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Newsletter Volume 43, Number 5, May 2016

Contacts Work in Progress President: Don Dressel (909) 949-6931 April 20, 2016 E-Mail: [email protected] Reporter: Dave Yotter Vice President: Bill Schultheis (714) 366-7602 The meeting began with an excellent PowerPoint E-Mail: [email protected] slide presentation given by Randy Biddle, principally on Secretary: Paul Payne the methods of research and the building of a ship (310) 544-1461 model based on the book for model makers by Gene Treasurer: Larry Van Es Johnson. Many of the SMA members enjoyed this (714) 936-0389 presentation very much with lots of questions for E-Mail: [email protected] Randy, who provided all the answers. There was a Editor, Don Dressel minor problem with the projector, but the situation was (909) 949-6931 quickly resolved. 908 W. 22nd Street The second aspect of this evenings meeting was Upland, CA 91784-1229 the fact that there were MANY modern models on E-mail: [email protected] display brought in by a number of SMA members, the Web Manager: Doug Tolbert: number, for the first time, exceeding the number of (949) 644-5416 sailing ship models. Web Site www.shipmodelersassociation.org USS Porter (DD-356) – Don Dressel

Meeting – Wed. May 18, 7 PM, Red Don brought in a resin cast kit model by Blue Cross Building, 1207 N. Lemon, Navy of the USS Porter (DD-356) in 1/350 scale. The kit Fullerton, CA. 92832 was purchased a built a number of years ago. As with most resin kits, there was a LOT of cleanup and sanding Officers meeting –Wed., June 1, required, with many “holes” and other imperfections 2016, 7 PM, Bob Beech’s house, cleaned up prior to painting. It was a “break” from 130 Clove Pl. Brea, CA. 92821 – building wooden sailing ship models but was a lot of (714) 529-1481. fun to build. According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the USS Porter was the lead ship in her class of in the . She was the third Navy ship named for Commodore David Porter and his son, Admiral David Dixon Porter. 2

She was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation at Camden in New Jersey on 18 December 1933, launched on 12 December 1935 by Miss Carlile Patterson Porter and commissioned at Philadelphia on 27 August 1936, Commander Forrest B. Royal in command. After shakedown in waters off Northern Europe, Porter visited St. John’s, Newfoundland, for ceremonies in honor of the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in May 1937 and was at the Washington Navy Yard during the Boy Scout Jamboree, June-July 1937. Then reassigned to the Pacific Fleet, she transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Francisco, California 5 August 1937. She operated continuously with the Pacific Fleet until the outbreak of World War II, homeported at San Diego, California. On 5 December 1941, Porter got underway from Pearl Harbor, escaping the Japanese attack by two days. She patrolled with and destroyers in Hawaiian waters before steaming in convoy 25 March 1942 for the west coast. She operated off the west coast with Task Force 1 (TF1) for the next 4 months. Returning to Pearl Harbor in mid-August, she trained in Hawaiian waters until 16 October when she sortied with TF 16 and headed for the Solomon Islands. On 26 October 1942, TF 16 exchanged air attacks with strong Japanese forces northeast of Guadalcanal in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. During the ensuing action, Porter was torpedoed, and, after the crew had abandoned ship, was sunk by gunfire from Shaw (DD-373). Authorities differ as to the source of the torpedo which sank Porter. Author Eric Hammel states she was sunk by a single torpedo, part of a three-torpedo spread fired from Japanese Submarine I-21. However, author Richard B. Frank states that Japanese records don’t support this, and that, more likely, an errant torpedo from a ditching U.S. TBF Avenger hit Porter and caused the fatal damage. Her name was struck from the Navy List 2 November 1942. Porter earned one battle star for World War II service. Her general characteristics were: Displacement: 1,850 tons; Length: 381 feet (116 m); Beam: 36 feet, 2 inches (11.02 m); Draft: 10 feet, 5 inches (3.18 m); propulsion: 50,000 shp; Speed: 35 knots; Complement: 194; Armament c. 1942: 1 X Mk33 Gun Fire Control System; 8 X 5”/38cal SP (4 x 2); 2 X 40mm AA; 6 X 20mm AA; 2 X Depth Charge stern racks.

Battle of Jutland (from Wikipedia)

The Battle of Jutland (German: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought by the British Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet under Admiral Sir John Jellico, against the Imperial German Navy’s High Seas Fleet under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer during the First World War. The battle was fought from 31 May to 1 June 1916 in the North Sea, near the coast 3

of Denmark’s Jutland Peninsula. It was the largest naval battle and the only full-scale clash of battleships in the war. It was the third fleet action between steel battleships, following the smaller but more decisive battles of the Yellow Sea (1904) and Tsushima (1905) during the Russo-Japanese War.

