December 2019 NEWSLETTER VOLUME 47, NO. XII
GUILD OFFICERS HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Guild Master James Pitt Following is a selection from the Navy rendition of “Merry guildmaster@ Christmas, My Friend” penned by Former Corporal James sdshipmodelersguild.org M. Schmidt, USMC .
First Mate “I didn't want to leave on that cold dark night, Ed Torrence This guardian of honor so willing to fight. firstmate@ The Sailor rolled over and with a voice strong and sure, sdshipmodelersguild.org Commanded, "Carry on Santa, It's Christmas, and All is Purser Secure!" Jon Sanford Isaac Wills sends his holiday greetings from the SUNY Maritime College and this image of purser@ Show and Tell sdshipmodelersguild.org USS St Mary’s (1844) that he has helped clean, repair, and decorate. See for more on this model. Newsletter Editor Guy Lawrie MINUTES OF 12 NOVEMBER 2019 GUILD MEETING newsletter@ sdshipmodelersguild.org Guild Master James Pitt brought the meeting to order at the San Diego Log Keeper Maritime Museum aboard the Steam Ferry BERKELEY. James led a recitation Tom Hairston logkeeper@ of The Pledge of Allegiance before greeting fourteen (14) members and two (2) sdshipmodelersguild.org visitors, Chad Posey and Fred Peace. The meeting was COMMITTEE CHAIRS also attended by Laura Potts and Sandy Lonnecker who attended with their spouses. Fred Peace, seen here holding Web Master Alex Roel the pole next to Ed Torrence, has become the Guild’s webmaster@ newest member and brings his nautical background to sdshipmodelersguild.org enliven future meetings. Welcome aboard, Fred! Presentation Coordinators Guild Master James Pitt began the business portion of Ed Torrence the meeting by reporting the Guild made a gift to the Frank Dengler Maritime Museum of San Diego of $1,500.00 in the name presentations@ sdshipmodelersguild.org of Dr. John McShefferty for the purpose of supporting the Museum’s many projects. Established in 1971 by Bob Wright and Russ Guild Master James Pitt, left, presenting the gift to Museum Manager of Collections / Librarian Kevin Sheehan, Ph.D. as Merrill Guy Lawrie and Tom Hairston standby
San Diego Ship Modelers’ Guild is affiliated with and supports the Maritime Museum of San Diego http://sdshipmodelersguild.org/ December 2019 NEWSLETTER Page 2
Meeting Minutes continued with the Guild Master Report: Guild Master James Pitt further reported that the Guild is in the process of becoming a Charter Club with the Nautical Research Guild, Inc. The NRG whose motto is “Advancing Ship Modeling Through Research” can be found at www.thenautical researchguild.org and is a widely acclaimed Guild with an international presence. As James gave a report. members from left to right standby, Royce Privett, James and Laura Potts, Bob Costa, David Yotter, and Don Dressel
Lastly, James reported the increased activity on the Guild Master email from folks looking for help restoring models continues. Guild Members interested in taking on a commission to restore a model are urged to contact James Pitt who is maintaining a sign up sheet. First Mate’s Report: First Mate Ed Torrence reported on a product that may be found useful for rigging or other purposes. EZ Line is a product used in railroad modeling and is found useful for its rebounding property when stretched. As rigging, it would stretch when disturbed then resume its original length avoiding re- rigging or perhaps even breaking other model elements. EZ Line can be found on Amazon or other on-line sources and advertises as having an “Authentic look that goes great with any project; Diameter Fine - .010, Heavy - .020; is available in multiple colors including natural white, charcoal / black, and green; simulates Telephone and Electric lines, all Suspended Wires, Ropes, Fences, etc.; and is an elastic Polymer will stretch when bumped and instantly go back to its original shape.” Ed reported that during the last couple of months, Guild Members were encouraged to offer topics or presentations that they would enjoy and from this a “Top 5” list was compiled. Planning is now underway for Mike Lonnecker to give a presentation at the January Guild Meeting on a topic taken from that “Top 5” list. Mike’s presentations are always of interest for ship modelers, plan on being there! Purser’s Report: Purser Jon Sanford reported the guild balance as of 10 October 2019 was $
10 December is December 2019 Annual Holiday S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dinner! 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Celebrating this year 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 at Filippi’s 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 6:00 Social followed by Dinner December 2019 NEWSLETTER Page 3 Meeting Minutes continued with the Purser’s Report: Purser Jon Sanford reports that an exhibit table will be purchased for Maritime Museum Model of the Month program. Update: See Maritime Museum of San Diego Model of the Month for a picture of the Guild’s new exhibit table with the model of the month displayed on it! Jon also included a message to the Guild about staffing of the Museum Model Shop and to members who would enjoy displaying a model in the museum. Volunteers are always welcome, contact Jon for details! Additionally, Guild Members are urged to consider becoming a member of the Maritime Museum of San Diego! This is a wonderful way of showing the Guild’s support for the Museum! Log Keeper’s Report: Log Keeper Tom Hairston had nothing new to report with the log keeper function.
