ShipbuilderMN

Thanks - I put it in the sea today - only need to add the nameplates - Bob

Thanks, It will be going in a sea, hence the sails. If I had been showing it at anchor, or full-hull, it would have had furled sails. It has taken 40 hours so far, (spread over a few weeks) but that includes making the display case,sea base and sea. Bob

Built from bits & pieces. Metal masts, spars and rigging (fine copper wire). wooden hull. 92 tons. 70.3 feet long, 17.9 feet wide. Scale 16 feet to 1 inch. Hull length: 4.4 inches. Merchant schooner, 1870. Bob

Thanks, That is very interesting. I will keep an eye on it! Bob

Grytviken South Georgia, Shackleton's grave is just to the right of the hulk of the sailing ship on the right hand side. Bob

Took it on telephoto lens - I was quite a long way away, actually! Bob

And here we have the image. Bob

It was a nice sunny day today, so I went along to the docks. As I arrived at Langemark, they started the engine. The whole boat was quickly engulfed in thick grey smoke, but the engine sounded sweet enough. After a few minutes running, all the smoke cleared away, so I suppose it was just because it hadn't been going for some time. I don't know if they just ran one, or both, but whatver they did, as I said, it sounded smooth enough! Bob

Hi Jenny, Thanks for further info. I didn't get to have another look at Langemark since the sale. Each time I did the weekly shopping since then, it has been freezing cold and hailstones! Sorry to hear it will be going to Liverpool. For a long time, I have thought that greater use could have been made of Preston Dock. All that vast expanse of water, with not a great deal on it. Probably drastically reducing the dock dues would fill it up, and having more boats thrashing around would probably disperse the green algae as well. It was always clear of it when it was a dock. What a lot could be done to Preston Dock with a bit of imagination. They could have had a maritime museum, boating lake for radio controlled models etc, lots of small shops and cafes cafes etc. I am thinking about how they developed the old dock in Cape Town, and called it The Waterfront. Considering it was once quite a large dock, there is so little interest shown in maritime things in Preston. Even the Harris Museum & Art Gallery doesn't have a maritime section - Here is a drawing I made of the old Helen Craig, that sailed out of Preston between 1891 and 1959, whe she was finally sold for scrap. Bob

Hi Jenny, Thanks for all the interesting information. We were watching the final few minutes of bidding, and as you say, the last 40 seconds or so, the bids were coming in thick and fast. It would probably have gone higher if they had more time. Many years ago, when I was in the old cargo ship Richmond Castle (1944 vintage, same as me, same as Langemark)), we had four wooden lifeboats. In port at every opportiunity, they were lowered into the water to keep the seams tight, but they usually leaked until their seams took up, and then they would be OK for a few weeks more! I wondered if that big gantry could lift her out. Back in the 50s, the side of the river next to the dock had a sandy beach and there were numerous boats run up, with people working on the on summer evenings and week-ends. But these days, maybe due to lack of dredging, it is all green mud. Some of the boats are still there, but in wrecked condition - all very sad - Bob

I will have a look tomorrow when I go to the dock estate to the supermarket for a bit of shopping. The Ebay listing said that whoever purchased it would have to pay about £900 dock dues for the next three months. Maybe they will take it away, as the engines work OK. The listing had a link to Utube showing them test runnng both engines. It looks a bit scruffy, but I think that is only superficial as some new planking has been put in the hull (pictured in listing), and the inside looks reasonable. I would have thought it would be worth a lot more than what it sold for, but dock dues are a big big expense! Bob

The reserve was met, and it sold for £12,599.99. The bidding went from £10,200 to £12,599.99 in the last 30 seconds! Bob

This boat is now on Ebay. Listed as: Historic Project Boat Note: I do not know the owner, and have nothing whatsoever to do with this boat, neither will I be bidding, but have just put this on for anyone interested in watching it. So far, it has reached £8,400! Bob

Hi Jenny, Sorry to hear of your loss. Thanks for all the info. I found all the pictures on the auction site very interesting. Hope you get a good price. For someone with the financial resources and plenty energy it will make a fantastic project. When I first saw her, felt that she was the most interesting boat in the dock, and wondered about her history. Best wishes Bob

Great job, and your propeller method was very effective as well. I always wondered why they put the wheelhouse behind the funnel in many puffers. The first ship that took my interest was the puffer Arran Rose, lying derelict in a small dock at Rothesay in the 1950s. At that time there were quite a few around Rothesay, Gaul, Goth, Texan, Roman to name but a few. They were often seen loaded with torpedoes for the submarine depot ship HMS Adamant out in the bay. Bob

