As someone who is interested not only in aviation, but also in matters maritime, I naturally gravitated towards
carrier aircraft. There are a number of aircraft carriers readily available, both freeware and payware, but a
dearth of escort vessels. Aircraft carriers rarely sail alone, if at all. I therefore decided to make some escort
vessels, originally for my own use. My efforts to date are Leander Class Frigates, County Class Destroyers, Tiger
Class Cruisers, Type21 Amazon Class Frigates, and Type22 Broadsword Class Frigates .
What follows here are Royal Navy Type 42 class Destroyers. They are not intended to be super accurate models, but
rather to be used together with an aircraft carrier as a group of vessels.
Included here are four Type 42 Class Destroyers for FSX, all of which are helicopter landable. They are provided
in both static and AI form. Please see the installation instruction in the relevant folder for information on how
to use them in FSX.
They were produced using FSDS 3.5.1, and compiled using the FSX Acceleration/SP2 SDK. They have been tested using
FSX with Acceleration/SP2 only, and Windows 7 Home edition.
The four ships are:-
HMS Newcastle (D87); a Batch 1 vessel shown in original form with 4.5in gun, Sea Dart, ships boats, 2 triple
torpedo tubes, decoy launchers, and a twin Type 965 AKE-2 radar..
HMS Cardiff(D108); a Batch 1 vessel, shown as later modified with 4.5in gun, Sea Dart, ships boats replaced with
RIBs, two 20mm Oerlikon, two twin 30mm Oerlikon, 2 triple torpedo tubes, decoy launchers, and a Type 1022 radar.
HMS Exeter (D89); a Batch 2 vessel, shown with 4.5in gun, Sea Dart, ships boats, 2 triple torpedo tubes, decoy
launchers, two old style 20mm Oerlikons as an interin measure, and a twin Type 965 AKE-2 radar.
HMS Edinburgh (D97) a Batch 3 vessel with lengthened hull, shown as later modified with 4.5in gun, Sea Dart, ships
boats replaced with RIBs, two 20mm Oerlikon, two Phalanx CIWS, 2 triple torpedo tubes, decoy launchers, and a
Type 1022 radar.
All vessels come in two versions, one with wake effect and one without. You can choose whichever you prefer. All
have smoke effect. They also have navigation lights which only show at dawn, night and dusk. These are the standard
aircraft navigation fx effects, and as such cannot be seen from the distances prescribed in the International
Regulations for Prevention of Collision at Sea (IRPCS). I tried originally with larger effects, but the bloom and
reflection was too great, and they could clearly be seen from a horizontal angle at which they should not! I
therefore reverted to the aircraft lights.
These vessels as depicted are probably not historically accurate. I have used information and photographs readily
available on the net as a guide. If some of you who have a more detailed knowledge, or even served on them, are
concerned at the inaccuracies, then I am sorry, but to me they adequately achieve what I set out to produce.
Credits:-
Produced using FSDS 3.5.1 from Abacus.
Compiled using Microsoft Acceleration/SP2 SDK.
Static bgl compiled using Library Maker from Instant Scenery 2 by Flight 1
Textures compiled using DXTBmp by Martin Wright.
The forums at both www.fsdeveloper.com and www.freeflightdesign.com from which I gained much information without
which this could not have been completed.
Installation:-
I have provided separate installation notes in both the static and AI folders. Please go to the relevant folder
for them.
Finally this is provided as freeware. The copyright in the design/model is mine. It is not to be used for
commercial gain, nor to be uploaded to any site that extracts payment. If anyone wishes to provide repaints please
feel free, but ensure that you upload the textures only and not the model. I would also appreciate a copy.
If by any chance you wish to use these models in scenery that you create and upload yourself, you may do so freely
provided no person or company derives any commercial gain, due credit is given, and they are used unaltered.
These files should not harm you or your computer, but you use them entirely at your own risk!
Mike Hudson
January 2012
mike.s.hudson@btinternet.com
