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| CONSTRUCTION OF THE RENNER YMS MODEL |
| This attractive model was built on board, during a lay-up for repairs in 1945, in New York Harbor. YMS 472 had touched a Liberty ship with its stern, and civilian carpenters had to rebuild that stern. This was one of several accidents suffered by the unlucky minesweeper, whose number adds up--four plus seven plus two equals thirteen! The model was begun during the repairs, at Mc Williams Dock and Dredge Company. There Lt. Renner got one of the civilian carpenters to laminate a block of clear pine, out of 3/4 inch boards, big enough for a model at the scale of 3/16th inch to the foot. This was the scale of the plans that were carried on the ship. The hull block was 24 inches long. Then a cradle was made by tracing these plans frame lines--every 3rd or 4th frame line--on to cardboard, and Renner shaped the hull, with such tools as were on the ship, until it fit into the female mold.. Fortunately the YMS hull has no tumblehome, so this system worked quite well. At that time there were some good hobby shops available in New York City, and their paint and some ship fittings were used. Renner didn’t make a model deck gun, assuming that he could someday buy one. The hull was carved from solid only up to the main deck, and bulwarks were smoothly built up on this. A fine brushwork finish covers all seams. The kind of glue used is not remembered, nor the brand of hobby knife. The stanchions were hobby shop fittings. These were rigged with fine chain bought from a New York jeweler. Other metalwork on this model was all steel-- bent and soldered. There was no plastic on the model. The model was never encased. Recently it served an autistic boy as a valuable learning aid. REFITTING THE MODEL. This model is of value beyond any price. Historically it is the only YMS model I know of that was done by a man who served on her--and while on the ship itself! Most of this writer’s restorations have been done with a lot of guesses as to what the builder did, but here I had the builder visit my shop. The 472 model, as I got it, seemed to have storm damage. The hull lost part of its skeg, much of its railings, and all of its depth charges, propellers, and rudders . The mast lost radar, guy wires, antenna and flag gaff. The model has a sort of antique patina to it, some fine cracking, but not bad, that I am not going to try to change. I lightly cleaned the model with Q-Tips and Spic and Span. Much good gear survived on the model: the K guns, the paravane, floats, reels, anchors rigged with chain, searchlights and the curious pilot house with the ventura form that was supposed to channel the wind upwards away from the watch on the flying bridge. “It didn’t work,” confides Mr. Renner. I gave the model some brass portholes but painted them gray. My other addition is the deck gun--and the washing machine, aft of the deck house, to port of center. It used a brass port as its window, and this homely fitting was also painted all gray. I painted two portholes black and added them just above the waterline, port and starboard, to represent the exhausts. The first YMS’ had two stacks for their diesels, later this was trunked together as one stack, and at the end, as in number 472, they had no stacks. Oddly, YMS 472 has what looks like a stub of a stack, amidships, but it was a mount for the ship’s boat, all 12 and a half feet of her. The model I got had no plastic parts on it, so I decided to use styrene for two reasons. first it is good for modeling metal on ships. And, two, it will show future restorers just what is Renner’s work and what is Heinz’s. I refitted the hull in its cradle, giving the cradle a contour that lowered the hull about a half inch. The great thing about solid hulls is the way you can fasten them down. Here I was able to use the two original three inch screws. I mixed some Testor’s colors to match the gray, blue and red of the hull. Then I ordered more fine chain and a 48 star flag from Model Expo. I cut out the “472” numbers from 010. sheet styrene. and glued them on with light tacks of white glue followed by thin cyanoacrylic glue. This method of white glue, drying and then followed by thin CA glue allows some positioning of the parts before adding strength. This restorer still has some homework to do. The position of the flag, the depth charge racks and some other details may be changed in the future. I left a broken wooden ladder in place just to show that this is an old model. A good source of plans is the old Model Ship Builder magazine, number 35, May /June 1985. This is the most complete set of published YMS plans, that I know of. Of course, photos show that most YMS’ are different in their details. Their gear and color, the shades of gray, varied widely. YMS 472 was built in Jacksonville, Florida, and is perhaps unique in having a section of open bulwark near its stern, and also in the extra length of its radio shack. It had no smoke stack, but rather two exhausts port and starboard, just above the waterline. It was a shade of gray blue that makes a handsome model. The model is also unique in that Elmer Renner has written narrative labels for his photo of his model. These show the important parts, and also the station where he was in on the night of September 16, 1945. I have never seen this forensic labeling done on a model before. Mr. Renner has spent a lot of time thinking about what happened that night. He remembers exactly how he positioned his crew as the storm grew deadly serious. He tried to give them all an equal chance to abandon ship but for one man he placed below on a ladderway. Thinking back to that last night on 472 he can never forget: “There was something wrong with the motion of the bow. I feel, I know, though I have no way of proving, that the bow was getting heavy.” Small ships like YMS’ had no room for ballasting tanks. It would be helpful to history for a fine model builder to do a cutaway model with details of interior construction. Somewhere in the massive files of the Bureau of Ships are the interior details to help explain the loss of YMS 472. This model helps to explain that night in the Makurazaki typhoon. I am looking forward to Elmer Renner’s book SEA OF SHARKS. I would like to say a few words about World War II veterans. They are very helpful on any question, and appreciate the value of models. You need only to ask and they will explain or connect you with somebody who will. This writer owes a debt of thanks to many mine sweeper sailors, and especially the Naval Minewarfare Association. Bibliography Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, volume 5, pages 498-516, US Navy, Bureau of Ships, Washington DC Elliot, Peter. Allied Minesweeping in World War 2. Annapolis, MD, Naval Institute Press, 1979 Lott, Arnold S. Most Dangerous Sea. Melvin, Michael J. Minesweeper: the role of the Motor Minesweeper in World War II, Worcester, Square One, 1992 Model Ship Builder, numbers 35 and 43, Phoenix Publications, Cedarburg, WI. Warship International, numbers 1 and 2, 1997. “History of the BYMS,” by Patrick Griffiths. Wood: A Manual for its use as a Shipbuilding Material, Navy Department, 1945-1962, reprint by Teaparty Books, Kingston, Mass. |
