Dido class cruiser kits

[Jason ErikssonParticipant @jasoneriksson37774]

Hi

Im trying to find a kit set or plans of a dido class cruiser in the bellona group.

The ship that I am looking for was loaned out to New zealand in the 1960,the ships name is the Royalist her sister ships were the Black Prince-Bellona which were also on loan to the New Zealand navy.

The reason I am asking a freind of mine served on the HMNZS Royalist and he is turning 70 next year and I would like to to a model of the ship for him.

If someone could help that would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks

Jason Eriksson

New Zealand

[Jason ErikssonParticipant @jasoneriksson37774]

Dido class cruiser bellona group

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Both Fleetscale and Deans Marine offer GRP Dido hulls which might be OK. Fleetscale also do fittings. However, virtually all the ships in this class were different in various respects and the last group, which included Royalist, had vertical funnels and masts as you are no doubt aware.

 

Most people intersted in this class tend to build the earlier ships with raked funnels and the available plans reflect this. I don’t recall seeing plans of the latter ships. The National Maritime Museum might have copies but they would be very expensive.

 

If you are thinking of a gift then maybe a 11:1250 scale metal model might be an alternative. I can’t find Royalist but here is Black Prince: http://www.anticsonline.co.uk/1662_1_2289979.html

 

Peter Wiedling in Germany http://www.wiedling.de/ has this model in stock for 40 Euros. I have bought models from him for many years myself.

 

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 18/01/2012 14:04:16

[Warren C O PowerParticipant @warrencopower93635]

Hi Jason,

I also sailed on the Royalist and it is considered a modified Dido Class Cruiser. **LINK** Here is a phot of it and it does mention the different funnels. I am about to turn 69 in February so may have been on the Australia Tour with him. We had about 700 compliment at the time.

Haere,

Warren.

[Andy HustlerParticipant @andyhustler32076]

Jason , a long shot but have you thought of contact the N.Z. Ministry of Defence as i had a great uncle who served on one of the N.Z. ships at the battle of the river plate .

Best wishes

Andy rom Cardiff

[Warren C O PowerParticipant @warrencopower93635]

Yes…. one can get the Service Records as I have done in the past. There were NZer's on HMS Achilles at the Battle of the River Plate and my teacher was one of them when I was in Standard three and four. He is the reason I decided to join at the age of 10 eh. The English ships were the Ajax, Exeter, and Cumberland I think. NZ did not have a Navy until 1942. The people of NZ paid towards having a ship built for them pre WWI and it was called HMS New Zealand. Never saw it though as when WWI broke out it was used in the North Atlantic from what I read. Same as NZ paying to build Black Magic to race in the American Cup.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The WW1 battlecruiser New Zealand was built in 1911 and served in the Grand Fleet and was at the battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland. Summary of her service here: **LINK**)

Colin

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