Blog category - Conservation
Lockheed Hudson – Turret Structure Trial Fit
23 January 2012 by Jamie Croker.
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Collection,Conservation
After months of work treating and reproducing induvidual pieces, the complex structure which supports the Boulton Paul turret has been trial fitted. It was great to see all the seperate items come together. These parts, after final undercoating, will now be rivetted into the airframe permanately. Rear fuselage skins can then be rolled, and the Boulton Paul turret fitted.
Boulto Paul turret support structureLockheed Hudson – Boulton Paul Turret Build
02 December 2011 by Jamie Croker.
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Collection,Conservation
The Boulton Paul Turret was the first of the major componemts to undergo restoration, with work commencing in late 2009 on a large pile of turret pieces. Over an eight month period, the parts were individually treated, and the turret slowly took shape. The frame is a complex assembly, with literally hundreds of small brackets, all rivited together to make up the cupola, or frame.
One of several piles of BP Turret components used to construct the turretLockheed Hudson – F24 Camera Well
26 September 2011 by Jamie Croker.
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Conservation
While major structural work is being carried out, work progresses on some of the smaller cabin fitout items as well. Mark Aitken, one of the Large Technology conservators, is currently replicating the F24 Camera Well using a loaned original for reference, as well as original blueprints.
Original loaned F24 Camera well
The blueprint provides all the measurements required for an accurate replica to be produced.
Current photo of the camera well, with only several items to be manufactured before final assembly.Closure of the Birdwood papers between 11 April and 2 May 2011
31 March 2011 by Nicholas Schmidt.
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ANZACS online,Collection,Conservation,News
The papers of Field Marshal the Lord Birdwood will be undergoing conservation, rehousing and digitisation for their long term preservation.
This important collection has been held in the Memorial’s Research Centre since the 1960s. Birdwood is a significant figure in Australian military history. He commanded the Australians for much of the First World War, including during the Gallipoli Campaign, and as a result the collection is in constant use by researchers. We hope to limit the pressure on the original items by making digital copies available in the future.
Initially, the collection will be closed for 3 weeks between 11 April and 2 May 2011. This large collection, however, will take us longer than three weeks to digitise so access to the material after this period will need to be negotiated by appointment. Please contact Nicholas Schmidt (nicholas.schmidt @awm.gov.au) for more information.
For more information about the collection, you might like to look at Guide to the papers of Lord Birdwood which can be found here. For more information about Lord Birdwood see here.
Lockheed Hudson – More Holes
25 February 2011 by Jamie Croker.
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Conservation
A second large hole has been cut into the fuselage this week, this being for the lower tunnel gun position. A large amount of modification to the airframe had been carried out to support flooring, and various large camera mounts thorughout it’s time as a geo survey platform. All these modifications were removed to clear the area, and open up the space ogininally occupied by the tunnel gun.
Post war modifications to tunnel gun area removed 
External view of extended tunnel gun, fitted to the RNZAF Museum's Hudson Japanese Ha-Go tank conservation – Part two
10 February 2011 by John Kemister.
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Collection,Conservation
Three months into this phase of the project has seen significant progress on both the external and internal conservation of the tank. Externally, all original armour plate components have been repaired. Replica plating has been fitted to replace inaccurate or missing components, with some plates requiring considerable modification to fit this individual tank, and to correct minor errors in externally supplied fabrications.
All the original running gear and mudguards have been conserved or remanufactured, and refitted, with replica components installed as necessary. Hubcaps on the track return rollers and idler sprocket are still to come, and the replica tracks have not been installed at this stage as further surface work is required on the hull exterior.
As a project ‘milestone’, all rear armour plating was fitted, and missing external fittings and equipment, replicated from collection images of other Ha-Go tanks, was made ‘in house’ and installed. The turret has not been reinstalled at this stage.
In parallel with this external work, internal transmission components were investigated for ease of removal. Given the severe degree of water induced corrosion inside the tank, the main gearbox and transfer gearbox were able to be removed, with badly corroded mounting bolts requiring removal by oxy cutting. Removal of the main gearbox enabled the final reduction gear and drive sprockets to be treated. As these sub-assembies had very corroded and inaccessable fasteners, to reduce dismantling impact it was decided not to remove these assemblies from the tank, but to treat in situ. After rust removal from the badly corroded brake drums, the final drives now rotate freely.
