HMS Norfolk & Klipfontein

[stevehnz]

I voted Klipfontein, mainly 'cause I really like your merchant ships, especially of that era. As a younger bloke before the elfs prevented access to our local wharfs, I could cycle from my work place at lunchtime & ride along the wharfs seeing what I could see. I always enjoyed the fruit load out season with a good variety of reefers in to load out the local pip fruit crop, this being mid 70s+/-. Later style than Klipfontain & your wonderful Melbourne Star but still able to conjure up a dream in a restless soul, so I've long enjoyed merchant ships, they came & went to & from interesting places & carried my dreams with them. Having said that, it was a hard choice not to pick Norfolk, the Counties have been my favourite HM ships ever since I could tell the difference. Its a bit smart too.

Steve.

Edited August 22, 2016 by stevehnz

[Air Hockey Propellers]

Thanks,

Neither seas are considered rough though. The Norfolk is kicking it up a bit by the high speed, whilst the Klipfontein is shown in a long swell that was often encountered off the Cape of Good Hope.

Bob

Wow, even the the shape of the waves were accounted for while making the models with details of the type of environment. My admiration!

[ShipbuilderMN]

Thanks Alberto,

Here is the Asama Maru in a calm sea, another of my favourites.

Bob

[cngaero]

As you already know Bob, I'm a great admirer of all your models with a particular soft spot for your riggers.

This may seem a daft question but, of all the ships that you've completed, is there one that stands out as your particular favourite and do you still have it in your collection?

[beefy66]

A hard one to choose but I went for Norfolk as to me this has more detail to the build.

Beefy

[ShipbuilderMN]

I feel that the Kenya is one of my favourites. It sold some time ago at a London auction (on the third attempt) for quite a mediocre price, that was reduced even more after the commission was taken off.

Another favourite is County of Roxburgh that we still have, and is not for sale, although someone wanted to purchase it a couple of weeks ago.

The Preussen that is somehwere in the UK.

And the Carmania, below, now in Germany.

We no longer bother with the London auctions as the profit was whittled away by the cost of transport getting them there. The "administration" charges, heavy commission fees. Neither do we take private commissions. At the age of 72, I am now getting rather tired of building them, although I remain interested in the subject!

Bob

[ShipbuilderMN]

Beefy,

Yes, Norfolk had a lot of detail, but not as much as Asama Maru, or Kenya. I didn't know if I could manage it at first (I never think "I could never do that!"), but decided to give it a go. I knew I could build the hull, so I left that until last. I built all the gun turrets first, then the upperworks and all the deck detail. By the time that lot was finished and squirted with the rather drab grey, it was pretty obvious that I could do it, so I finally built the hull and put all the bits on it. After the hull was completed, it was rather like assembling a kit and it was done in no time at all!

Bob

[Francis Macnaughton]

Thanks for those photos yesterday Bob,

I never encountered St Helena during the time we were in the area but much respect for sustaining that run for so long.

I do hope you get round to doing more warships as your presentation is so convincing. Here's a shot of HMS Antelope from May 82 heading south to maybe tempt you - I always think that here the ensign gives a sense of purpose as well as a touch of colour.

[ShipbuilderMN]

We were very well-known down south - surprised you didn't come across us. Were the ship chosen for the "Victory" party (See below) because we were the only passenger ship that could re-convert our main lounge so it was suitable for SNOFI and guests. In RN service it was divided in two by a curtain, three-quarters of it being the POs bar and lounge (or whatever they called it in the RN). The remaining third was the combined RN/MN officers wardroom. On the evening of the party, the curtain was removed and the POs and officers (both RN and MN) booted out whilst out stewardesses turned it back into what it normally was, the main passenger lounge. They apparently had a fine old "do" that evening, but I missed out on it all as I had the 2000 to 0000 watch that night. Not that it bothered me, and I did enjoy the tranquility of the bridge that evening (as for a change not much was going on), never having been over-keen on cocktail parties.

I won't be making any more warships, being dyed-in-the-wool MN, I only build Norfolk and Dreanought to prove to others that I could if I wanted!

Bob

Portsmouth, 1982. I am standing, far right in the photograph.

[ShipbuilderMN]

Here is the main lounge and dining saloon for our 76 passengers. That little ship (3,150 gross tons and only 300 feet long), meant all the world to me. I was there for eleven years, and we had our honeymoon trip aboard in 1987. Having got married in the UK, we decided to have a duplicate wedding on the island of St. Helena for the benefit of my shipmates. The Bishop of St. Helena kindly agreed to conduct a wedding blessing at St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Helena. We then returned to the ship where the reception was held in the main lounge (below left), attended by the officers and passengers, and followed by lunch in the dining saloon (below right). It was very sad when they sold the ship (then 27-years old) in December 1989, and we all moved to the new one which, for me, never gained much of a place in my affections as the old one.

Bob

[keefr22]

Sounds to me that you had an excellent career Bob! Have you modelled the ship's you served on, as given your obvious fondness for St. Helena, I would have bet on her being number 1 in your favourite models list?!

Thanks for showing more of your wonderful ships!

