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WSMS Members' Models
Below are photographs of WSMS members' models, in alphabetical order by last name.
Carl Erickson
Mercant ships of various types, from ferry boat to tankers to a pilot ship, all of
paper in 1:600 scale.
Ocean liners Gripsholm, Canberra, United States, Normandie,and QM2 Scale: 1/600
Norwegian Shrimp Boat Early 20th century Scale: 1/100
Swedish Royal Warship Vasa 64 guns, 1628 Scale: 1/144
Vosper Motor torpedo boat Royal Navy, WWII Scale: 1/72
This ship is representative of the privateers that were fitted out by private owners who were granted letters of marque by the US government. These letters gave ship owners the authority to act as private war vessels for the United States. Due to the clippers' speed and easy handling, they were able to fight against overwhelming odds, and they brought back prizes that proved to be the basis of many fortunes.
This modified kit is all wood, with plank-on-bulkhead hull construction. The hull planks are 2x5 mm mahogany. The deck is laid with individual planks. Other woods include walnut, box, bass, spruce, cherry, beech, and lime. The guns are brass, and the rigging is linen. The original kit was extensively modified to represent the Baltimore clipper privateers of the period. Most of the kit materials were discarded. The case is 40" x 16" x 31"h.
Chris Craft began production in 1884 with duck boats and power launches. They eventually became the largest producer of mahogany boats in the United States. This boat was extremely popular in northern Wisconsin for fishing and cruising. Mr. Larson's family owned a similar Chris Craft boat.
The model started as a kit from Dumas Models, but after inspection of
the kit, the only items retained were the interior plywood bulkheads,
which cannot be seen, and the chrome finished fittings that had to be
cleaned up and refinished.
The hull is double planked. The first layer is 1/16" plywood, and
the outer layer of the hull is 3/8" x 1/16" Philippine mahogany. All of
the mahogany on the model was cut from a 2" x 8" x 6" plank. The
caulking is 1/16" x 1/16" white plastic strips. The finish is semigloss
polyurethane varnish. Hatches and seats are removable for access to the
interior for the future installation of radio control equipment if so
desired.
The case (46" x 15" x 15") is black walnut harvested from North Carolina, and the model cradle is red oak.
USS Saucy PG-65 Flower-class corvette WWII convoy escort vessel Launched 15 April 1940, Belfast Scale: 1/6" = 1 foot (1/72)
The flower-class corvettes were developed and constructed during the early years of World War II to challenge the threat of the German U-boat submarines against the convoys supplying the Allied forces in Great Britain and the Soviet Union. Only a few of the vessels were commissioned in the US Navy for convoy duty. The adventures of the British Navy corvettes have been documented in the movie The Cruel Sea.
This operating plastic-hull model was adapted from a kit for radio-controlled operation with rudder- and speed-control functions. The case is 38" x 11" x 17"h.
Imara English harbor tug, 1931 Scale: 3/8" = 1 foot (1/32) Ship specifications: Length between perpendiculars, 109 feet; Moulded breath, 28.5 feet; Propulsion, two coal-fired steam engines rated at 500 horsepower each; Speed, full power, 11.6 knots; Designed to move a 12,000-ton vessel in still waters.
Imara was a twin-screw berthing tug built in 1931 to a Crown Colonies contract for delivery to the Tanganyika Railway Company for use at Dar-es-Salaam, in what is now Tanzania on the east coast of Africa. After only two years of service, she was purchased by the Royal Navy, renamed Perseverance, and modified for use in a cooler climate. The tug was designed for work in the tropics, as shown by the large quantity of cowls, windows, skylights, ports, gratings, and side grills. There were accommodations suitable for European officers, master, mate engineer, and three juniors to live aboard. There was a Lasker (native) crew of six fireman and six deckhands.
The model of Imara is 42" long and is radio controlled, powered by two 3"-diameter right- and lefthanded propellers driven through a gear reduction of 1.7 by 12-volt electric motors run from three batteries, which also provide ballast. The model weighs 38 pounds. Operating features include forward and reverse variable speed control, siren, simulated steam horn, smoke, and exterior and interior lighting.
The model is based on a kit from an English manufacturer; however, the more than 800 white metal cast fittings were poorly formed and contained 52% lead. The wood provided in the kit was also poor quality. Therefore, only the hull, the forward lower cabin structure, the aft cabin, and funnel, which are made of fiberglass, and the formed plastic hulls were used from the kit. The remainder of the boat and nearly all the fittings were scratch built. Woods include maple, cherry, Swiss pear, Yoshino cherry (directly from the famed cherry trees in Washington, DC), apple, basswood, and thin birch plywood. The fittings were made from a variety of materials including brass, wood, Corian (countertop material), plastic, and cast resin using scratchbuilt masters. The entire model was constructed so nearly every fitting can be removed and repaired or replaced in case of damage. The case is 50" x 18" x 31"h.
Laura Virginia privateer, 1812 Scale: 3/16" = 1 foot (1/64)
In the early days of the US republic, the government lacked finances to build an adequate navy. On the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore clippers were fitted out by private owners who granted letters of marque by the US government. These letters gave ship owners the right to act as war vessels on behalf of the United States. The principal ports for outfitting these ventures ran from Maine to the Virginia capes. The ship were comparatively small, but what they lacked in size and armament was more than made up by smart handling, speed, and accurate gunnery.
This model is constructed on a solid wood hull. The guns are brass, and the rigging is linen. The model is an adaptation from a kit and has been extensively modified to accurately represent the Baltimore clipper privateers of the period. The ship's boat is built up of individual planks in lap-strake fashion. The deck is a single piece of 1/64" fine-grained aircraft plywood with caulking drawn in India ink. The extreme drag of the keel and rake of the masts is characteristic of these vessels. The case is 30" x 14" x 26"h.
Mercant ships of various types, from ferry boat to tankers to a pilot ship, all of
paper in 1:600 scale.
Ocean liners
Norwegian Shrimp Boat
Swedish Royal Warship Vasa
Vosper
Baltimore Clipper
Chris Craft Runabout
The model started as a kit from Dumas Models, but after inspection of
the kit, the only items retained were the interior plywood bulkheads,
which cannot be seen, and the chrome finished fittings that had to be
cleaned up and refinished.
The hull is double planked. The first layer is 1/16" plywood, and
the outer layer of the hull is 3/8" x 1/16" Philippine mahogany. All of
the mahogany on the model was cut from a 2" x 8" x 6" plank. The
caulking is 1/16" x 1/16" white plastic strips. The finish is semigloss
polyurethane varnish. Hatches and seats are removable for access to the
interior for the future installation of radio control equipment if so
desired.
The case (46" x 15" x 15") is black walnut harvested from North Carolina, and the model cradle is red oak.
USS Saucy PG-65
Imara
Laura
HMS Beagle
SS Jerimiah O'Brian
Virginia Privateer
1:12 Navy Diver
