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RMS Carpathia, Scratchbuild, 1/500 Scale


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The sad face was for the ants Steve, we've got a bit of a deal with them around here, they're relentless little buggers, otherwise you'd have got a BIG LIKE. :) 

This build is catching my attention in more ways that one, Carpathia was a ship of similar vintage & perhaps even some similar design cues as a ship that my late father ventured forth from NZ in early 1939 as a young (26) ship's doctor to pursue further studies in the UK. After war broke out he enlisted in the  RAMC where he remained for another 6 years while his ship. SS Pakeha, rather than being scrapped as was the intent, spent the same time variously masquerading as an R class battleship & later as a freezer depot ship in the River Thames. In 1947, after a year of solid catch up study, he returned to our fair shores, as a ships medico, again in the Pakeha. I've long thought I'd like to model her & this build of yours is giving me heaps of ideas & inspiration. I might even be able to find some Kahikatea.  :)

Steve.

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Plenty photos on lines, google SS Pakeha, 1910-1948. I Haven't got around to searching out drawing or plans yet, but after viewing this thread, am certainly inspired to do so, a thread on this forum will eventuate before too long hopefully. Pakeha was one of a class of three, the others being Mahana & Mahia so hopefully there'll be some drawings out there.

A wee bit of history.

Steve.

Edited by stevehnz
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Hi Steve, 

 

just preempted you there and was busy doing a google search myself. NZ maritime records have SS Pakeha as sister ship of SS Rangitira so there should be lots of info available. I would post a link but am not sure how to do using a phone. (I generally post using a computer but not today). There is a basic profile section drawing of Rangitira available too if you google ‘SS Rangitira plans’. Were Mahana and Mahia constructed as sister-ships or merely operated as sister ships? The NZ maritime records site is quite specific that Pakeha and Rangitira were built as sisters.

 

Pakeha does look a lot like Carpathia. I reckon the hull shape would be near identical. Pakeha however appears to have fewer masts and lacks the forward island superstructure. 

 

I reckon she would be a great subject. 👍

 

Steve

 

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Steve, thanks for taking the time out to have a squizzey, yes, it does seem as though Rangatira might be a sister. She certainly looks somewhat alike, but I haven't got around to a detailed comparison as yet. Now don't go letting my quest stand in the way of you working on Carpathia. :D

Steve.

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12 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

Note that I've left a very slight 'step' between the vertical side of the hull and the vertical side of this bit of the superstructure. There's a reason for this that will become apparent in a later post.

 

well, can you post it now - the suspense is killing me!

 

 

nice to see some structure going on the structure

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16 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

There's a reason for this that will become apparent in a later post.

 

3 hours ago, hendie said:

well, can you post it now - the suspense is killing me!

I think I know but I don't know what it's called. Is it like a gunwhale and extends past the structure and joins with railings? :shrug:

 

Stuart

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23 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

Hi Steve, 

 

just preempted you there and was busy doing a google search myself. NZ maritime records have SS Pakeha as sister ship of SS Rangitira so there should be lots of info available. I would post a link but am not sure how to do using a phone. (I generally post using a computer but not today). There is a basic profile section drawing of Rangitira available too if you google ‘SS Rangitira plans’. Were Mahana and Mahia constructed as sister-ships or merely operated as sister ships? The NZ maritime records site is quite specific that Pakeha and Rangitira were built as sisters.

 

Pakeha does look a lot like Carpathia. I reckon the hull shape would be near identical. Pakeha however appears to have fewer masts and lacks the forward island superstructure. 

 

I reckon she would be a great subject. 👍

 

Steve

 

From my file of useless information I think there is a large scale model of the inter island steamer Rangitira in the Canterbury Museum. Looking for it should fill in tomorrow pm. Sailed on it a number of times as a kid. During the war its departure time from Wellington or Lyttelton was never announced and it never missed a sailing except as follows. It hit Barrets reef going into Wellington once (1942?), reversed off, did a u turn and steamed up the harbour full astern, reached the wharf and sat on the bottom. It was duly salvaged and repaired. After the war the residents of Lyttelton set their clocks by the ferry arrival.

 

Barry

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Hi Barry,

 

Just remember- this is the 1908 vintage Rangitira not the 1931 Rangitira. Were looking for the one with a single funnel! 👍

 

Both great looking ships though and next time I’m in Christchurch I must hunt down those models in the museum again!

 

Steve

Just now, stevehnz said:

That would be a later Rangatira Barry, the corresponding one to the Paheka is this one which came to grief on Robben Island in Table Bay, Capetown in 1916.

Steve.

Yep - that’s the one!

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7 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

Whoops - just checked. It is spelt ‘Rangatira’ not ‘Rangitira’ as I thought. 🥵

 

I’m so ashamed. Obviously been in Australia too long. 😳

Oops, I did not know the name had been used several times.I remember the names of the ships used on the inter island run. Maori had his Wahine, then Rangatira, Hinemoa, Maori again and Wahine that capsised with great loss of life.