By Grandiose – Won work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia,org/w/indedx.php?curid=23511058

Germany’s High Seas Fleet’s intention was to lure out, trap and destroy a portion of the Grand Fleet, as the German naval force was insufficient to openly engage the entire British fleet. This formed part of a larger strategy to break the British blockade of Germany and to allow German mercantile shipping to operate. Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Royal Navy pursued a strategy to engage and destroy the High Seas Fleet, or keep the German force contained and away from Britain’s own shipping lanes. 4

The German plan was to use Vice-Admiral Franz Hipper’s fast scouting group of five modern battlecruisers to lure Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty’s battlecruiser squadrons into the path of the main German fleet. Submarines were stationed in advance across the likely routes of the British ships. However, the British learned from signal intercepts that a major fleet operation was likely, so on 30 May Jellicoe sailed with the Grand Fleet to rendezvous with Beatty, passing over the locations of the German submarine picket lines while they were unprepared. The German plan had been delayed, causing further problems for their submariners, which had reached the limit of their endurance at sea. On the afternoon of 31 May, Beatty encountered Hipper’s battlecruiser force long before the Germans had expected. In a running battle, Hipper successfully drew the British vanguard into the path of the High Seas Fleet. By the time Beatty sighted the larger force and turned back towards the British main fleet, he had lost two battlecruisers from a force of six battlecruisers and four battleships, against the five ships commanded by Hipper. The battleships, commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas, were the last to turn and formed a rearguard as Beatty withdrew; now drawing the German fleet in pursuit towards the main British positions. Between 18:30, when the sun was lowering on the western horizon, back-lighting the German forces, and nightfall at about 20:30, the two fleets – totaling 250 ships between them –directly engaged twice. Fourteen British and eleven German ships were sunk, with great loss of life. After sunset, and throughout the night, Jellicoe maneuvered to cut the Germans off from their base, hoping to continue the battle the next morning, but under the cover of darkness Scheer broke through the British light forces forming the rearguard of the Grand Fleet and returned to port. Both sides claimed victory. The British lost more ships and twice as many sailors, and the British press criticized the Grand Fleet’s failure to force a decisive outcome, but Scheer’s plan of destroying a substantial portion of the British fleet also failed. The German’s “fleet in being” continued to pose a threat, requiring the British to keep their battleships concentrated in the North Sea, but the battle confirmed the German policy of avoiding all fleet-to-fleet contact. At the end of the year, after further unsuccessful attempts to reduce the Royal Navy’s numerical advantage, the German Navy turned its efforts and resources to unrestricted submarine warfare and the destruction of Allied and neutral shipping which by April 1917 triggered the United States of America’s declaration of war on Germany. Subsequent reviews commissioned by the Royal Navy generated strong disagreement between supporters of Jellicoe and Beatty concerning the two admirals’ performance in the battle. Debate over their performance and the significance of the battle continues to this day. The group consisting of David Okamura, Mark Deliduka and Bob Zmuda are preparing models for a fleet operation to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Jutland that is to be held aboard the USS Iowa (BB-61) at the USS Iowa Museum, located at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. We should have more specific information about the battle reenactment over the Memorial Day weekend at the May meeting.

WW1 Battleships and Battlecruisers – Bob Zmuda

Bob brought in several models of WW1 Battleships and Battlecruisers in scales of 1:1200 and 1:1250. These were built from kits by Navis, Superior, Authenticast and Comit. The models include the battleship HMS Dreadnought, the dreadnought battleship HMS Iron Duke, the battlecruiser HMS Invincible, the pre- dreadnought battleship Deutschland, the Queen Elizabeth class battleship HMS Warspite, the battleship SMS Ostfriesland, the battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger and the (WWII) battleship HMS Vanguard. Named after the Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, the Iron Duke class was the last Royal Navy battleships fitted 5 with coal-fired boilers. Iron Duke served as the flagship of the Grand Fleet during the First World War, including at the Battle of Jutland. There, she inflicted significant damage on the German battleship SMS König early in the main fleet action.

Steel Navy Warships and Pride of Baltimore II – Mark Delduka

USS New York, the fifth San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, is the fifth ship of the United States Navy to be named after the state of New York.

USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile in the United States Navy. She is named for Admiral Forrest Perceval Sherman, and is the second US Navy ship to bear the name. She is part of 2.

USS Arthur W. Radford (DD-968) was a Spruance-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was named for Admiral Arthur W. Radford USN (1896-1973), the first naval officer to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

USS Ingraham (FFG-61), the last American Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate to be built, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Captain Duncan Ingraham (1802-1891).

There was one other ship I could not identify due to my inferior hand writing analysis capabilities and insufficient note taking. Apologies for that and I hope I got the other ship names right. These models were all presented in 1:700 scale.

Mark’s other presentation was a sailing ship model labeled Pride of Baltimore II. The model was found by his wife and was in rather rough shape. The hope is to restore this model.

