Mountford 1/1250 HMS Exeter RN York Class Cruiser WW2 Prepainted Model (WSP113KP)

Mountford 1/1250 HMS Exeter RN York Class Cruiser WW2 Prepainted Model (WSP113KP) | Antics Online

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Well detailed diecast metal & plastic kits with simple assembly and painting required to produce waterline models. Glue (use two part epoxy resin) and paints required seperately.

Mountford 1/1250 HMS Exeter RN York Class Cruiser WW2 Prepainted Model (WSP113KP)
HMS Exeter famous for the Battle of the River Plate

Exeter was ordered two years after her sister HMS York and therefore her design incorporated improvements in the light of experience with the latter. Her beam was increased by 1 foot to counter for increases in topweight, and the boiler uptakes were trunked backwards from the boiler rooms, allowing for straight funnels removed from the bridge rather than the raked funnels necessary in York to ensure adequate dispersal of the flue gasses. As a result, the masts were stepped straight, and the after funnel was thickened, to aid appearance. As the 8 inch gun turret roof had proved to be inadequately strong to accommodate the catapult intended for York, Exeter had a pair of catapults (although only one aircraft could be carried at a time) angled out from amidships, with the associated crane stepped to starboard. Consequently, the bridge could be lowered (that of York being tall to give command over the intended aircraft arrangements), and was of a modern, enclosed design that would be incorporated in later cruiser designs. In 1932 Exeter had side plating added amidships to the upper deck to enclose her open main deck as far as the after funnel (unlike the County class, the Yorks were not flush-deckers). This provided additional enclosed spaces for accommodation and working. In 1935, the intended multiple Vickers machine gun were finally added, single 2-pounder gun having being fitted in lieu. Early war modifications saw the replacement of the single 4 inch guns with modern twin Mark XVI models on the ubiquitous mounting Mark XIX and a single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. 20 mm Oerlikon gun were added to the roof of both 'B' and 'X' turrets. Radar Type 286 air warning was added requiring the pole masts to be replaced by tripods, this primitive metric set had separate aerials , one at each masthead. Radar Type 284 was fitted to the director control tower atop the bridge to provide ranging information and spot fall of shot. At the outbreak of the Second World War , she formed part of the South American Division with HMS Cumberland, Together with the Leander class cruiser class light cruisers HMS Ajax HMNZS Achilles she engaged the German Pocket Battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate on December 13 1939, which action resulted in the scuttling of the Admiral Graf Spee several days later. Exeter operated as a division on her own, Achilles and Ajax as the other, in order to split the fire of Graf Spee. Exeter was hit by seven 11 inch shells and several near misses caused significant splinter damage. She lost sixty one of her crew killed and a further twenty three wounded. All three 8 inch turrets were put out of action and her speed was reduced to 18 knots, forcing her to withdraw from battle. Exeter made for Port Stanley in the for emergency repairs which took until January 1940, then returned to Devonport without assistance for full repairs over fourteen months between February 1940 and March 1941. That she survived such damage from direct hits with large calibre shells is a testament to her design and construction, as well as the damage control efforts of her crew. On returning to the fleet in 1941, she was engaged on escort duty for Atlantic convoys, including the escort of convoy WS-8B to the Middle East during the German battleship Bismarck episode. After this, she went on to the Far East On the entry of Japan into the war she formed part of the Allied Striking Force intended to defend the Dutch East Indies Indonesia from Japanese invasion. At the end of February 1942 she was damaged in the Battle of the Java Sea when she received a hit in the boiler room and was subsequently ordered to Soerabaya The destroyer HMS Electra (H27) was sunk covering her withdrawal. When she attempted to reach the Sunda Strait, she was intercepted by the Japanese cruisers Japanese cruiser Nachi and Japanese cruiser Haguro on the morning of March 1 1942 and badly damaged by gunfire and a Torpedo Japanese destroyer Ikazuchi. She took on water and began listing to starboard. By noon she sank. Her escorting destroyers, HMS Encounter (H10) USS Pope (DD-225) were also lost in this engagement.

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