Hi folks,

I am starting to plan and sketch a boxed diorama (near future) and I want to show a copple of scuba-divers investigating an sunken Sherman DD tank on the cost of Italy.

Does anyone have pictures of sunken shermans (ore URL's) to investigate?

Tnx

Hey Roadkill,

I don't know if this is going to help you but there was a show a couple of weeks ago on either the TLC or Discovery channels about divers investigating sunken Shermans off the coast of Normandy. It was very informative. For the life of me I can't remember the title or exactly when it was on. I must be getting old I will try to find some info for you.

Cheers
Marty

Sorry, no link...

But in Normandy a diver has created a museum with equipment he got back
from under the channel...
I think tht he's got a least one if not several of these tanks, certainly kept in
the same conditions as if they were underwater.
I'll see what I can find.

The museum is the "Musée des Epaves sous-marines du Débarquement" in Port En Bessin, Normandy.

A page with a list of museums :
museums

You don't really need pictures of sunken Shermans per se. The things are metal and react in seawateer just as any other metal object does. Pictures of any wrecked ship that's been down for half a century will do you just as well. What I mean by this is make note of how the encrustation of barnacles and other marine growth obscures the outline of the object in question; how seaweeds drape, etc. Sherman or Titanic, marine organisms don't care. Sounds like a really cool project, what are your ideas for replicating the encrusted surface? I wouldn't have a clue where to start with materials.

Greg

Hi greg,

I was thinking of using a lot of liquid glue on the surface and dabbing it using a big stiff brush, I tested it on some plastic card and it looked nice, same principle like some use for texturing the turret but heavier.

After the glue starts to set I was thinking about sprinkling the model with fie sand (used in kids sandboxes) so it gives a real big texture, and from there building up the seaweed, coral etc...

For now I am only in a experimenting faze, so I am trying a couple of ways on some scrap I have left.

I have never build a box dio before (infact only one real dio until now) so there is a challenge, LOL
#:-) #:-) #:-)

I haven't done a dio in years myself, but I'm beginning to experiment with groundwork tehniques. Your idea about using glue and sand for texturing the wreck sound like a good one...Have fun!
Greg

Hi,

For some info and/or photos try the The Simonides Site or JED.

HTH

Sorry Roadkill...I dont have any pics, but I think it's a darn good idea !!!

Please keep us posted on the planning / progress !!!

If I were you roadkill I would go to my local pet store and I belive they make this fake coral stuff for a aquarium.I would think about using that to duplicate the years of being underwater.

Oh and also,there is a book and it has alot of pictures of Shermans and other tanks underwater,plus bunkers,etc. from the Pacific theater.I cant remeber the name of the damn book if my life depended on it but if you have a bookstore with a computer to search for books look in there.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/73084_tv04.shtml

http://www.military.com/Content/MoreContent/1,12044,NLtankrecovery,00.html

http://www.hitwildlife.com/programme_images/war_secrets/pages/Hit_007.htm

Verlinden makes a Sherman thats half sunken, maybe you could stick that on a sand base and have the divers swimming around it.

The name of that book is War of our Father:Relics of the Pacific Battlefields.Barnes and Noble.com has it for $10.Great deal on a really cool book.

Gee M1, if Kenc dosen't pop up here soon we're gonna have to start calling you the Linkmeister! :-)
Just kidding Kenc...

As for the dio idea, Roadkill; I think it's great! How do you plan to portray the color in the scene? Will you do the blue underwater look? Or will you go for the 'natural' color and add things to it so it is obvious that the scene is taking place underwater? Or, if you're like me, will you just pay DGeraths to build the dio for you? :-)

YodaMan

Here's a cool little bit on a sunken Sherman : Teacher's find

More: Rescuing a Piece of History

It isn't a tank, but there is an article on HyperScale that may help, called The Souvenir Hunters. It's a diorama of a wrecked (and submerged) A6M being dived on. One you have ideas, perhaps this can be some help for the actual construction of it.

Cheers,
Linz