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Anthony Alvear
67 articles

HMS Exeter 1/350 in progress.

November 19, 2020 · in Ships · · 10 · 3.8K

Hms Exeter.. ...5 months work in the final stage...only missing ties and rigging...and it is finished...

Reader reactions:
8  Awesome

21 additional images. Click to enlarge.


10 responses

  1. Beautiful model. Going to look great when completed.

    Sadly, HMS Exeter has been destroyed by pirates for the pre-1945 (no radiation) steel.

    Here's the story (from Wikipedia)

    The following day, after making temporary repairs and refuelling, Exeter, escorted by Encounter and the American destroyer Pope, was ordered to steam to Colombo, via the Sunda Strait. They departed on the evening of 28 February, but they were intercepted by the Japanese heavy cruisers Nachi, Haguro, Myōkō, and Ashigara, and by the destroyers Akebono, Inazuma, Yamakaze, and Kawakaze on the morning of 1 March.

    At about 0800, the British ships spotted two of the Japanese cruisers, one of which launched its spotting floatplanes. Two others were seen closing in, and both launched their aircraft before opening fire at about 0930. The Allied ships laid smoke and turned away to the east with the Japanese to their north and south. Exeter was able to reach a speed of 26 knots before the first hit on her detonated in her 'A', or forward, boiler room and catastrophically knocked out all power around 1120. Now defenseless as no guns could train or traverse, and wanting to save as many lives as he could, and to avoid the ships 'capture' by the Japanese forces, Captain Gordon ordered the ship to be scuttled. As a result, Exeter began listing over to port, and that list was said to be at "a considerable angle" by the time the abandonment was completed. Sensing a kill the Japanese destroyers closed in and fired torpedoes, two of which (out of a total of 18 fired by Japanese combatants) from the destroyer Inazuma, hit the ship – starboard amidships, and starboard just forward of A Turret – (as confirmed when the wreck was first discovered in 2007). As a result Exeter rapidly righted herself, paused briefly, and then capsized to starboard. Encounter and Pope were also lost; Encounter approximately fifteen minutes after Exeter, while Pope temporarily survived the initial melee, only to be sunk by several B5Ns a couple of hours later.

    The Japanese rescued 652 men of the crew of the Exeter, including her captain, who became prisoners of war. Of these men, 152 died in Japanese captivity.

    The wreck was located and positively identified by a small group of dedicated exploration divers specifically searching for the wreck aboard MV Empress on 21 February 2007. The wreck was lying in Indonesian waters at a depth of about 200 feet, 90 miles north-west of Bawean Island – some 60 miles from the estimated sinking position given by Gordon after the war. Her wreck, a British war grave, had been destroyed by illegal salvagers when an expedition surveyed the site in 2016.

  2. This is such a lot of quality work, Anthony.
    Looking amazing already!

  3. Incredible story Not to be forgotten and a great model.
    It shows the commitment To building in 350/scale of signature vessels.
    Keep the memory alive.
    Thank you

  4. Hello Anthony,
    Excellent craftmanship on this famous cruiser.
    Question:
    Coming from the main bridge, going to the stern, I see lots of windows. Are these windows, or a open passage.
    The war graves of several Dutch warships have also been rampaged by illegal salvagers. No respect. Only money money.
    Investigations by Dutch and Indonesion authorities, had no result.
    Shameful.
    Regards, Dirk

    • Hi Dirk, they are windows, but with internal corridors in the superstructure, therefore protected in the bridge section.
      Regarding the other, I honestly do not have the necessary information to express an opinion.

      Thanks and regards.

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