Given the past 70 years of weathering, neglect and abuse, it was surprising to find the main and transfer gearboxes were in virtually pristine condition internally, with no corrosion and no wear marks on the gear teeth. It appears that the tank was landed by the Japanese marine landing force at Milne Bay and travelled only a relatively short distance. It was engaged in four actions with men of the Australian 61st, 2/10th, and 25th Battallions. It was stopped during the third encounter by Corporal JFP O’Brien, recovered by the Japanese, and later captured after the fourth encounter by the Australians on 29th August 1942. (One careful owner, low mileage!)
Of considerable interest, after all these years, two more cartridge cases from the 7.7mm Japanese machine guns were found under the gearboxes. These are highly likely to be relics from those actions in 1942, and complement the battle damage found on the tank.
The success of the progressive dismantling of the transmission has now enabled a serious attempt at removing the badly deteriorated engine for treatment. The tank had been sitting exposed to the weather in a scrap yard for many years, with five of the six cylinder heads missing, and at this stage the engine appears to be rusted solid. Interior examination with a borescope shows no oil in the sump and the engine interior has surface rust.
Interesting aspects of this project are the identification and preservation of battlefield damage and relics still present that relate directly to the known history of the tank, and the progressive nature of the treatment, as initial unknowns are resolved and future actions become clearer.
Update!
The engine has been removed from the tank. Note the five missing heads.
(Tech specs: The engine is a 14.3 litre, six cylinder, air cooled diesel engine, of 240 BHP at 2000 rpm)
From now on it will be slow and steady work investigating, cleaning and treating the engine ,
and the internal hull surfaces!
Part of the work involves sourcing or replicating missing components to complete the external appearance. For example, the tank jack mounted on the mudguard -
Original image of jack on a Ha-Go tank
Replica jack in position on tankFortunately, a modern 10 tonne ratchet jack was virtually identical in overall appearance. After removing English lettering cast into the jack and unobtrusively stamping “AWM II” to identify it as a replica, it fittted perfectly into the replica mounting bracket (made in-house from an original image of a Ha-Go tank).
Lockheed Hudson – Support structure fitout begins.
01 February 2011 by Jamie Croker.
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Collection,Conservation,News
The aft turret support bulkhead was fitted to the fuselage late last week, and is the first major peice of the turret support structure to be completed and installed. The installation of this bulkhead will give the structural integrity to allow the removal of damaged and modified floor structure, and the continuing installation of support structure further forward in the fuselage.
Rear fuselage prior to installation of rear turret support bulkhead.Lockheed Hudson – Blueprints
20 December 2010 by Jamie Croker.
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Collection,Conservation
To assist with the manufacture of missing and damaged components and structure in the Hudson, the AWM purchased a copy of original Lockheed blueprints on Microfilm. Digitisation of the blueprints for ease of reference has commenced, and they are providing invaluable information for most areas in the airframe. The blueprints contain the original dimensions and material specifications of each individual item used to build the aircraft.
THousands of drawings are contained on the micro film and need to be sorted through one by one as there is no index or orderLockheed Hudson – Upper Turret Support Structure Progress
25 November 2010 by Jamie Croker.
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Collection,Conservation
The support structure for the upper turret is beginning to take shape, with repaired and replicated components being pieced together before installation. This structure is approximately 1/3 of the way through the fabrication stage. When complete, the structure will be disassembled, painted, and then installed into the airframe.
Partially completed upper Turrect support structure
Reproduced stowage compartment liner
Liner pinned into position Lockheed Hudson – The First Cut
03 November 2010 by Jamie Croker.
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Collection,Conservation
One of the first steps in the conversion to re-fit the Boulton Paul upper turret was to remove any excess material from the fuselage. This meant cutting a hole in the upper rear fuselage, and removing the skin and additional structure which had been replaced post war.
Out line where skin needed to be cut