Arctic expedition ship Admiral Tegetthoff 1872 scale 1:20, scale 1:1 [COMPLETED BUILD]

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The model was built in order of the austrian television ORF for a film documentary about the discovery of Franz Josef Land in the arctic, with the ship Admiral Tegetthoff. Named after the hero of the see battle of Lissa 1866 admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff.
The Austro - Hungarien expedition had the goal to find a Northeast Passage trough the arctic . The ship was specifically with some specification of Carl Weyprecht (captain of the ship) built for the expedition. It was a three-masted barkentine of 220 tons, with a 100 horsepower steam engine and a crew of 25 man.
Short after the start in July the weather turned and in August the first ice floes come into sight. At the end of August, after the ship had passed the Island Nowaja Semlja the ship was locked in ice and drifted to hitherto unknown arctic regions. The situation was very dangerous, because the ice floes pressed the ship very hard and the crew fear the ship could go down. After one Year on 30. August 1873 the crew saw far away an unknown Island and named it after the austrian emperor Kaiser Franz Josef Land. The ship surrender in the big ice floe landed on the island.
After another Year and the reconnaissance of the island , the captain knows that there was no chance to get the ship free. So he decided to abandon the ship and ordered the crew to put the boats and the rest of food on sled to try find open water. On 14. August 1874 the reached open water and set sail sin direction Nowaja Semlja. The was rescued by a russian fishing ship and come all save at home.
Before I start the building blog I must explain what the director of the film documentary told me and why I should build the model. By the first meeting he told me about the expedition and that the model should show in close ups all the details of the journey. After the shooting the model should be give a museum for remembering of the discovery of Franz Josef Land. I will be his last hope and without a model of the ship, the film documentary had to die. He asked me what i think about and I told him ,- at first I need a big glass of brandy.
To understand this and the reason why, should show pictures of the model, taken from the film documentary and show the things he told me by our first meeting.
Now the pictures of the model 1:20 made by the shooting.

Will be continued with the building blog1.jpg2 (Large) (Large).jpg3 (Large).jpg4 (Large) (Large).jpg5 (Large).jpg7 (Large).jpg10 (Large).jpg11 (Large).jpg12 (Large).jpg14 (Large).jpg15 (Large).jpg15 (Large) (2) (Large).jpg
 
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Admiral Tegetthoff scale 1:20
To build the model in the very short time of nine months, it was march and the model must be finish at the beginning of January, I need two friends of my model building group. Rudi Ermer and Adolf Achtsnit. Rudi had to make the decks, Adolf the masts and I the hull. To build the model was a big challange, not only by the risk to loose the model by the shootings, when it was iced in by - 50 degrees Celsius, also dangerous was it if the ice thaw. All details of the model must be perfect to give it Quality for a later place in a museum.
The first pictures of building the Admiral Thegetthoff by Adolf Achtsnit, Rudi Ermer and Willi Meischl as the leader.
Regards Willi (schifferlbauer)original foto 1(Large).jpgoriginalfoto.jpgtegeth. Plan (Large).jpgcontract (Large).jpga (Large).jpg
 
Continuation
We could work on the model only in our free time, I was tramway driver, Adolf police man and Rudi office worker, so it was not possible to work always together. Rudi works at home on the decks and Adolf at home on the mast and yards. Rudi came from time to time to test if the parts of deck fits. Adolf came to help me so often it was possible. After I had brought the hull in the right shape, I start to blank the ship body. Rudi had brought his rough deck and Adolf the masts and so we could test how deep the ship lay in the water.
Tegetthoff rumpf 6.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 7.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 8.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 9.jpg
Willi (schifferlbauer)
 
Many Thanks for starting this interesting topic - I can recommend everybody to follow this thread -> it will be highly interesting, to see how they solved this very special project
 
Continuation
The next step of work by the model was to put enough bar of lead in the hull to sink the ships body down of the waterline, and I put the strips of copper around the bow to save them for the ice floes.

Willi (schifferlbauer)Tegetthoff rumpf 10.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 11.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 13.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 14.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 15 (Large).jpgTegetthoff rumpf 16.JPGTegetthoff rumpf 17.jpg
 
Continuation
The body of the model lays well in the water and so we could start to finish the hull. A little problem was the capstan until it works like it should, but after some time it was okay and we could lift without any problem the anchor chain. Tricky was it to make a construction for the lift of the ships propeller, because the mechanics was unknown, only that it works with the steering wheel, if the rudder chain was loose and the ship was steering by hand. So we talk about the problem and I made a drawing how it could works. But it was to early to install it. So we finish all the parts, like the skylights and houses.

Willi (schifferlbauer)Tegetthoff rumpf 19.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 20a.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 21.jpg
Tegetthoff rumpf 22a.jpgBugspriet befestigung.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 23.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 24.jpgTegetthoff rumpf 25 (Large).jpgSkitze für schraubenaufzug.jpg
 
Continuation rigging the Admiral Tegetthoff

Adolf and I we work very hard, to make the ropes for the rig, because the time for the hull was a little longer, as I have planed. We start with the stays and shrouds for the standing rig and if a rope was finished, i put it on her position, during Adolf made the next one. Rudi worked at home on things we need to finish the hull, like boats anchor and so on. As the standing rig was done, I made from Paper the pattern of the sails and told Rudi the material what he should use to sew the sail. The time goes by and we was under strong pressure, so we think not to make photos of rig details. The less we made I will show now and too pictures of finish the model.
I will continue with detail photos of the finish model in my next post.

Best regards
Willi (schifferlbauer)Großstagsegel (Large).jpgTakeln Fockmast.jpgGroßgaffel (Large).jpgErm. Achts. Meisch..jpgTeilbesegelung.jpgfertiges Modell (Large).jpgmodell präsentation (Large).jpgWindtest (Large).jpg
 
At last pictures of the model placed in the museum of natural history in Vienna. Before that, the model was in two other museums ( Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum Bremerhaven) and in some exhibitions.

The next post will be the building of the Admiral Tegettoff model in scale 1:1 for the film. It was necessary to show the situation of the crew as the ship drifted locked in ice and too the problems of Franz Josef Land and the leave of the ship.

Best regards
Willi (schifferlbauer)nhm4.jpgNHM (Large).JPGnhm 1.JPGnhm3.JPGnhm 2.JPGMueum 2.JPGMuseum 1.JPGMonitschi und Manuel.jpg
 
Wonderful pictures of the built. I have seen the documentary of the Tegethoff- Expedition in TV long time ago. I remember the accuracy of all scenes which was outstanding for TV productions at that time.

Well done, Willi!

Cheers, Alexander
 
Thanks for your likes

Hi Alexander
The first time the TV documentary shown in TV was 1996, for 1000 Year celebration of Austria (996 first mention of the name in a document)

It was long time ago -1992 when my two friends and I built the Model and it was a super film documentary about the expedition. I´m thinking only a little group
of model builder be interested of such ship, but my post should show what heavy problems a well built model can stand.
The building of the model 1:1 I will post soon

Best regards
Willi (schifferlbauer)
 
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