HMS Warspite and SMS Lûtzow – David Okamura

(from Wikipedia) SMS Lützow was the second Derfflinger-class battlecruiser built by the German Kaiserlicke Marine (English: Imperial Navy) before . Ordered as a replacement for the old protected Kaiserin Augusta, Lützow was launched on 29 November 1913, but not completed until 1916. Lützow was a sister ship to Derfflinger from which she differed slightly in that she was armed with an additional pair of 15 cm secondary guns and had an additional watertight compartment in her hull. She was named in honor of the Prussian general Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Lützow was commissioned on 8 August 1915, but did not join the 1 Scouting Group until 20 March due to engine damage during trials. This was after most of the major actions conducted by the German battlecruiser force had taken place. As a result, Lützow saw very little action during the war. She took part in only one bombardment operation: the Bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft on 24-25 April 1916, after which she became Admiral Franz von Hipper’s flagship. One month later, the ship was heavily engaged during the Battle of Jutland, on 31 May-1 June. During the battle, Lützow sank the British battlecruiser 6

HMS Invincible and is sometimes given credit for the armored cruiser HMS Defence. However, she was heavily damaged by an estimated 24 heavy-caliber shell hits. With her bow thoroughly flooded, the ship was unable to make the return voyage to German ports; her crew was evacuated and she was sunk by torpedoes fired by one of her escorts, the torpedo boat G38HMS.

David is nearly done with his model of HMS Warspite. It will be completed without rigging or additional photoetch. A little more work is to be done on the water and it will be complete. SMS Lützow is moving along nicely and about 50% done. The model scale is 1:700 and it is being built from a Flyhawk kit. He reports that Flyhawk is a company that previously did mostly detail parts and photoetch but has now branched out into excellent full model kits. The after stack was painted red for recognition of the German fleet during the battle of Jutland. The stacks were painted after the ship left port.

French Submarine Surcouf & USS Constitution’s ships boats – Paul Payne

Surcouf was a French cruiser submarine ordered to be built in December 1927, launched on 18 October 1929, and commissioned in May 1934. Surcouf – named after the French privateer Robert Surcouf – was the largest submarine ever built until surpassed by the first Japanese I- 400-class submarine in 1943. Her short wartime career was marked with controversy and conspiracy theories. She was classified as an “undersea cruiser” by sources of her time. Surcouf was designed as an “underwater cruiser,” intended to seek and engage in surface combat. For reconnaissance, she carried a Besson MB.411 observation floatplane in a hangar built abaft of the conning tower; for combat, she was armed with six 22 in. and four 16 in. torpedo and twin 8 in. guns in a pressure-tight turret forward of the conning tower. The guns were fed from a magazine holding 60 rounds and controlled by a director with a 16 ft. rangefinder, mounted high enough to view a 6.8 mile horizon, and able to fire within three minutes after surfacing. Using her periscopes to direct the fire of her main guns, Surcouf could increase this range to 9.9 miles; originally an elevating platform was supposed to lift lookouts 49 feet high, but this design was abandoned quickly due to the effect of roll. In theory, the Besson observation plane could be used to direct fire out to the guns’ 24 mile maximum range. Anti-aircraft cannon and machine guns were mounted on the top of the hangar. Surcouf also carried a 14 foot 9 inch motorboat, and contained a cargo compartment with fittings to restrain 40 prisoners.

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Paul’s model of Surcouf is built from a HobbyBoss kit in 1:350 scale.

Paul is also working on portions of his 1:96 scale scratch build of USS Constitution. The ships boats are being carved from soft pine. The outside of a boat is carved to shape and then the boat is cut in half longitudinally for hollowing out. Paul uses hand chisels to work each hull half down to a consistent translucent thickness of about 1/8 inch. The keel is then added and the two halves are glued back together. (See the picture of the boats included in this month’s pictured models – Ed.)

Baltimore Clipper Dapper Tom – Hank Tober

During the early 19th century, many Baltimore clippers were granted privateering licenses by the US Government. Since all commerce was subject to the legalized banditry of privateers, only a fast, well- handled ship could be reasonably sure of reaching its destination. Privateers like the Dapper Tom depended on their sailing abilities and firepower to prey on foreign shipping and to escape the British men-of- war patrolling the high seas. The Dapper Tom, an 8-gun topsail schooner, is to great extent, typical of Baltimore Privateers of a stormy decade when ships were at the mercy of any stranger, and even armed ships were safe only in proportion to their nimbleness. John Shedd developed the plans of the Dapper Tom in 1954. The model is a reconstruction of a typical Baltimore Clipper. The hull is based on Marestier’s drawing NO. 6 as taken off that vessel in stocks in 1814. Rigging is based on contemporary practice.

