Full Size Printed Plans Scale 1:87 Torpedo Boat Destroyer 1905 for Radio Control

 Full Size Printed Plans with building Article

H.M.S. MOHAWK

Torpedo Boat Destroyer 1905

Full size printed plan on a sheet 45” X 32”

Five page article with building notes

Scale 1:87

Length 37”

Beam 3 ¼”

Radio Control

by M. J. Dodgson

   The ship's boats were carved from block balsa and after having several coats of sanding sealer were hollowed out; seats of card were added later. The trick of successfully hollowing out thin wall balsa parts like cowls and ship's boats is in using an extremely sharp knife and taking many small cuts which break up the balsa to be removed without overstressing the remaining shell

HMS Mohawk was one of twelve Tribal class ocean going torpedo boat destroyers ordered in three groups between 1905 and 1908. They were originally to have been turbine- engined developments of the previous River class of TBDs, but on the intervention of the then new First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir John Fisher, this scheme was scrapped and a new directive for the design was issued. Utilising experience gained from the trials of three special turbine-engined destroyers, HMS Viper, Cobra and Ve/ox (the results of Viper being very encouraging with a speed of 37 knots being reached on one trial run) the Tribals were to be the first class of warships to be built with turbine engines. Admiral Fisher directed that they
should not only be capable of 33 knots but burn fuel oil instead of coal; this was truly revolutionary. Firms tendering for their construction certainly had some difficult problems to overcome to design and construct such advanced ships, for the use of marine turbines and oil boiler-firing were in their infancy at that time.

Thank you for looking Rose.