Editor’s Report: Editor Guy Lawrie had nothing new to report with the L to R: James Pitt, Glenna newsletter function. Guy reported he and James Pitt delivered a thank-you McShefferty, and Guy Lawrie note to Mrs. Glenna McShefferty for her generous gift to the Guild. enjoy a lunch together Glenna was told how her gift would be used to support Guild initiatives to encourage interest in the ship modeling craft and the San Diego Ship Modelers Guild. Those initiatives include the County Fair’s Mini-Star (of India) and other projects. She was also told about the display of the model “Nave Egizia, an Egyptian Boat”, built by her late husband John McShefferty in the Maritime Museum’s Research Library. Nave Egizia model on display in Maritime Museum of SD Research Library, see November 2019 SD Ship Modelers Guild newsletter for additional detail Web Master’s Report: Web Master Alex Roel reported the following activity on the web page. Website Traffic Completed Activities:
MONTH DAILY 1. Updated following pages: VISITS Oct. 2019 47 a. “Home Port” (home page) content refreshed on the 1st of the month in Sept. 2019 53 conjunction with release of Newsletter August 2019 62 b. Recent Recent updates to “Voyages > Mini-Star Project” - page added, July 2019 58 thanks to Jon Sanford for assistance in creating this page June 2019 60 May 2019 55 c. Recent updates to “Voyages > Build Gallery” April 2019 53 i. “2017”: Added Don Dressel’s NINA March 2019 20 ii. “Pre-2009”: Added Dave Yotter’s CAROLINE d. Recent updates to “Scuttlebutt > Documents” - Added Frank Dengler’s “Decals & Computer Printing” presentation (both PowerPoint and PDF versions) e. Recent updates to “Scuttlebutt > Build Methods” - Added new page outlining full hull, plank-on- bulkhead, plank-on-frame build
December 2019 NEWSLETTER Page 4 Meeting Minutes continued with the Web Master’s Report: In Progress Activities: 1. “Model Sales” page: Tom Hairston has a model for sale. Mock-up created for Officers’ consideration. 2. “Model Restorations” page: Howard Griffus finished a restoration. Mock-up created for Officers’ consideration. 3. The Web Master is researching various historical Guild projects for eventual inclusion on Website (these will go on the “Voyages” menu along with the new “Trafalgar Project” and Mini-Star page). a. USS San Diego Project – Web Master will contact Howard Griffus and Bob Crawford for project history b. San Salvador Project – three models were made as gifts to donors to Maritime Museum. need assistance, if any Member has knowledge of this project, please contact the Web Master c. Maritime Museum Fleet Model Project – see January 2011 Newsletter on the Guild Website for a picture of the Project. need assistance, if any Member has knowledge of this project, please contact the Web Master
ALERT! Alex Roel took the lead for the next Community Build! The initial sign-up for the Community Build is completed and the kits have been delivered. Alex has organized the build as explained in the following message he sent to the build group. Members of any expertise level are still invited to join the build and they can contact Alex at [email protected]. Community Build participants will each build a plank-on-frame half hull model from the kit designed by the Nautical Research Guild’s (NRG) Toni Levine. We’ll meet at the regular Guild Meeting locale: second deck aft, BERKELEY. In the event of a conflict for this space, Kevin Sheehan (Maritime Museum of San Diego) has also offered us the use of the MMSD Library on the first deck. We’ll meet monthly on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 1pm. Late-comers to the Build will need to order their own kits via the NRG (call Mary at 585-968-8111) at a cost of $52 (NRG Members only) or $65 (non-NRG Members) plus applicable shipping costs. Kit includes: all parts, plans, instruction manual, and build log Kit does not include: backboard, glue, tools Instruction manual “Introduction to Planking” by Toni Levine (72 pages, illustrated, email attachment) Build log “Half Hull Planking Project” by Toni Levine (illustrated, annotated, online): https://modelshipworld.com/topic/21980-half-hull-planking-project/ Next Up Alex will bring the kits to the Guild’s Holiday Dinner on December 10th and also to the first Community Build meeting on December 14th. At the latter participants can go over any questions / recommendations. If you can’t make these dates contact me for other arrangements. Following the Guild Officer Reports, a break for coffee with snacks, and Show and Tell; Guild Master James Pitt adjourned the meeting. December 2019 NEWSLETTER Page 5
