====================================== Special Feature Issue - Ships in Miniature ====================================== "THE BOSUN'S CHRONICLE" --- emailed to Shipmates around the world each month --- VOL. 2, ISSUE 10, October 2002 Avast there - and welcome aboard from the Bosun of the Thomas Kydd Shipmates' Network! Apologies for the late delivery of this month's issue - Julian and Kathy have been moving house to Devon! 1) FEATURE 2) WEBSITES OF THE MONTH 3) ON THE STOCKS 4) DECKLOG 5) SHIPMATE REVIEWERS PROGRAMME ==================== 1) FEATURE --- The world of model ships --- WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN? Making ship models goes back many centuries, to around 2000 BC, or even earlier, but it is only from the middle of the seventeenth century that ship models began to develop the form recognised today. Before a fighting ship was built the Navy required that a very detailed model of her be constructed. The practice was formalised by an official Admiralty order in 1715, although later, under pressure of the French wars, it was not always adhered to. Model making evolved into a highly skilled craft and their value at the time they were made is illustrated by the story of Samuel Pepys during the Fire of London in 1666 making sure he collected his important papers - and also his ship models - from the Navy Office. Some royal dockyards had special workshops where model makers trained. A commercial yard like Buckler's Hard in Hampshire, where a number of large ships were built for the Navy, also undertook such work, and there were a number of private firms of model makers. These builder's models, constructed entirely in boxwood, are exquisite examples of the craft. A particularly fine collection can be seen at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Nobody knows when ships in bottles were first made; one of the earliest dated pieces (1794) is in a museum in Germany. Many began showing up along the shores of Europe about that time in bars and brothels as payment by penurious sailors! The art form almost died out during the early decades of last century, but has seen a resurgence in popularity recently. There was a big revival in interest in ships and ship models in general after the Second World War and the past 25 years have seen considerable changes in the ship modelling scene, one of which has been an upsurge in radio controlled models. Also after the war, ship modellers became less isolated, and started getting together to form clubs and societies. Now, of course, the internet has opened up global connections, and made the data and plans of thousands of ships easily accessible. Ship modelling knows no barriers of sex or nationality - many of the world's top modellers are in fact women. Often sailors who have "swallowed the anchor" find that models keep them connected to ships and the sea. GETTING STARTED There are two basic categories of wooden ship model building - kits and scratch building. About 98% of model builders use kits. Experienced model builders suggest beginners start with a fairly simple kit because if it is too complex it is easy to get frustrated. With kit building all the equipment you need is white glue, a saw to cut out the parts, a sharp knife, sandpaper of various grades and paint. BUILDING FROM SCRATCH The first step in building from scratch (the most challenging, but also the most satisfying method, according to aficionados) is to select a ship and then find plans for her. Good sources for plans are maritime museums and books on naval architecture. Once you have your plans the next step is to draw the plan in the scale you want to build the ship in. Having secured your plans, you then have to decide what hull construction method to use - solid hull (the hull is carved from a single block of wood), the bread and butter or lamination method, or plank on frames/bulkheads. Then comes planking, building the keel and bow and rudder and stern detail. The remainder of the vessel involves building up the bulkheads, rails, planking, and all the tiny details such as channels for the shrouds and deck fixtures. Once the deck hardware is complete, there's the rigging and then the last major item - display board and case. Typically a ship model built in spare time can take anywhere from one year to three years to complete. One modeller started work and then had to set it aside for a number of years; it took him almost 50 years before he'd finished that one model! WHERE TO LEARN MORE +Specialist magazines+ "Model Shipwright" an excellent quarterly journal published by Conway Maritime Press, UK. . Articles, reviews and comments from model makers all over the world, plus plans, diagrams and photographs. "Ships in Scale" by Seaways Publishing is also very useful. It is published in the States. +Books+ Some excellent ones: "Modelling of the Brig of War Irene" by E W Petrejus, "The Model Builders Assistant" by Charles Davis and "Shipmodelling from Stem to Stern" by Milton Roths. For anyone with a particular interest in Nelson's ships, C. Longridge's "The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships" provides a wealth of information and useful tips from a master of the craft. WHERE TO BUY KITS AND MATERIALS Almost any local hobby shop will stock models and tools etc. One very helpful company in the States for mail order is - "The Dromedary" Ship Modellers Center, 6324 Belton, El Paso, Texas, USA, 79912. Run by Lois Roth, they have a wide range of plans and books, as well as kits, plans, fittings etc. for