Now that Gunny answered my question about the upcomming USS England I've got a couple more? It's called a Buckley class, USS England. Does anybody know what differences, if any, there were between England and the actual USS Buckley? Specifically circa 1944? Second, does anybody make a 1/350 IXC class German U-boat? Obviously I ask because it would be great to be able to do a dio of the Buckley-U-66 battle.

Hey Rodge!
Without my reference books (shh, I'm at the office!) all I can give you is some quick notes...

Characteristics of Buckley Class Destroyer Escort and Captain Class Frigate
Length: 306 feet (overall)
Beam: 36.5 feet
Draught: 11 feet (fully loaded)
Displacement: 1,740 tons (fully loaded)
Propellers: Two 3-bladed propellers solid manganese-bronze, 8.5 feet diameter
Bunkers and Radius: 350 tons (oil fuel); 5,500 miles at 15 knots
Maximum Speed: 24 knots (most ships could attain 26/27 knots)
Main guns: 3 x 3 inch /50 Mk 22 dual purpose open mount, and fixed fire shot (anti-aircraft, armor piercing, or starshell) and had a range of 14,600 yards at 45 degrees, and an anti-aircraft ceiling of 28,000 feet
Anti-aircraft guns: 4 x 1.1 inch or 2 x 40 mm Bofors were fitted in the 'X' position on the Buckley Class units; these were not included in the Captain Class units. 8 x 20 mm single mount Oerlikon cannon positioned two in front of the bridge behind and above B gun mount, one each side of B gun mount in sponsons, and two each side of the ship in sponsons just abaft the funnel. Some of the ships had an extra one or two Oerlikons fitted on top of the superstructure amidships. The Captain Class units had additional 20 mm guns fitted in 'X' position, and on the director stand for 'X' position.
Torpedo tubes: 3 21-inch torpedo tubes in a triple mount were mounted just aft of the stack.
Hedgehog: British designed ahead throwing mortar which fired 24 bombs ahead of the ship, this was situated on the main deck just aft of A gun mount.
Depth charges: Approximately 200 were carried. Two sets of double rails each side of the ship at the stern, each set held 24 charges; eight (two on Captain class units) K gun depth charge throwers each holding 5 charges, were situated each side of the ship just forward of the stern rails. On Captain Class units, just forward of these were double sets of ready racks were fitted along each side of the ship extending to midships, each set holding 60 depth charges (these ready rails were added after the ships arrived back in the U.K.)
Radar: Type SL surface search fixed to mast above yard arm and type SA air search only fitted to certain ships.
Asdic (Sonar): Type 128D or Type 144 both in retractable dome.
Direction Finding: MF direction finding antenna fitted in front of the bridge and HF/DF Type FH 4 antenna fitted on top of mast.

Quick Stats of USS England

Buckley Class Destroyer Escort
Displacement: 1,400 t.
Length: 306'
Beam: 37'
Draft: 9'5"
Speed: 24K
Complement: 186
Armament: 3 3"; 3 21" torpedo tubes; 8 depth charge projectors; 2 depth charge racks; 1 hedgehog

Laid down by Bethlehem in San Francisco on April 4, 1943. Launched September 26, 1943. Stricken November 1, 1945. Sold November 26, 1946 and broken up.

USS Buckley Stats
CLASS - GEARING As Built.
Displacement 3460 Tons (Full), Dimensions, 390' 6"(oa) x 40' 10" x 14' 4" (Max)
Armament 6 x 5"/38AA (3x2), 12 x 40mm AA, 11 x 20mm AA, 10 x 21" tt.(2x5).
Machinery, 60,000 SHP; General Electric Geared Turbines, 2 screws
Speed, 36.8 Knots, Range 4500 NM@ 20 Knots, Crew 336.
Operational and Building Data
Laid down by Bath Iron Works, Bath ME July 24 1944.
Launched December 20 1944 and commissioned March 2 1945.
Decommissioned (?).
Stricken July 1 1973.
Fate Sold April 29 1974 and broken up for scrap.



Hope this helps some...I'll dig a little deeper tonight and see what I can come up with...
~Gunny

The last USS Buckley mentioned above is a Gearing class DD. The Buckley class you're interested in is DE-635 England

http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/635.htm

I've just discovered that the England served it's entire wartime duty in the Pacific sinking Japanese subs:

"she hunted down and sank I-16 on 19 May, RO-106 on 22 May, RO-104 on 23 May, RO-116 on 24 May, and RO-108 on 26 May. In three of these cases, the other destroyers were in on the beginning of the actions, but the kill in every case was ENGLAND's alone. Quickly replenishing depth charges at Manus, ENGLAND was back in action on 31 May to join with four other ships in sinking RO-105. This superlative performance won for ENGLAND a Presidential Unit Citation"

The Buckley DE-51 did sink U-66 and a company called gulfstream marketed a 1/350 Type IX but they're very rare nowadays I think I might have one built up -I'll have to look. If you can't find one and you're interested let me know.

Pitroad has a number of Japanese subs in 1/350 and they're very well done:

http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~pitroad/cs/index.html

Mike T

Hey Rodger, have you thought about Mirage's 1/400 Type IX? You can build them water line and since you will probably have the DE ramming her you should be able to get by with it.

Just my 2 cents
Gator