Saturday, September 15, 2007 - 10:05 AM UTC
Much has been made of the tragic end to the mighty HMS Hood. Hood’s final configuration is a popular subject with ship modelers. But the legend of this mighty battlecruiser goes far beyond the Denmark Strait. Pit-Road Models in partnership with Trumpeter, proudly introduces the release of their 1/700 1931 HMS Hood. This injection molded kit, which gives the modeler the choice of full hull or waterline, will retail for $36.98.
  • 1931_hood
To give the modeler an idea of the HMS Hood as she appeared in 1931, here is a Royal Navy article on the Hood in 1931.
“H.M.S. HOOD is the largest, heaviest and fastest armoured warship in the world. She is 873 feet long, has a beam of 105 feet, draught 32½ feet, displacement 44,600 tons, and a speed of 32 knots (37 miles an hour).

Built by John Brown & Company, of Clydebank, she was launched on 22nd August, 1918, by Lady Hood, widow of Rear-Admiral the Hon. Horace Hood, who was killed at Jutland.

Begun on 1st September, 1916, she was not completed until 5th March, 1920.
Complement.--In war time the ship would carry about 1,400 officers and men, but in peace time only 1,200.

Provisions.--General provisions for four months(about 32 tons) are carried in the storerooms, including fresh meat for one month in the refrigerator. Bread is backed daily-- the maximum output is1,800lbs. a day. The galleys and bakery are oil fired.

The Sick Bay.--This is a complete hospital with general and isolation wards, operating theatre, X-ray and dispensary, administered by two doctors and a trained staff. The dentist has a surgery under the bridges complete with apparatus, but no waiting-room.

The Chapel.--Aft, below the quarterdeck, is the chapel, dedicated to Our Lady and St. Nicholas. It is used for Holy Communion, Evensong and daily services.

The chapel is not generally used for Parade Services; these are held on the quarterdeck or, in bad weather, on the mess decks.

In the chapel is a Memorial of all who have died whilst serving in the ship. The panelling in the Sanctuary and the Communion rails were made in the ship.

Shops.--There is a canteen where groceries can be bought, and a bookstall. Uniform clothing or the cloth to make it, can be obtained from the "slop room," and various ratings carry on trade as tailors, barbers or cobblers in their spare time.

Ventilation.--Over 200 electric fans supply nearly all the air through ventilating trunks to the living and working spaces.

Lighting.--There are 3,874 electric light fittings and 380 telephones. The latter are operated through one main exchange and several sub-exchanges. The weight of permanent electric cable, of which there is nearly 200 miles, is about 100 tons.

Boats.--The three steam boats, four motor boats and eleven sailing and pulling boats provide accomodation for 759 men. There are also more than enough carley floats and life-buoys to support the rest of the ship's company if the ship has to be abandoned.

Machinery.--The main engines of the ship consist of four complete Brown Curtis geared turbine units, each driving a 20-ton propeller through some 300 feet of shafting. There are 24 oil burning Yarrow boilers, in four boiler-rooms, which can be reached by electric lifts. The oil fuel tanks have a capacity of 4,600 tons.

Besides the main engine rooms there are thirty auxiliary machinery rooms for dynamos, pumps and so forth; the total weight of the machinery is over 5,000 tons. Pumps and ejectors for emptying water from the ship can deal with a total of over 20,000 tons an hour.

Guns.--Eight 15-inch guns; each gun weighs 100 tons, and each revolving turret 900 tons. The shell, weighing about one ton, leaves the muzzle at 1,670 miles an hour. The extreme range is 17 miles. All the guns can be controlled and fired by electricity from the control station at the top of the mast. 64 men are required to work one gun turret.

Twelve 5.5-inch guns, six on each side. These guns weigh 6 tons each, and the projectiles 82lbs. The extreme range is 9 miles.

There are four 4-inch long range anti-aircraft guns, and numerous automatic guns for dealing with aircraft at short ranges.

Torpedoes.--There are two submerged and four above-water 21-inch torpedo tubes from which torpedoes are fired. The torpedoes contain a mass of intricate machinery, and cost over £2,000 each.

Searchlights.--There are six large searchlights, each of 120 million candle power, and several smaller ones fitted with shutters for flashing messages.

Armour.--13,800 tons of armour is fitted, that on the side being twelve inches thick. Below the water the sides are fitted with protective bulges as a defence against torpedoes.”

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Comments

For those interested. The most obvious differences between the 1931/1932 rig of Hood, and the later 1940/1941 rig come down to secondary guns, anti-aircraft guns, and the aircraft. From 1929/1931 the Hood went through a modernization program where additional anti-aircraft guns and gunnery control equipment were added to the ship. From what I can tell the only difference between how Hood would have looked from 1931 and when she went in for further modernization in 1939 was the aircraft on the after deck. This only lasted until 1932. Between 1931 and 1939 rigs the other differences were the number of broadside guns, the 5.5 inch guns along the battery deck, and single 4 inch AA guns, instead of twins. There were also small differences in the after control station and the structure between the stacks. The most interesting thing, to me, about this rig is the aircraft installation. The only thing is that this lasted only from 1931 and 1932 so it severely limits how she can be portrayed.
SEP 16, 2007 - 02:25 AM
hello Kenny, 2 questions,1. how does this company/model stack up to the tamiya 1/700 HOOD/e-class destroyer.2.where can you order it on the net.i looked but could not find it a the link hobby shops. great review, Bruce
SEP 24, 2007 - 04:02 PM
Hey Bruce, Trumpeter is one of those companies that gets better with every kit. The reason why you haven't seen this kit is because it's not out yet. This is just an announcement of the upcoming release. Here's a photo of the 1931 Hood kit Now, this kit is of the Hood as she was in 1931. The Tamiya kit is her final configuration when she was sunk. Gator
SEP 25, 2007 - 09:58 AM
hello Kenny, thanks for the info.i will a eye out for the kit.i am going to order a HOOD for my b-day and use the gator glue on it. thx again, Bruce
SEP 25, 2007 - 03:55 PM
Sounds like a great plan. Gator
SEP 26, 2007 - 03:21 AM
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