Presentation Report: NRG Conference 2019 New Bedford, Massachusetts by Alex Roel
The Nautical Research Guild’s annual conference convened late October in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the former whaling capital of the world. Fantastic weather greeted us upon arrival with temperatures in the mid-60s and clear skies with a slight breeze ruffling the changing leaves. This conference was of particular interest to me as one of my upcoming builds is the whaling brig KATE CORY. The conference was held in the New Bedford Whaling Museum which boasts a half-sized (1:2, 6”=1’) replica of the whaler LAGODA resting on the museum floor and stretching up to the third floor ceiling. Visitors may board and inspect nearly every inch of this remarkable resource; I took dozens of photos. The museum also holds large collections of models of whaling ships and boats, whaling art and artifacts (including a vast array of Boarding LAGODA whaler under the cutting scrimshandery.) out station The Herreshoff Marine Museum stands on the site of the former Herreshoff Manufacturing Company (ceased operation in 1947; many factory and workshop buildings still stand) and holds many of Nathanael Herreshoff’s brilliant boats that may be viewed close- up and, in several cases, boarded. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Nathanael_Greene_Herreshoff for additional information about this . - Captain Nathanael notable American Naval Architect We were given a specially Herreshoff Model Room curated tour of the usually locked Captain Nathanael Herreshoff Model Room featuring hundreds of Nat’s hand carved pine half-hull designs for clients. The museum also houses an America’s Cup Hall of Fame outlining not only the five winning Herreshoff-designed Cup defenders but the history of the Cup and the landmark participants. There were many models of these racers, of all classes, including several that Model of the Herreshoff designed sailed San Diego Bay and the ocean RELIANCE, 1903 America’s Cup waters off Point Loma. defender
Herreshoff cat boat SPRITE December 2019 NEWSLETTER Page 6
NRG Conference 2019 report by Alex Roel continued: The Navy War College Museum was another beautiful and informative museum that gave much emphasis to the history of the development of the education of the upper levels of the Naval elite. Originally an outgrowth of the Naval Academy (which had removed to Newport during the Civil War with the possible encroachment of Confederate forces) it became its own entity after the Naval Academy returned to Annapolis and focused on war planning and war gaming. Today it is the post-graduate college for the military. The museum holds many fine models and memorabilia including a fantastic history of the torpedo. One of the early torpedoes featured was the Howell model, manufactured circa 1880. Only one surviving example was Naval War College known to have been in existence until US Navy dolphins came across a Museum Howell torpedo in San Diego Bay near the Hotel del Coronado in 2013. The next two days of the conference were a series of presentations and up-close round- tables presented by several NRG members and local marine professionals. Subjects included building ship pumps, making realistic sails, rigging ratlines, hull planking, the harbor hoy HAYLING, whale boat construction, and the LORD SANDWICH/ ENDEAVOUR Project, among several others. The round-table on hull planking was very timely as our next Community Build project is using the NRG’s kit upon which the conference presentation was based. The NRG’s Toni Levine developed this half-hull kit for educational purposes; this kit was presented at the conference by Toni along with a hands-on session. Deck planking close-up Breaks and lunch