Hank is just getting started on his Model Shipways kit of Dapper Tom. The model’s scale is approximately 1:77 (5/32”=1’) and is being built from a solid hull. He found some golf tees to use for mounting pedestals and some hardwood flooring works as a mounting board. Hi is just getting started on thinning down the bulwarks. Hank noted that in the Dutch language the word dapper would translate as courageous.

Bosporus Cutter – Hank Tober

The Bosphorus or Bosporus is a natural strait and internationally-significant waterway located in Northwestern Turkey that forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, and separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey. The world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation, the Bosporus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and, 8

bu extension via the Dardanelles, the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. A Bosphorus Cutter is a traditional cutter that would have been used in the waters of the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. Hank built his model from a Turkmodel kit in 1:50 scale. He used house trim paint for the white on the hull and some left over door paint for the hull’s bottom. He put wire in the leach of the sails to help hold the sail shape. The cutter is completed with a Turkish flag. The flag of Turkey is a red flag featuring a white star and crescent. The flag is often called al bayrak and referred to as al sancak in the Turkish national anthem.

JDS Kongö – Burt Goldstein

JDS Kongö (DDG-173) is a Kongo-class guided missile destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Kongö is the third Japanese naval vessel named for Mount Kongö. She was laid donw by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Nagasaki on 8 May 1990, launched on 26 September 1991; and commissioned on 25 March 1993. Kongö was the first ship outside of the United States to feature the Aegis integrated weapon system. This guided missile destroyer is nearly the same as an Arleigh Burke class U.S. destroyer. Main differences are that the helicopter pad is several feet longer to handle two choppers and it si said to be constructed to a lighter standard. Burt’s cardstock model is a free download from the internet and is in approximately 1:200 scale. The model is built in what Burt calls “origami” style rather than a more traditionally constructed bulkhead model. The mast proves to be difficult as it is cutout rather than solid. The 5 inch gun turrets turn and rotate. This is model number five in Burt’s growing fleet of Kongö-class guided missile destroyers.

HMS Surprise – Chris Carl

HMS Surprise was the name the Royal Navy gave to the French Navy’s Corvette Unité after her capture in 1796. Launched on 16 February 1794, the ship gained fame in 1799 for the recapture of HMS Hermione, and in 1802 was sold out of the service. Pierre-Alexandre Forfait designed Unité, the name ship for her class of corvette. Although the French initially 9

rated Unité as a corvette, the ships of her class bridged a gap between smaller warships and frigates, and at various times were rated as frigates. About a year after capture, Unité was renamed HMS Surprise because another French ship also named Unité had already been taken into the navy. Surprise was re-classed by the British as a 28-gun sith-rate frigate, though she carried twenty-four 32 pounder carronades on her main deck, eight 32-pounders on her quarter- and fore-decks and two (or four) long 6-pounder guns as chasers. As in the French Navy, this led to difficulty in her rating, considered a fifth rate from 1797-98 but a sixth rate the rest of her commission. Also, she bore the main-mast of a 36-gun ship, just as unusual as her large armament.

Chris is continuing to work on his Mamoli kit of HMS Surprise in 1:76 scale. The hull is just completed with its second layer of planking. The wales are on and the gun ports cut in. The gun deck is in place as is the spar deck. Chris has developed a nice construction platform with two healthy V shaped extensions fixed to the building board. These are covered with thick fuzzy carpet so that the hull can be rotated to any angle without damage to completed portions of the hull. 10

Don Dressel’s USS Porter (DD‐356) Bob Zmuda’s WWI battleships & Battlecruisers Mark Delduka’s Steel Navy Warships Mark Delduka’s Pride of Baltimore II

David T. Okamura’s two warships David T. Okamura’s HMS Warspite

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David T. Okamura’s SMS Lützow Burt Goldstein’s JDS Kongö Paul Payne’s USS Constitution ships boats Chris Carl’s HMS Surprise

Hank Tober’s Baltimore clipper Dapper Tom Hank Tober’s Bosporus Cutter

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By Don Dressel

Old Salts in Port: John Bakker, Greg Wilcox, Don Dressel, Steve Jones, Don Leyman.

Ships in Port: Niña, HMS Pegasus, Washington Galley plans and building board, and the tug Maasbank.

Don Dressel again started off the “official” presentations after much discussion took place regarding a number of maritime subjects as well as a discussion of cleaning plexi‐ glass ship model cases and materials to use and NOT use. The Nina was then discussed showing the progress on the model which is being built for a friend. Jelutong wood was used as filler instead of balsa wood, as Don had a lot of that wood on hand. It is a little harder than balsa and more difficult to shape, but worked well. Since the model is single planked, this option was adopted. The planks also seemed to be too thin in width, but upon checking with the plans, the wood supplied in the kit seemed to “fit the bill”. Don also noticed that there is no scale on the kit model plans, so the scale is unknown unless it is the same as the Model Expo catalog, which states it is 1:65. Planking will now begin.

