Naval traffic for WWII Solomon Islands: need suggestions, info

[dswo]

As most of you will already know, Mark Schimmer is working on scenery for the Solomons c. 1943: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?32269-WIP-FSX-Solomon-1943-long. I'd like to make some naval traffic to go along with it. This last summer I made some tracks for modern aircraft carriers, so I understand the process. What I need for this project is information:

- Which models should be used?

- What routes should they travel? A chart would be ideal -- and if you can't scan one, tell me what book it's in and I will get it from the library.

- On what schedule?

[roger-wilco-66]

David,

I wrote an outline for the ship-traffic I would include, based on information I have read, mostly on www.pacificwrecks.com (http://www.pacificwrecks.com) :

Maybe this could be a start?

Cheers,
Mark




US Supply Runs
9 ships (FSX US Steamboat SS Adventure, a LST or Liberty Ship would be better)
Ships start with the initiation of a flight, from selected positions underway or from the docking facility in the order of the list below (eg first from Lunga to Tulagi, second from Tulagi to Banika, third from Banika.......):





Lunga Point Harbour facility / Guadalcanal
Tulagi Florida Islands
Russell Islands / Banika
Segi / New Georgia
Munda / New Georgia
Ondonga / New Georgia
Gizo / Gizo
Barakoma / Vella Lavella
Rendova Harbour

US Patrols Destroyer
6 ships FSX Fletcher class destroyer or other contemporary
Ships start with the initiation of a flight, from selected positions underway




Circling Vella Lavella
Circling Gizo Group
Up + Down East Slot
Up + Down West Slot
Circling New Georgia
East-West off coast of Bougainville


US Patrols PT boat
5 boats FSX PBR
Ships start with the initiation of a flight,
from selected positions underway




Circling Vella Lavella
Circling Gizo Group
Up + Down East Slot
Up + Down West Slot
Circling New Georgia
Patrolling the Blackett Strait (that's what Kennedy did with his PT109 before he got rammed)
US Ferry / small boats
Ships start with the initiation of a flight,
from the docking facility




LCVP ferry Banika north / south, constant
2 LCVP ships between Munda / Ondonga
2 LCVP ships between Halavo / FI and Lunga point Guadalcanal
2 Submarines around Vella / Gizo
US Carrier group
FSX Carrier group
USS Yorktown, USS Princeton, USS Saratoga, USS Enterprise were in the area



1 operates between Vella Lavella and Kolombangara
1 operates to the west of New Georgia / Rendova

Japanese supply Shipping
6 ships mod. FSX SS Adventure
Ships start with the initiation of a flight, from selected positions underway



2 Cruising down east coast Bougainville to Toneli
2 Cruising down west coast Bougainville to Kahili
2 static in Toneli harbour
Japanese destroyers
3 ships FSX ???



2 around southern Bougainville
2 on supply runs from Tonolei to Rekata Base
1 static in Tonolei harbour

[dswo]

Mark, this is tremendously helpful. Will need to build it up in layers, not all at once, but this gives me some concrete objectives.

Next task: find models or textures for the IJN.

[Butcherbird17]

Its to bad we can't use some of Usio's ships from cfs2. His ships are the most detailed ships for cfs2 and he has done all of the IJN carriers, plus most of the battleships, heavy/light cruisers and destroyers. I know there are some essex class long and short hull carriers that work in fs9 (cfs2 ships), but never tried them in fsx. I know crashaz is working on PHP2 for cfs2 and fsx, but don't know if any of his ships will work in fsx. They would fit right in as they are early war types.

Joe

[roger-wilco-66]

I don't know enough about modeling of scenery objects, but I guess the CFS 2 ships (or planes) were designed with FSDS or GMAX. Wouldn't it be possible to recompile them to FSX standards, if the source file is available (maybe the author of a certain vessel could do this) ?

@ David: another interesting site, were the movement of IJN ships is researchable in tabular records, is

http://www.combinedfleet.com/lancers.htm#destroyers

(destroyer section, for example). If you browse to the Kikuzuki record, you'll find the movements of this ship e.g. to supply the Rekata seaplane base. This ship is interesting because it was damaged by planes of the Yorktown near Tulagi und beached and dismanteled by the US. The wreck is still visible today.

This thing is becoming really exciting.

Cheers,
Mark

[dswo]

I'm starting to get the materials together. Still missing: FSX models for USN supply and PT, IJN anything.

Basic but important question: how far off shore should I place the ships?