 

Barry

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The Flimingale.

 

I'm starting to get a bit worried about the May deadline as I haven't been able to get as much time in the factory as I had hoped. Nevertheless I have made some progress and I think there's enough here to warrant a short update.

 

Below is a sectional view of the front of the superstructure. Note how the upper surfaces of all of the decks are slightly convex upwards.

 

qcrjwRq.jpg

 

To clarify - note how the red annotation lines here are not dead straight but are slightly bowed upward. 

 

9nDgFWb.jpg

 

I don't know much about ships and things but I'm guessing that this is curved like this to stop water pooling on the deck - It's clever how I work difficult stuff like that out. 

 

In maritime terminology this curvature of the deck is called the 'flimingale'   Well no it's not! Not really.... I just made that up,  but since our maritime friends are bound to have a completely random name for it that I can't be bothered finding out I just thought I'd make up my own new term. This approach can save hours of research. :penguin:

 

As shown in the image below, on the original vessel the flimingale is quite visible and I think adds to the rather elegant lines of the vessel, so - even though not correctly named - the flimingale shall be modelled.

BQxQkJP.jpg

 

It's a pretty simple process really - just mark up two symmetrical guidelines to outline where most of the downward drop will be trimmed from and get stuck in with a chisel. Skilled woodworkers would probably choose a small plane for this work but I've never really been fully confident or skilled with woodworking planes (and certainly have no clue at all with damned spokeshavers).   I therefore generally prefer to use a chisel or even easier, just old fashioned sandpaper. 

 

l2HbEay.jpg

 

So, after a bit of subtle carving and sanding you can see the flimingale cut on the tops of each of the superstructure decks. Previously I cut out the forward superstructure's upper deck from plastic card and that was my original plan, but here I'm considering using a bit of aluminium litho-plate which is both thinner (and hence closer to true scale) and once bent into the correct contour promises to hold its shape better. Not sure which material I will chose for the final construction.

 

5rTVGHq.jpg

 

That's about it for this time.   Sorry about the lack of correct maritime terminology - in reality I'm just a land-lubbing geologist and don't actually know very much at all about ships and boats and things.  I like them though! Feel free to write in and let me know what the flimingale should actually be called.  I won't be offended assuming you don't dream up some equally new and exotic term of abuse to direct at me. 🤬

 

Next post I'll have a go at modelling the dinglehoppers...

 

Thanks for dropping by,

Steve

 

 

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1 hour ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

Note how the upper surfaces of all of the decks are slightly convex upwards.

I wonder how much curvature their is in the deck and is it worth worrying about this scale...just putting it out there. :whistle:

Good chisel work, better you than me...I'd sand it.

See, John knows, he's a maritime person.

 

Stuart

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Steve, normally the curvature is the same to all deck surfaces and as you guessed, sailors hates moppimg sea water and therefore a sailor invented the curved decks, I’m guessing Noah 😊

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18 hours ago, JohnWS said:

Ahoy there Steve!  You can substitute the word 'camber' for 'filmingale'.  

 

 

 ‘Camber’ can’t be the correct term, that’s far too intuitively reasonable to be a nautical term. 

 

BTW John you have made a spelling mistake -the correct spelling is ‘flimingale’ not ‘filmingale’ - When I invent a word I always make an effort to ensure I spell it correctly. 🤪

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17 minutes ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

BTW John you have made a spelling mistake -the correct spelling is ‘flimingale’ not ‘filmingale’ - When I invent a word I always make an effort ensure I spell it correctly. 🤪

I never was good at spelling big words.  :laugh:

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cool bit of wood working.

 

:poke:  504??

 

or later.

 

it's just i prefer wingy things.  (that's probably a sin to say on this dark side of the forum)

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19 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

the correct spelling is ‘flimingale’ not ‘filmingale

Funnily enough, I read it as filmingale too, sort of what I expected to see I guess, I like the proper term better though, camber is so much easier to spell :D . I like that photo of Carpathia you posted above Steve (Post # 90) she really was a handsome old dear.

Steve.

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On 03/02/2019 at 05:17, SA80A2AR said:

cool bit of wood working.

 

:poke:  504??

 

or later.

 

it's just i prefer wingy things.  (that's probably a sin to say on this dark side of the forum)

Sorry mate.

 This build is on a very tight timeline now so no time to spare for the Avro. Carpathia must be finished by Star Wars day (May the Forth) 2019 which is the next WA scale model expo. Once this ones done it’ll be straight back to the Avro promise! cross my heart!

 

In the meantime my work keeps sending me to places other than my workshop. Am inSouth Australia at the moment so substantive updates might be a bit sparse. 🙁

 

 

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