Don Leyman brought in his ongoing work on the HMS Pegasus based on the Swan Class Sloop books, a really fine bit of scratch building expertise. Since last month Don has finished the chain pumps (which work), the capstan, decking and other details. Don admitted to an error in the ladder way for the officers, but it cannot be seen as it is below decks. During the discussion, Steve Jones came up with a good 13

suggestion on how to mold wood. Steve suggested that you soak the wood in a solution of water and white glue (walnut) which helps to make better and cleaner moldings (once dry). Although there are currently stub masts installed, Don does plan to mast and rig the model, but first has to complete the channels and the gun port lids. The gratings required are basically done. A few more pictures of Don’s Pegasus are shown:

Greg Wilcox brought in his latest creation in leather, a case for his cell phone which he made himself. It was kind of neat. He could not bring in his model of the king of the Mississippi due to the fact that he damaged the model while loading it in his car to come to the meeting. He did, however, provide a few photographs of the completed model for the enjoyment of the SMA membership. Note the fine work on the forward gangway, the general detail on the model (much of which was NOT included in the kit), the nice detail on the stern wheel, the extra detail on the bow (the grand stairway was scratch built and really came out nice. Note the water barrels under the grand stair way. Also note the nice detail work on the rigging of the model. Nice job, Greg!

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John Bakker was next with his amazing work on the Billings model in 1:50 scale of the tug Maasbank. The reason I mention that it is amazing is twofold, first it is a Billings kit, which we all know is not the best kit made, and second, John built the model basically in ONE MONTH. I originally obtained the kit last month from the San Diego Ship Modelers Guild auction in order to give it to Steve Jones, knowing he was interested in tugs. Steve, however, was not interested in this particular kit. So when he was given the kit at last month’s Mayflower Group meeting, he promptly gave it go John Bakker, who evidenced interest in the kit. It came with the fittings kit also. According to Billings, the tug Maasbank was built in 1965 by N.V. Scheepswerven v/h H.H. Bodewes in Millingen a/d Rijn in the Netherlands, on order of L. Smit & Co.’s International Sleepdienst in Rotterdam. The Massbank (I am not sure which way it is spelled, both spellings being shown on the Billings sheet) served for 12 years in the western part of Holland, called ‘Europoort”. She also took part in several salvages on the North Sea and towed vessels in the area from France to Norway. On September 1st 1977 she was transferred to a sister company called ‘Nieuwe Vlissingen Sleepdienst’, which is situated in Vissingen. There she was named to Banckert.

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Maritime Museum of San Diego – Part II

By Don Dressel

We continue our article on the many aspects of the Maritime Museum of San Diego. In the last article we visited the many ship models aboard the ferry Berkley, Just one of a number of real ships (scale 1:1) that are part of the museum. The Star of India is the second ship featured and one of the main stays of the museum, which also houses aboard another fine collection of ship models, even though the ship does, in fact, occasionally go to sea and sail along the coast (although she has no modern power plant – she has to be towed to sea to set her sails). She is currently being worked on, as all ships require continuing maintenance. Her decks are being redone, so currently the stern area is off limits to the public, but the lower decks are still accessible, were most of the ship models in this article are on display. Her spars are also being re‐done.

There are a number of models of the Star of India below decks along with a history of the ship. When she was launched on January 16, 1901, she was first named the ship Euterpe, but was soon to be renamed the Star of India. According to the information plaque alongside the ship models, she was purchased by the Alaska Packers Association (APA) for use in the salmon fishing industry, transporting fishermen and cannery workers between San Francisco and Alaska. Many modifications were made the following winter to make the ship suitable for her new profession. She was equipped with new main and ‘tween decks, her poop deck was extended to house additional workers and the main deckhouse was modified to accommodate cook staff and new machinery. A capstan/windless was installed and could be chain‐driven by a new Murray Brothers donkey engine. The mizzenmast and yards were replaced with a new mast and rig, converting her from a ship to a bark.

Her final working career had begun. In the summer of 1902, the Euterpe made her first of twenty‐two fishing trips to the Nushagak River, and on June 29, 1906, she officially became Star of India. The APA had purchased four vessels from a shipping line known as “Correy’s Irish Stars,” and the company liked the “Star of _____” titles so well they changed the names of all their other iron and steel vessels to match. In 1920 a small pilothouse was added to the ship and on August 30, 1923, the Star of India returned to San Francisco from Alaska for the last time, laden with 20,300 cases of salmon.