times afforded attendees additional time to explore (Dave Yotter top left, Toni Levine instructing) the Whaling Museum in more depth and to view and discuss the several models brought by NRG members. I was fortunate in coming across a fine example of KATE CORY amongst the collection which commandeered a lot of my free time. The Whaling Museum is situated a few blocks above the still-busy harbor of New Bedford with fine views from the upper floor conference rooms and viewing decks. A nice final touch to the whaling theme of this conference stood across the cobbled street from the museum: the Seamen’s Bethel church that featured prominently in an early chapter of Herman Melville’s whaling classic, Moby Dick. Captain Nathanael Herreshoff Model Room December 2019 NEWSLETTER Page 7
Maritime Museum of San Diego Model of the Month
Note: Anyone interested in displaying one of their models at the Maritime Museum of San Diego can contact Jon at [email protected] and he will work with you. All are welcomed and urged to participate! Bluenose (1921), Nicknamed “Queen of the North Atlantic”, seen here on the Guild’s new exhibit table by Royce Privett
BlueJacket Shipcrafters Solid Hull Kit, no longer in production
Model completed pre-2000 Overall model length 22", height 18" Scale: 1/8” = 1 foot
Bluenose was a celebrated racing ship and fishing vessel, Bluenose under the command of Angus Walters became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia and an important Canadian symbol in the 1930s, serving as a working vessel until she was wrecked in 1946. - Wikipedia
From the SD Ship Modelers Guild April 2004 newsletter - For many years there was a friendly rivalry between US and Canadian fishing schooners that fished the Grand Banks. These boats had developed into fast vessels for the same reasons the clipper ships evolved; the first fishermen to the fishing spots got the best cargo while the fastest ones back got the best prices. For many years the fishermen looked on in disgust at the America's Cup races. They were "yachts" being sailed by "yachtsmen", forever being towed in from races for repairs or "adjustments" of one kind or another. When, in 1919, the New York yacht Club cancelled a race because of 23 knot winds deemed too high, schooner men could take no more. A new race, the “International Fisherman’s Cup”, was established that would be between real sail carriers that were bona-fide working ships. Bluenose was designed specifically with this in mind. Launched in March 1921, she took part in the October 1927 race at the end of the normal fishing season. It took the trophy and never looked back. In an l8-year racing career Bluenose did not give up the trophy. The American schooners Henry Ford, Columbia, Gertrude L. Thebaud, as well as a number of Canadian vessels built in an effort to surpass Bluenose's remarkable sailing abilities, could not grasp the trophy from her. The final race series took place in 1938. The Bluenose, by then 17 years of age, defeated Thebaud one final time. Still handling as smartly as ever, Canada's most famous sailing vessel was a tribute to the Nova Scotia shipwrights and sailors who built her and many other fishing and cargo schooners. December 2019 NEWSLETTER Page 8 Show and Tell U.S. Brig Syren (1803) by Royce Privett, seen here with James Potts to the right Chuck Passaro designed Kit by Model Shipways MS2260 Scale - 1:64, 3/16 inch = 1 foot Royce updated with his progress on Syren, a 240-ton brig, built by Nathaniel Hutton at Philadelphia in 1803. She saw action off Tripoli and the War of 1812, when she was captured by the 74-gun HMS Medway after an 11-hour chase.” Wikipedia tells us the British never commissioned her but apparently used her for a year or so as a lazaretto (quarantine ship for maritime travelers). She then disappeared from the records. Royce reported that since last month the tiller has been connected to ships wheel by a series of blocks and he is in the process of rigging the carronades. By looking at back issues of the newsletter, the editor suspects Royce has accumulated at least 3 years and 450+ hours working time on this project and he just adds to those numbers! Impressive!