Keith

[ShipbuilderMN]

I have built two St. Helenas, one shown in normal service, and the other as in naval service with the flight deck added and all the minesweeping gear aboard. Bot models were built for the shipping company, and displayed on the new ship for a number of years. But when the company lost the management contract, the new managers eventually handed over the models to the museum on the island of St. Helena, where they still are. In my younger days, I sailed in much finer passenger liners such as the Windsor Castle, 250 1st class passengers, 600 tourist class. (see below) and the once-famous Reina del Mar, plus six more of the Castles (Union-Castle Mail Steamship Co.) I was about 5 years in Windsor Castle. Of the ships I have served in, I have built models of Rhodesia Star, Frederick T. Everard, Windsor Castle, Edinburgh Castle and Good Hope Castle, but have not kept any of them. St. Helena, was such a peculiar-looking ship, that I never built one for ourselves, despite her being my favourite. "Ugly Duckling," I suppose, when compared with the Castles. Windsor Castle at 37,000 tons would be considered a tiny little thing when comapred with the giants of today, but I was always overwhelmed by the size.

Bob

[ShipbuilderMN]

Here I am aboard Windsor Castle in 1965, Posing in the pouring rain in the Bay of Biscay!

Edited August 23, 2016 by ShipbuilderMN

[ShipbuilderMN]

The Klipfontein has won by a good margin in the popularity poll, which makes it puzzling why hardly anyone else builds this type of ship. But only 20 voted, out of a total of 1,066 views. Perhaps it is because the poll concerns scratchbuilding, which is very unpopular across the whole board these days.

Bob

[Orion]

Hi Bob,

First, I would like to mention, that all your ships are museum pieces.

Scratch build like you do it, is for the few "Master Modelers"

Cargo ships "Klipfontein" period were yachts, with beautiful lines.

That explains the favorite vote on this model.

VNS (Vereenigde Nederlandse Scheepvaart Maatschappij) Dutch shipping company, operator of the "Klipfontein" is history.

It sunk in 1953, after it struck a sunken German U-boat!!

Do you have some more info on this.

Regards,

Dirk

[keefr22]

The Klipfontein has won by a good margin in the popularity poll, which makes it puzzling why hardly anyone else builds this type of ship. But only 20 voted, out of a total of 1,066 views. Perhaps it is because the poll concerns scratchbuilding, which is very unpopular across the whole board these days.

Bob

Don't forget though Bob, 1066 views won't reflect 1066 people looking at the thread - I must have been back at least 20 times!

I'm not sure about scratchbuilding being unpopular as a whole, it's just much 'easier' to build a kit, especially if like me you have well over 500 of the things to get through! I certainly love looking at your scratchbuilt models, & also following many scratchbuilding threads on here, & I know I'm not alone!

Keith

[FIGHTS ON]

I am a great admirer of your work, all stunning builds. As to your original question, difficult to place one above the other, but clearly the pusser's grey has to get my vote.

" it just seemed to be a constant round of drills and exercises for something that we all hoped would not happen. Interesting, of course, but hardly enjoyable!" of course to the likes of Francis & myself, the idea of driving in straight lines and having to entertain "walk on freight" fills me with horror, a day out of anti-flash is a day wasted etc.

Francis - liked you phot of the Type 21 - just saw the ex-HMS ARROW (under Pakistani ownership) a couple of weeks ago out here in the sunshine of Bahrain (followed last week by a nuclear powered 40+ year old warship still in her prime!). I agree with your comment ref ensigns, in fact since 2001, the US have gone in for the extra large "brighter" colour versions just to make the point!

ShipbuilderMN- please, please keep your posts coming, a genuine thank you for making the effort to upload your pictures, real masterpieces and for those of us temporarily working away from home ("running around doing constant drills!"), provide a pleasant reminder of the hobby that is placed on hold

[Billydick]

The Klipfontein for me as well .... yes it has more character, but moreso, I can't take my eyes of that rolling seascape ..... you feel almost part of it !

BillyD

[ShipbuilderMN]

Thanks,

Oh, it wasn't like that at all and we didn't have to entertain "walk on freights" if we didn't want to! The life was endlessly varied and interesting. I was not always in passenger liners, having served in 19 different ships, colliers, tramps ,iron ore carriers, a tanker, a container ship, a wood pulp ship, a refrigerated cargo liner, a 12-passenger cargo liner, a bulk carrier, a cruise ship and a number of first class mail steamers. During this time, I survived many adventures and saw the whole world whilst sailing in "straight lines!" Two of my ships were so old they had oil lamps in the cabins as they turned the generators off in port at 1800 to save on fuel. Then, as I grew older, I appreciated the life in passenger liners when my wife could accompany me on voyages whenever she wanted (free of charge).

This is the first passenger liner I sailed in, in 1965. I am biased of course, but I assure you, life was never boring in passenger liners.

https://youtu.be/rrlNrl2Wvyo

Bob

[ShipbuilderMN]

Klipfontein was sunk by a wrecked U Boat that exploded after they ran onto it. Found lots on details on Google.

Bob

[FIGHTS ON]

Bob, followed the link and saw a glimpse into a different world. Sadly for me my wife (& friends) got me into one of those "taster" weekends on a modern cruise liner from Southampton a couple of years ago. From the miserable, disinterested junior officer that greeted us to the attitude of most passengers to get as much booze down their necks as possible, seems a million miles away from the Union Castle lines of the 1960's. Mind you passing thru' the Dover straights relaxing with a G&T whilst some other poor sod did the driving, dodging the crossing vessels & fishing boats was my guilty pleasure!

I'm 2nd generation navy, and my 15 year old son is determined to follow me into The Andrew, I wonder what world he'll find over the next 30+ years

Please keep posting pictures of your completed builds - thank you

[ShipbuilderMN]

Yes, it is all very different, but my time on the Transvaal Castle does not seem all that long ago to me, even though it was 50 years back! Joined Facebook a few days ago and have caught up with a few old friends dating back to those far-off days. I am glad I am not leaving school today - if I was, I would certainly not be going to sea!

Bob