During her various occupations as India trader, emigrant ship, Pacific trader and finally Alaska salmon ship, the Star of India has had several different looks and colors. The two models on the following page show the different color schemes as well as the appearance of the ship today, a beautiful, seaworthy vessel reclaimed from the rust and decay shown on the black and white picture. She was brought to San 16

Diego for public exhibition in 1927, where the Star suffered many indignities and a gradual decline through the depression and World War II, eventually becoming more of a curiosity than a museum. But valiant preservation efforts brought renewed local support, and in 1961 she was closed to the public for extensive restoration and repairs (which are still ongoing today). The success of this historic undertaking gave the ship a new life, and she reopened in the year of her 100th birthday, 1963, with a slightly different appearance then she ever had during her years at sea. Outfitted and painted in a manner symbolic of her diverse periods of her working life, the Star of India had become a lasting tribute to those who sailed aboard her and to those who saved her.

In addition to the two models of the Star of India shown above, there are a number of additional ship models shown on both the ‘tween deck and the lower deck as well as many excellent displays of live aboard the ship, an example of which is shown in a photo to the right. This shows that there are many displays to enjoy and see in addition to a number of fine ship models which will be shown and discussed in this article. In both the Berkley and the Star of India the bulk of the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s ship model collection is displayed. 17

One of the first models to note is rather crude, but then you have to take into account that the model was built by a sailor. According to the plaque included with the model, there is no record that a full‐sized version of this sip, the Mary Ann, ever existed outside of the imagination of her builder. Probably built during the second half of the 19th century, the model’s origin is also unknown, but she is an excellent example of what are classified as sailor‐built models. The quality of craftsmanship is unexceptional, but the detail work implies a thorough working knowledge of this type of vessel, a bark.

There are two small models hanging on the bulkhead in the same case, the Hjortspring Boat, made by our own Dave Yotter, and the other the Nydam boat, made by Bill Brown. Both boats are very early boats. The Hjortspring Boat was a pre‐Roman Iron Age ship c. 300 B.C. In 1922, a vessel which bears a remarkable resemblance to ancient pictographs was excavated from a Jutland (Denmark) bog. According to the plaque, buried with the ship were hundreds of beautifully crafted iron and bronze shields, spear heads and swords. About 62 feet long, constructed with lapping planks and leather sewn together and to the light interior framing rather than fastened with metal, the Hjortspring Boat was paddled rather than rowed by 22 men. Today the Hjortspring Boat is preserved in the National Museum of Denmark, . Length: 21 meters with “horns” (69 feet); beam 2 meters (6.5 feet). The model of the Hjortspring Boat is the lighter of the two in the photo.

The Nydam Boat, a naval power in the Dark Ages c. 320 A.D. Historians regard the Germanic warrior bands in Northern Europe during the dark ages and their established rudimentary “kingdoms” as the nascent precursors of modern nation states today. As these Nydam Boats grew in size, complexity and ability to carry sail, generations later such vessels gave birth to the Viking Age. The iron age Nydam boat shown in the photo as the slightly larger, darker vessel above, was excavated from a bog near the Danish0‐German border in 1863 along with weaponry, personal effects and pieces of other smaller vessels. It is the oldest rowing boat extant in Norther Europe and preserved in the Gottorp Castle Museum in Slesvig, Germany. Length: 23 meters (75 feet); Beam: 4 meters (13 feet).

Chronologically, the next ship model on display is that of the Gokstad c. 890, the emblem of Viking Power. Frequently considered the archetypical “long ship,” this vessel was a smaller of the type 18 favored by Viking warrior bands for raiding or warfare. It provided unprecedented mobility and opportunity for surprise, ultimately becoming a basis for military and political organization. One of the greatest amphibious assaults in history, the Norman (Northern France) Conquest of Britain in 1066 was carried out in ships of this type (look up the Bayeux Tapestry). A clinker built long ship was light, watertight, flexible and able to sail relatively close to the winds direction for long passages. The vessel was steered by a large oar always secured at the starboard side of the ship near the stern. Though she could be propelled by her 32 oars, the main propulsion for the vessel was her single square sail that could drive the ship to over 12 knots. The Gokstad ship was discovered at a farm near Sadefiord, Norway in 1890 which revealed, for the first time in centuries, what the legendary ships of the Vikings actually looked like. She is the best known and most iconic of several recovered Viking ships.

The next model is of the Cog c. 1380, the container ship of the middle ages. With trade networks growing throughout Northern Europe during the high Middle Ages, new types of ships were needed – know as cogs. The cog could deal with stormy conditions in the North and Baltic Seas and “take the ground’ in ports and rivers with large tidal ranges. These spacious and relatively inexpensive ships became the backbone of the Hanseatic League during the 13th and 14th centuries and the generic “cargo carrier”. It was so affective, it is deemed partially responsible for the rise of modern trading networks which then contributed to developments in admiralty law, customs regulations, insurance, boards of trade, systems of navigational aids and commodities markets. The cog aided one of the greatest catastrophes of history, the “black death”, as men carrying the plague spread throughout Europe across maritime trade routes between 1347 and 1353. Until recently, most information about cogs came from paintings, tapestries and Hanseatic city seals. However, in 1962 the collapse of a river bank in the Wiser near Bremerhaven, Germany revealed a full size Cog complete condition. Dated to 1380, it is believed to have been under construction at the time of its accidental burial in a mudslide.

