1950's Whaling Ship

[Murdo]

My dad spent a few years in South Georgia back in the 1950s on a Whaling ship and has hinted a couple of times that he'd like a model of it. I decided to make one out of the Revell North Sea Trawler and scratch build what I needed. Some of you may remember me starting this build a few months back. Yet another of my glacial builds.

This is my original trawler (which I actually quite liked).

There weren't many reference pics to be found and most that I did find were in B&W but this was his and this is what I would be converting it to.:

This is all I used of the Revell kit

Some of the scratchbuilt stuff, the whole bow was pretty much cut off and rebuilt, the hatches were cut from the deck, half the sides removed and new superstructure made from plastic. The ladders were cable ties cut to fit.

I got an old picture frame with Perspex and made a box behind it which was then stained and varnished. He had some ancient (tiny) pictures of other Whaling ships and himself as a young man in South Georgia. These were blown up, cleaned up and added as a backdrop to the model. The ship is anchored to a Sperm Whale tooth he had.

And this is the finished article:

I gave it to him a couple of weeks ago and he was chuffed to bits with it.

Hope you like it too.

[Derwentsider]

Great job on that Murdo.It would look good in a museum.The modifications and display are really effective,your dad has every right to be pleased.

[Dave]

Nice one Murdo. Glad your old man liked it.

[Shar2]

Whilst I am not enamoured with the subject matter, it is a part of our history, and you've done a great job with the conversion. As already said it wouldn't look out of place in a museum.

[Murdo]

Thanks guys.

[seadog]

Very nice conversion indeed! I reallly like the presentation to - it works well.

F

[Chris Hewitt]

wow ,lovely job

[Madam I'm Adam]

Well done Murdo

I like the presentation and great to see it finished

Cheers

Adam

[Dave Batt]

What a belting idea! Terrific job.

[stevehnz]

I know we're not supposed to like this sort of thing in a PC world but as a young man, the whaling industry fascinated me & reading about small chasers pursuing whales through mountainous southern ocean seas held me spell bound. I reckon you've captured this in a way that brings a surge of happy memories back. I think its superb. Thanks for sharing it.

Steve.

[ancient mariner]

Good conversion. Are the funnel colours Salvesons?

[Madam I'm Adam]

I know we're not supposed to like this sort of thing in a PC world but as a young man, the whaling industry fascinated me & reading about small chasers pursuing whales through mountainous southern ocean seas held me spell bound. I reckon you've captured this in a way that brings a surge of happy memories back. I think its superb. Thanks for sharing it.

Steve.

The PC part....unless you are Inuit, Icelandic, Japanese, Norewegian.....there are still a sizable number of peoples for whom killing whales is acceptable, a bit like the French and Spanish eating song birds (but at the other end of the physical scale of things and in many, but not all cases, it really isnt neccessary. Anyhoo, off from me soap box,

The idea of small boats, mountainous seas sparks those ideas of adventure, bravery and heroism that most of us admire and is why Patrick O'Brien and many other novelists are successful.

Back to the actual model, I've been lucky enough to see it in the flesh and its really rather good.

Cheers

Adam the opinionated

[Murdo]

Thanks again guys.

Ancient Mariner, sorry, no idea what line it was. The Old Man can't quite remember what the ship was called. He thinks it was "Sobca" or something. He worked out of Leith Harbour if that's any help.

[Bandsaw Steve]

Bump! 👍

 

Just for fun... dug this one out of the archives.

 

[Murdo]

Eh?   You're a bad man! 

 

 

 

 

[Bandsaw Steve]

I reckon it’s great! 👍
 

Down South of here (at Albany) we have one of the best whaling museums in the world and one day I might just try to make something worthy of displaying to the public there.

 

Searched BM for ‘Whaling’ when I found this!

 

Very inspiring.

 

 

 

 

[roginoz]

Steve @Bandsaw Steve, how's your WA wreck model coming along? I forget the ship's name.

Last I read, you were still researching various aspects of it, and I was really enjoying reading all the detective work you were doing.

Any progress ?

Rog

[Bandsaw Steve]

Hi @roginoz

 

Thanks for asking! 👍

 

SS Xantho is the name you are after.

 

I’m pleased to report that that the project is still alive and well - just dormant at the moment. 

 

There are various reasons for its dormancy but the longer than anticipated timespan of both the Hogwarts Express and PZH2000 projects are the main issues. A manic year at work has also not helped at all.
 

Also, towards what I thought was going to be the end of my ‘detective work’ I uncovered a fair bit of archeological evidence that proved my drawings and ‘maquette’ was wrong in certain regards and needed significant revision. Upon going back to the museum (to check if there was anything else I should know about) it turned out my contact there had retired, so now I need to establish some new relationships there and I just have not had a chance to do so yet. 
 

Don’t worry though, once the Hogwarts is finished (this weekend!) and the PZH is done Xantho will go to the top of the pile!

 

Its definitely a case of ‘building the model will be the easy bit!’
 

 

[roginoz]

Good-oh ! Looking forward to it.

 

I guessed Hogwarts Express and BBS claimed more of your time, and what an enjoyable and interesting build that was ! Cudos to you both.

 

Bit of a pain to have to establish new contacts at the museum; hope you find someone as knowledgeable as your former contact.

 

No pressure then  :o} ..........

Rog 

[Noel Smith]

Murdo, what a superb conversion to a small old whaler  from that old Revell trawler kit. Really liked your way of displaying it. The old black and white photos in the background complement the model well without distracting from it. 

I expect your dad is proud of it.

One of two have mentioned the rights and wrongs of whaling in this PC age. No matter what opinions are aired, history is history and I see nothing wrong with making a model of a whaler, otherwise the many kits of the Charles W Morgan and Essex would have been withdrawn  long ago!

What I find amusing is that the vast majority of model kits are of military subjects ( aircraft, ships and AFV's designed to destroy targets taking out humans in the process).  So in essence would modelling a whaler be any worse than modelling a battleship? 

 

 

[stuartp]

On 4/25/2021 at 9:49 AM, Noel Smith said:

What I find amusing is that the vast majority of model kits are of military subjects ( aircraft, ships and AFV's designed to destroy targets taking out humans in the process).  So in essence would modelling a whaler be any worse than modelling a battleship? 

I'm glad you've written that because I was thinking it while I was reading the rest of the thread. My first RFI on here was  USAF cruise missile launcher, tonight's job is adding WE177s to a Tornado and a Buccaneer. Doesn't mean I support nuclear proliferation, just that grew up in the 70s and 80s. 

Edited May 23, 2021 by stuartp

[Chewbacca]

Personally I find the whole concept of whaling abhorrent but that's because its the context in which we live today.  Having seen whales in the southern oceans, they are amazing creatures and I struggle to understand today why anyone would want to harm them.  However, times change and I have little doubt that if I lived in the first half of the 20th century I suspect I would have no issue with it.  It's all about the context.  This is a model of a historic whaler that commemorates the bravery of men who were simply trying to make a living doing a job that was deemed perfectly acceptable in its day (and when most of the world's whale populations were not threatened with extinction).  

 

I also had the privilege a few years back (I suppose I would call it that) of walking around the abandoned whaling stations in South Georgia.  These are the only photos I can find at the moment although I know I have lots more somewhere

 

 

 

To my mind you've done a great job on the model which to my mind in no way glorifies whaling.