If it has enough water, it will most likely sail in a huge circle. and come back to more-or-less where it began. But you can always put R/C in it if you want! Bob

She was supposed to be withdrawn a year ago, but go the extra year's reprieve. Ending date in now 15th Feb, 2018. Bob

No they haven't fixed it. It was never unuseable, but the first few large aircaft that landed there experiemced a lot of wind shear, and the landings were difficult, and even considered dangerous by some of the pilots. After a lot of messing about, they finally settled on much smaller aircraft that don't need such a long runway, and they even experimented with landing in the opposite direction. Considering the excercise was meant to get rid of the ship, and thereby save a lot on the shipping subsidy. it doesn't appear to have been a very good deal. Thei airport cost over £250m to build, they could probabaly have built three new ships for that amount. the penny eventually dropped that if the island wanted a thousand tons of cement, it could not come by air. They have had to obtain a small 2nd hand ship called the Helena, to carry heavy cargo, and 12 passengers. We will just have to wait and see what happens next. I first went on the the St. Helena run in 1974 aboard the Union Castle liner RMS Good Hope Castle, in which I spent two years. Then I spent 11 years in the original St. Helena, and my final two years at sea in the new St. Helena. Merchant ships have been out of fashion for some time now, but I am pretty sure they will soon find out what they have lost! It was the British gvenrment's decision to get rid of the shipping service. It didn't affect me, as I left in late 1992, long before everything unravelled! Bob

I should add that to get ashore, you have to climb down a verical pilot ladder, and jump into one of the small cargo lighters. Once you are in it, you have to wait patiently until it is full up with cargo, they you go bouncing and rolling to the small harbour, where you then have to jump on to a vertical iron ladder to get ashore. No problem if you are young and "fleet as a mountain goat," but if you are getting on a bit, no easy matter! Bob

If you want to go to Trstan da Cunha, there is no choice at all - it would have to be by sea! The weather can be dreadful if you don't pick the right time of year. There is very little there anyway. No hotels or anything, and not a great deal to do. I enjoyed our calls, but it was only for two days at the most, and we generally timed it in the good weather season. Here is a view from the anchorage - this is all there is! Bob

They didn't go to Tristan all that often anyway, usually about one a year. I have been a few times. Tristan is generally looked after by South African ships and research vessels. You can read the St. Helena weekly newspaper online every week that will keep you informed of the schedule and air fares etc. The online newspaper is free of charge! http://www.sams.sh/L2_sentinel.html I believe the flights will go between St Helena and Johannesburg, down to Windhoek and Cape Town, quite expensive as well. The ship was steady as a rock and about a million times more comfortable than an aircraft, with good food thrown in. I will never go there again, in fact I will never fly anywhere again - with me, the sea wins every time - but tthat is progress, and must be endured! Bob

Between early 1961 and late 1992, I sailed in 19 different ships. Only one now remains of the whole 19, and it is now scheduled to be disposed on in Febraury 2018, to be replaced by an aircraft! The relentless march of technology. "Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away!" I only found this out a few minutes ago. Here is the link: http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena-line-to-withdraw-rms-st-helena-from-service-and-seeks-buyer-for-vessel/ Bob

I would be inclined to put it in "Tools & Tips!" After all. a work space and even a shelf is a "tool of the trade!" If they don't like it - they will soon say so, but I don't see any problem myself! Bob

After they discontinued the quarterly Model Shipwright, they went on to produce an annual, starting with Shipbuilder 2010, but after Shipbuilder 2013 came out, John Bowen finally resigned as editor, being in his late 90s, and they never produced any more. I believe Warship continues, but as I only deal with merchant ships, that was the end of my long association with Model Shipwright that had begun in the mid 1970s! 100 feet to 1 inch was always rather too small for me, and my favourite scale has been 32 feet to 1 inch (1:384). For anyone interested, I run a group on Facebook called Merchant Ships In Miniature, that currently has 142 members, and some quite good builds in it - all merchant ships of course! Lots of the models are of modern ships, but a few old "dinasaurs" like myself prefer to stick to pre-1960s ships. Bob

I haven't got that book, but assume it is one by John Bowen, I do have the others. Such books are now appearing for only a fraction of what they cost when new. Same with David MacGregor books. I never met John Bowen, but we corresponded over many years when he was editor of Model Shipwright and I wrote for them on a regular basis. He died recently at the age of 99, and Conway then abandoned their ship model publications - it is all pretty much "washed up" now as far as traditional scratchbuilding is concerned - kits rule supreme, and sometimes I think their day is numbered as well with 3D printers creeping in and printing models at the touch of a button! Bob