Next, we jump to one of Christopher Columbus’s ships, the Nina, a Caravel c. 1492. The caravel Nina was one of the three ships of discovery used by Columbus during the first voyage to the New World in 1492. On his second voyage, Columbus selected her as his flagship for his exploratory voyage to Cuba. The ship was last heard of making a trip to the Pearl Coast in 1502, logging no fewer than 25,000 miles under Columbus’ command. Though originally rigged in the Mediterranean lateen fashion (see photo of 19

the model), Columbus re‐rigged the ship with square sails on the fore and main mast and lateen sail on the mizzen mast (and possibly also a forth mast), as would be typical of all ocean‐going sailing ships thereafter. Over the last century, over two dozen replicas of the Nina have been built, the “Sarsfield” Nina which occasionally visits our shores being regarded as the most plausible. None of the replicas, however, have ever managed to equal the sailing performance of Columbus’ Nina of 1492. You can find out more about the Nina by going to www.TheNina.com.

Your editor was fortunate enough to have the privilege of visiting the sight of the next ship model representation offered on the Star of India, which is the Mary Rose c. 1545, the basic structure of which was raised from the seabed. The plaque on the Mary Rose inside her display case “The Mary Rose is the only surviving 16th century warship on display anywhere in the world. From a technological point of view, this ship was an early product of the ‘gunpowder revolution’ and represented a significant departure from the cog in concept, size and complexity. She was one of the earliest ships to carry heavy artillery on carriages aimed through gunports cut into her sides, establishing the broadside delivery of firepower characteristic in all subsequent sailing warships. In hull form the Mary Rose is considered a ‘carrack type’ typical of very large European warships or cargo vessels, and the advent of the galleon form in the 17th century. The stately carrack was the embodiment of national pride and power as well as the oceanic conveyance of choice in the early years of the great seaborne empires of Spain and especially of Portugal. The Mary Rose sank of Portsmouth, England, in 1545 during an engagement with a French invasion fleet in full view of King Henry VIII. In the 1970s, she was rediscovered and raised in 1982, marking one of the greatest ship recovery and preservation projects in marine archaeology. Thousands of weapons, items of clothing, medicine, games and consumables were recovered with the wreck, opening a fascinating window into Tudor life as lived by different social classes. The Mary Rose is undergoing extensive conservation at the Portsmouth Naval Museum, UK.” You can learn more about the Mary Rose via the internet – www.maryrose.org.

The Vasa Museum in Sweden is an awe inspiring sight when one enters the museum doors and is well worth a trip for any ship model enthusiast. She was an ill‐fated Royal Galleon that sank on her maiden voyage c. 1628 and is well represented in the San Diego Maritime Museum ship model collection on the Star of India. Again, a well documented plaque accompanying the ship model gives an 20 excellent overview of the ship herself and the model. “By the late sixteenth century , various features of ship construction, style and rig had coalesced into the ‘galleon’ form common to all European maritime powers. As both warship and cargo carrier, the galleon served as the basis for the generic European oceanic sailing ship of the next two centuries. By this time, ships had grown massive in proportion deriving most of their strength from heavy internal framing that could carry heavier batteries of artillery on multiple decks. Complex rigs with masts composed of several sections allowed the deployment of powerful sail plans with huge square sails. Built in Stockholm by an experienced Dutch shipbuilder as one of the mightiest warships in the world, she was armed with sixty‐ four imposing bronze carriage guns on two gundecks. The Vasa was also encrusted with hundreds of baroque carvings and illustrations advertising the power and majesty of the sovereign. Starting out on her 1628 maiden voyage in a blaze of flags and pageantry, barely twenty minutes into her route she took a gust of wind. Water rushed in through her open gun ports and, before an astonished crowd, she heeled over and sank in a matter of minutes. Gradually forgotten, she rested undisturbed on the bottom of Stockholm harbor until rediscovered in 1962, whereupon she was raised and conserved in a heroic feat of preservation engineering. Along with the thousands of artifacts and artwork, recovered with her, the Vasa is now on exhibit in her own museum and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe.” Again, check out the Internet – www.VasaMuseet.se. Editors note: Recent documentation indicates that the Vasa was NOT painted blue, but RED.