Columbus’ Ship, Nina 1492 The September 2019 Maritime Museum of San Diego Model of the Month by Don Dressel, standing with Bob Costa and David Yotter listening on the left
Amati Kit
Model completed in 2017
Scale 1:65
The display plaque told Museum visitors that Nina was a famous caravel - a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese. She was part of the fleet Christopher Columbus in the service of Spain took on his voyage of discovery of the America’s in 1492. The model is built almost completely from a kit with a few minor scratch built items. The Lateen sails gave her speed and the capability to sail to windward easily. December 2019 NEWSLETTER Page 9 A Family’s Ship Model
by Fred Peace
Fred brought in this family model for the members to view. His model with its three masts; square-rigged foremast and lateen-rigged main and mizzenmast, most certainly has a unique story that the editor hopes to gather and share with the membership in a future newsletter. Is this a “polacca”, a ship frequently seen in the Mediterranean between the 17th and 19th centuries? Perhaps the history of the model could tell us more!
Dragon NR582, An Olympic Class Yacht By Jon Sanford, seen here telling about the Dragon as, from left to right, Doug Yumoto, Bill Grolz, and Alex Roel listen in Kit by Billing Boats A/S – DK6640 Lunderskov Plank on Frame, a Pond Yacht rigged with a lead keel Scale: 1/12 Jon reports that in 1928 the Royal Yacht Club in Gottenburg, Sweden arranged a competition for construction of a cheap yacht with single or double cabins. The boat would be suitable for regattas as well as for pleasure trips. The well known Norwegian shipbuilder Johan Anker won the competition with what many believe is his most enduring achievement, the Dragon. The first Dragon was built in 1929 in Gothenburg and soon followed by Danish and Norwegian builder in 1930-31. The sailing quality of the boats was so good that it became very popular world-wide and especially in Europe. Originally built with Scandinavian woods, as the Dragon gained international recognition mahogany became a favored wood. In the course of time, the boat changed more into a regatta boat and the cabin and canvas were adapted to meet the requirements of a regatta. In 1948 the Dragon was designated as an Olympic Class boat and remains a one of the most popular class of racing boats. Jon reports the model with its 29” long deck is of plank on frame construction and the kit includes laser cut plywood keel/frame, superstructure, decks, and hull planking. Deck fittings are supplied in wood and brass with other plastic, wood, and brass fittings along with cordage, print sails and complete plans to finish this model recommended for experienced modelers. December 2019 NEWSLETTER Page 10 Star of India, a barque by Tom Hairston, Seen here flanked on the left by Ed Torrence and on the right by James Pitt Scratch built based on 1977 plans by Captain Kenneth B. Reynard, William F. Wilmurt, and Edmund F. White Plank-on-Bulkhead Scale: 1/8inch or 1:96 Tom continues his updates on his first adventure into scratch building. Star is the world’s oldest sailing ship and a well loved exhibit at the Maritime Museum of San Diego making it an apt subject for his build. Tom travels from points well north of Southern California for the monthly meetings bringing his Star along for the enjoyment of the members. Work on the rigging is well underway and the Guild looks forward to Tom’s progress reports!
USS St. Mary’s (1844), A School Ship (1875 - 1908) by Isaac Wills Isaac reports from the SUNY Maritime College that this 30+ year old 9 foot waterline half hull model is of his College’s original training ship. He worked with the Fort Schuyler Maritime Museum curator to dust, repair, and clean the model and then decked it out for the holidays!
After reporting her distinguished service in the U.S. Navy, Wikipedia tells that “on 3 June 1873, St. Mary's returned to Norfolk where she remained, in ordinary, until 1875. Then she transferred to the New York Nautical School at New York (now the SUNY Maritime College) where she served as a school ship until 1908. In June of that year, she was ordered sold. Despite efforts of alumni to preserve the ship they could not come up with the funding. Two months later, she was purchased by Thomas Butler and Company, Boston, Massachusetts; and in November, she was scrapped.