Ships

Grant Walker talks about and explains things which I have touched in my posts on 74 gun, Baltimore Clippers and the American frigates.
Almost two hours, so for interested only. (but it's good).
He gives this lecture to a couple of youngsters who are going to embark and serve on one of the replica Baltimore Clippers for awhile.

Not an easy task i imagine.

Some kind of old gun boat? Far East gun boat diplomacy?

Replica of Titanic's anchor and chain. Toss a bit of canvas over it and it could probably house a small family during the warmer months.

Another, longer video on the crucially important and momentous Casablanca class carriers.

Titanic's "little sister" and the last white star line ship in existence, the Nomadic, still exists and for those that want to see it, all you have to do is go to Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Some of these I've already posted in the Science thread but they're worth a repost here.

"Why are ships painted red below the waterline?"



"What happens after you flush the toilet on a cruise ship?"

This is a superb model of 'Royal William' 1719.

I recently subscribed to this guys channel.
Ship modelers like him is a dying breed. This model is built from ground up, in the same manner as the real ship. From very good plans. So it also features the interior. A typical hi-quality, wood, ship-model kit usually features a hull buildup from a spine and bulkheads. Then the better kits feature double planking. One layer of coarse planking to make the shape and provide strength and rigidity, then fine planking on top to represent the actual planking. And that's the hull, basically. This model is built up from a keel, ribs, stringers and decks, just like the real thing.

I don't think this guy can afford a commercial kit, but it may also be a very deliberate choice to do it all just from plans.
I don't know what the exact criteria for "Museum Model" is, but this model seems in its detail and accuracy, in my unqualified opinion, significantly superior to typical kit based models. ...And better than most models I see in museums!






During his next project, 'Le Fleuron', he at some point started to make videos of his building progress. I'll make a post in 'Arts and Crafts'.
These are rather slow going, but he takes time and shows how he makes all the details. It's a collection of lectures on how to build model ships the serious way. I find them very interesting and satisfying. I also make it a point to myself to patiently sit through all the ads. Every cent I can contribute to have sent his way.
With his black tea and pipe, he reminds me of a dialogue scene from 'City Slickers'
"The meaning of life is one thing!"
"- What?"
"That's up to you to find out."

Now, I've never built a ship model and I'm fairly certain I never will. To me, life is too short. I intend to write, and maybe paint a bit, when I quit my current job. But if I had lived a different life, I think I could see me there.

Vids on the NS Savannah, the world's first nuclear powered merchant ship.

It's strange, and a shame really, that Britain haven't preserved any of their great ships from a couple of the most important and momentous periods of their history.
They have preserved HMS Victory and even HMS Warrior (which lacked both a historical role and persistent presence), so they shouldn't be strange to the practice.

A consequence of being ruled for a long time by two fairly useless factions: Anti-historical, communist-pacifist Labour, who will tread on the flag and anything British just out of spite and self loathing, and the always penniless Tories.

Some old and short movie clips from 1927 to 1946 featuring HMS Rodney.
Rodney is of historical interest because she is the ship that destroyed (D) KMS Bismarck.
Bismarck was crippled and slow by torpedos from Swordfish planes. A condition that delivered her to the guns of Rodney. The ensuing artillery duel between Bismarck and Rodney was quickly won by Rodney, as she was able to put most of Bismarck's guns out of action with a succession of early hits on the turrets, bridge and centralized gun control. The rest was a grueling, and one-sided pounding into a burning wreck.
Rodney was basically unhurt, except for some cracks at some deck joints, due to the recoil of her own guns. Rodney had fired a simultaneous broadside at low elevation and that was more than the structure could cope with.
One of two ships of the 'Nelson' class, she had the biggest guns (9 x 16") and thickest armor ever fitted to a British ship. Still, they were built as 'small'  battleships, due to treaties. The way to make her 'small' was mainly to fit a small machinery and accept a low speed, only 23 knots. Another measure was to concentrate all the heavy artillery at the front. Both Nelsons, being excellently protected, survived everything WW2 threw at them.