The next ship model on the Star of India is of the Dutch East Indiaman Batavia c. 1628. Again, the plaque accompanying the model indicates “During the 17th century, the Netherlands became one of the wealthiest and most powerful of European states. Virtually all of that wealth and power derived from control over strategic trading routes disrupting and displacing Portugal and Spain. This wealth made possible the baroque renaissance now known as the Dutch Golden Age, characterized by artists, philosophers and scientists such as Rembrandt, Grotius and Huygens. Presiding over the eastern hemisphere of the Dutch world was the United East India Company (VOC), an empire unto itself. The VOC was the first and most successful, worldwide corporation of history. The empire depended on East Indiamen, some of the largest galleons that ever sailed. A somewhat small version is the Batavia, built in 1628 by order of the VOC. Though a general cargo carrier, the Batavia was heavily armed, carrying twenty‐eight guns but capable of more if ever 21 pressed into service as a warship. She never had the opportunity to fire, however, as on her maiden voyage to the Indies, she wrecked off the west coast of Australia in 1629 and became infamous for the brutal massacre among the survivors. The wreck was rediscovered in the 1970s, as the only preserved remains from a 17th century East Indiaman. Today, an exquisite and faithful working replica of the Batavia is moored near the unfinished replica hull of the Netherland’s greatest sailing man‐of‐war, the ship‐of‐the‐line Zeven Provincien. Again, check it out on the Internet – www.Museum.wa.gov.au.

There is also a fine scale model of the HMS Victory with another plaque explaining the ship and her history along with a second excellent ship model of the SS Great Britain c. 1843, the first modern steamship according to the plaque supplied with this model also. There is also an additional model of the Star of India in the hold of the ship as well as a nice display of some ships in bottles as well as scrimshaw. All in all, a visit to the San Diego Maritime Museum cannot be complete without visiting the ship models on both the Berkley and The Star of India.

Of course, the rest of the San Diego Maritime Museum consists of real 1:1 scale ships which are also a wonderful experience to explore. If possible, some of these ships also can be taken for trips – check out the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s web site for more information on all the activities.

As one added detail, the Nautical Research Guild is holding their annual ship model conference in San Diego in conjunction with the museum this coming October.

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This picture is of the book used by Randy Biddle on his slide presentation last month on research techniques and methods. This is also the older book, which can still be obtained from used book sources on the internet. Randy showed us the same book in paperback which is also available. The book is very inexpensive either way.

Another Item of NOTE:

There is a PREAC saw, in excellent condition, for sale with all attachments except the tilt table.

If you are interested in the saw, contact Claude A. McElvain, a member of the GCSMS in Houston: Claude A. McElvain, 1406 Timbertrail Dr., Sugar Land, TX 77479

Home – 281‐343‐1365

Cell – 832‐493‐8765

The PREAC is no longer available, so if you want a PREAC modeler’s saw, check it out!

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SMA Badges available in May

There are a few SMA badges ready for pickup at the May meeting: Brooke Robbins, Trabuco Canyon Bob Fallon, La Puente Jim Zalaco, Lakewood Anyone else who would like to obtain an SMA badge, please let Paul Payne know at the May meeting.

SMA Participation in the upcoming NRG Conference in San Diego

The SMA will participate in the upcoming NRG Conference in San Diego in October by participating in the Ship Model Exhibition along with other Southern California clubs. All SMA members are encouraged to enter one or more models in the exhibition. There will be no contest.

PowerPoint Presentation at May SMA meeting

There will be a PowerPoint presentation “Gold Leaf Techniques” by Don Dressel at the May meeting, based on his efforts to gold leaf the Sovereign of the Seas – the ship which lead to the relief of the head of the King of England. There is a need for additional speakers to make presentations at future SMA meetings – please contact Don.

Treasurer’s Report

Larry Van Es reports that there is $4,613.10 in the SMA account for the end of March. Mike has become the advisor and helper for the new SMA Treasurer, Larry Van Es.

Web Manager’s Report

The Webmaster, Doug Tolbert, informed us that the SMA web site is back up and running fine. There will be additional details added to the web site as time goes by and members may wish to visit the web site occasionally to see what is new. The Planking demonstration given last month at the SMA meeting in January has been added to the web site.

SMA Badges

For those SMA members who do not have an SMA badge, please inform our president, Bill Schultheis, providing your name and the city you live in, and Paul Payne will be notified. An SMA badge will then be made for you and given to you at the following SMA meeting.

San Diego Ship Modelers Guild

For those SMA members who may be interested, the San Diego Ship Modelers Guild now has their meetings on the BERKLEY on the second TUSEDAY of each month, instead of the second Wednesday. Your editor and reporter routinely attend the meeting which is usually very informative and enlightening. Last month Larry Van Es was a guest from the SMA also. 24

USS Porter – Don Dressel

Donald C. Dressel 908 W. 22nd Street, Upland, CA. 91784-1229

Next meeting Wednesday, May 18, 7:30 PM, Hillcrest Park Red Cross Building