every level of skill. Ph 915 584 2445 ___________ The Bosun would like to thank Shipmate Robert Squarebriggs of Canada for his assistance with this article. You can see the wonderful half model Robert fashioned of "Artemis" in Julian's personal album posted on the website later this month. ===================== 2) WEBSITES OF THE MONTH --- Model ship websites --- INTERNET SITES There's a wealth of information on the net. A search for "model ship" on Google came up with 17,500 listings! Here's a couple of good ones: A vast selection of kits, hobby tools and all kinds of accessories. Model ship kits from ancient craft to frigates to sloops. Some of the kits are very complex with thousands of custom designed fittings, but there are good kits for beginners, too. The scale model boat specialist, based in Truro, Cornwall, England. As well as static display kits and radio control kits, there are ship fittings, plans, books - and much more. READY MADE MODELS Given the amount of time involved in making ship models, it is not an option for everybody. Hand crafted custom made models can be purchased from a number of sources. Among the best are: Headquartered in Berkshire in England, Historic Model Ships offer superbly constructed models of ships such as "The Golden Hind" and "Victory". Prices range from GBP800 to GBP6000, up to 600 man hours are spent on each piece. A French-language site of the modelist Olivier Bello. He has been making models for 20 years and his site showcases a particularly fine model of "Victory", on which Olivier worked for six years. It is valued at $50,000. Piel Craftsmen feature a collection of 14 beautifully-crafted famous wooden ship models, all fully assembled and ready to display. Based in Newburyport, MA, the company also offers a service of restoring ship model wrecks to their original condition! ==================== 3) ON THE STOCKS --- News of upcoming books, foreign translations, audio versions, other products --- +The UK edition of the paperback of ARTEMIS is launched November 7. Julian will be visiting a number of bookstores for signings. Details next month. +Chapter one of SEAFLOWER will soon be been posted on the website. In this, the third volume in the series, it is nearly two years since Thomas Paine Kydd was spirited away in the night to serve his country aboard the old line-of-battle ship "Duke William". Now, together with his high-born friend Nicholas Renzi and other members of the ill-fated "Artemis", Tom is a shipwrecked sailor back in the land of his birth. But far from being able to return to loved ones, they find themselves virtual prisoners, waiting to be summoned as court martial witnesses. In a political act to shield an officer's reputation, they are shipped out in haste to the Caribbean - where sugar is king and yellow jack a fearsome peril. Kydd overcomes his resentment at being turned over, and continues to grow as a prime seaman. A spell ashore at the dockyard in Antigua shows him another side of the Royal Navy, the complexities of maintaining Britain's fighting ships around the world. There Kydd also has to deal with a number of personal challenges and in doing so earns the ire of the feared master shipwright. Summarily dismissed from the dockyard, Kydd faces an unknown future. Renzi contrives to reunite the old crew of "Artemis" in "Seaflower", a graceful and trim little topsail cutter that Kydd fell in love with the first time he saw her. At first the plucky craft brings them luck and fortune but she is eventually overwhelmed by the raw forces of the sea - and Kydd finds his seamanship, tenacity and courage put to the ultimate test. ==================== 4) DECKLOG --- Events and activities --- Moving house This month Julian and Kathy are in the process of moving to Devon, an English county with a very rich maritime heritage. Julian has dropped some hints that Tom Kydd may well be visiting the area in future books! Julian and Kathy's new home is over 200 years old, and they take great pleasure in the fact that it was certainly standing in Kydd's day, on the very road that naval officers would have taken travelling between London and Plymouth in the eighteenth century. Trafalgar Day October 21 is Trafalgar Day, commemorating the life and achievements of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. Around the world glasses will be raised "To the Immortal Memory", with a special private Navy ceremony being held aboard HMS Victory in Portsmouth. ==================== 5) SHIPMATE REVIEWERS PROGRAMME This month we are launching a unique contest in which six Shipmates will be awarded special advance uncorrected proof bound copies of SEAFLOWER for review. Their comments will be shared with Shipmates in a future issue. Each of the copies are Collectors Items and will be personally signed by Julian. To enter the contest, email the Bosun with your thoughts (in not more than 100 words) on what scene you have most enjoyed in the series so far. A panel consisting of the Bosun and representatives from Julian's publishers will select the winners. Deadline: October 31. Winners will be notified within the following two weeks and announced in the December issue of the newsletter. ================== + The next Special Feature Issue of the newsletter will be devoted to Navy re-enactment groups. We'd love to hear from Shipmates involved in this activity! Emails to the address below. Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Back issues of the newsletter now on the website ++ (To unsubscribe this newsletter email )