by Phil Reeder
1/350 HMS Delhi (Scratchbuilt)
One ship in the Royal Navy that has always fascinated me is the Delhi. This was because she was equipped with USN 5"/38 cal guns, and the Mk 37 fire-control system, similar to that fitted on the US Fletcher class destroyers. I believe she was the only British built ship with a foreign main armament.
In May 1941, she was taken in at the Brooklyn Navy yard for the removal of her 6" low-angle guns. By Dec.`41, she commenced her trials off the US East coast. The "Gun-club" in the RN were highly impressed by the performance of the 5" guns; they achieved a rate of fire of 25 rpm for a short period, and 15 rpm for sustained fire. The Mk 37 FCS had been designed to calculate aircraft speeds of up to 1000 mph; remember this was designed in the late `30`s. More vessels of the class were slated for conversion, but the US had joined the war and wanted all the guns they could lay their hands on.
As usual, I'm building the model in 1/350, using similar techniques as I did on the Cleopatra. The Profile Morskie book is as always invaluable, and I had the 1/400 plans enlarged to 1/200 at a local print-shop. Other references used are British Cruisers of WW2 by Raven & Roberts, and the RN Cruisers in Focus book.
