors for issue as the next day we were transiting the Straights of Hormuz. The day after that the Air War started, and officially Desert Storm. Prior to that it was Desert Shield.
Those pictures bring back a lot of memories. I was also on a Spruance, USS John Rodgers (DD-983) got out in Sep 89. I was a dual coded FC1 that worked on the Mark 86 and Harpoon systems. I was also the line captain on the aft unrep crew. I built a John Rodgers years ago but it got broken. I have the Dragon kit and photoetch to build another one. Would be cool to build it waterline style doing unrep. We were running 50 feet from the soviet destroyer Sovremmeny in the Black sea. I was thinking about doing a diorama of that incident I have photos for reference.
This whole thread brings back a lot of memories for me. I spent 5 years on the last of the Witchita oilers - USS Roanoke (AOR-7)
1990 - 1995
I have been wanting to build a scale model for R/C of my old home. Thank you Dcox1991 for sharing the blueprints. The Witchita was decidedly different from my ship in that the helicopter hangers, the helo tower, CIWS, Sparrow, SLC-32 ECM loadout and bridgewings were built as original equipment. And there was never a trace of the 3"-50's or any of there ancillary equipment.
But the rest was all the same.
Thank you all for the walk down memory lane.
My big question would be, where did you get those blueprints from? I'd love to see if they have a set for my Roanoke.
1990 - 1995
I have been wanting to build a scale model for R/C of my old home. Thank you Dcox1991 for sharing the blueprints. The Witchita was decidedly different from my ship in that the helicopter hangers, the helo tower, CIWS, Sparrow, SLC-32 ECM loadout and bridgewings were built as original equipment. And there was never a trace of the 3"-50's or any of there ancillary equipment.
But the rest was all the same.
Thank you all for the walk down memory lane.
My big question would be, where did you get those blueprints from? I'd love to see if they have a set for my Roanoke.
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Hallo and a warm welcome here on board of our forum,
I hope that @Dcox1961 will read your post..... maybe he could be helpful getting such blueprints of your vessel
Thank you for the welcome.
I hope Dcox replies as page 3 and page 5 of his blueprints are the same, which means the entire main deck is missing along with the engine and boiler placement in the engine and fire rooms respectfully.
Considering the main deck is where my berthing was and the aft superstructure (that was considerably different on my ship) is where I worked, I'm hoping I can get these same blueprints of my ship. I want to make an R/C model of it out of clear plexiglass showing all the interior compartments. I will make the actual steam turbine engines house the drive motors and have the boilers house the batteries. The steering gear will house the steeering servos, etc.
I want to make it look as real as possible (within my capabilities) but my memory of exactly where things were is now is pushing 30 years ago. Hence the blueprints would be invaluable.
You could also try to send a Personal Message directly to @Dcox1961 to get in direct contact....
Go with your mouse cursor directly over his nickname and click "Start conversation" you can write him such a message