Fair American 1780 general information

[BDB]

Useful Fair American information

What follows is a collection of information you will find useful in constructing a model of the Fair American, model #60 of the HH Rogers Collection of ship models in the US Naval Academy Museum. The rigging on the model is not original and has been restored at least by Frederick Avery in 1921 and Charles Davis in 1933. The Model Shipways kit is based upon “Steels Elements of Mastmaking, Sail Making, and Rigging” By David Steel 1794 (as stated by Erik Ronnberg, kit version No.2) which can be used to further detail the model.

When rigging the Fair American model keep in mind the following quotes from “The Ashley Book of Knots” by Clifford Ashley:

Ship models made as early as the seventeenth century frequently carried lanyard knots, but ship models are untrustworthy. Under the best conditions model rigging requires repair or replacement every fifty or sixty years. P 119.

Ship models as a source of contemporary information are usually untrustworthy. Models are delicate things that require repair, they offer too much temptation for the amateur rigger, who sometimes has more zeal than knowledge. Most ship models have at one time or another fallen into the hands of at least one of these. P 512.

No matter how you decide to build it, as a model of a model, or as an 18th century brig, the Fair American is a beautiful model, Bruce Bollenbach.

MAGAZINES:

Nautical Research Journal
Article reprints available from Nautical Research Guild (NRG) website.

Fair American Revolutionary War Brig, by John Shedd
FEB 1952 (Vol 4, No. 2) pp 31-33

The Fair American (comments), by H.I. Chapelle
MAY 1952 (Vol 4, No. 5) p 85

The Fair American (comments), by Merritt Edson
DEC 1984 (Vol 30, No. 1) pp 206-208

Additional Comments on Fair American, by E. Ronnberg Jr
MAR 1985 (Vol 31, No.1) p 30

The Philadelphia/New York Fair American, by Clayton Feldman
DEC 1985 (Vol 31, No. 4) pp 194-203

The Fair American (comments), by Merritt Edson
DEC 1985 (Vol 31, No. 4) pp 202-203

In Search of Fair American, by Art Herrick
Part 1 - SEP 2000 (Vol 45, No. 3) pp 133-140
Part 2 – DEC 2000 (Vol 45, No.4) pp 213-232
Part 3 – MAR 2001 (Vol 46, No. 1) pp 3-11

Fair American Sails, by Sid Siegel
DEC 2001 (Vol 46, No. 4) pp 240

Building Fair American 1780, by Mike Lonnecker
Autumn 2014 (Vol 59, No. 1) pp 187-204

Model Ship Builder
A back issue CD is available from Nautical Research Guild (NRG) website.

Fair American, by Marypatt Kiff
NOV DEC 1979 (Issue #2) pp23-33

Building the Fair American, by Clayton Feldman
Part 1 – NOV DEC 1984 (Issue #32) pp 36-44
Part 2 – JAN FEB 1985 (Issue #33) pp 44-50
Part 3 – MAR APR 1985 (Issue #34) pp 40-48
Part 4 – MAY JUN 1985 (Issue #35) pp 52-61
Part 5 – JUL AUG 1985 (Issue #36) pp 28-39
Part 6 – SEP OCT 1985 (Issue #37) pp 26-33
Part 7 – NOV DEC 1985 (Issue #38) pp 34-46

Completing the Fair American, by Clayton Feldman
Part 1 – MAY JUN 1987 (Issue #47) pp 13-22
Part 2 – JUL AUG 1987 (Issue #48) pp 14-23
Part 3 – SEP OCT 1987 (Issue #49) pp 16-26
Part 4 – NOV DEC 111987 (Issue #50) pp 37-45
Part 5 – JAN FEB 1988 (Issue #51) pp 3-17
Part 6 – MAR APR 1988 (Issue #52) pp 50-55
Part 7 – MAY JUN 1988 (Issue #53) pp 48-56

Fair American Photo Album, by Clayton Feldman
MAR APR 1989 (Issue #58) pp 50-52

Model Shipways Fair American, by Eyre Welland
SEP OCT 1984 (Issue #91) pp 41-47

Seaways Ships in Scale
A back issue CD is available from Nautical Research Guild (NRG) website.

Fair American 18th Century War Brig, by Gus Agustin
JUL AUG 1993 (Issue #4) pp 36-43

Fair American - Building your First Plank on Bulkhead Model, by Robert Steinbrunn
Part 1 - Vol 7, No. 1: pp 16-23
Part 2 – JAN FEB 1996, Vol 7, No. 2, pp 50-53
Part 3 – MAY JUN 1996, Vol 7, No. 3, pp 25-31
Part 4 – JUL AUG 1996, Vol 7, No. 8, pp 19-23

The Original Fair American, A Photo Essay of Model #60 in the HH Rogers Collection,
by Robert Steinbrunn,
MAR APR 2005, Vol 16, No. 2, pp 40-50

BOOKS
“Steels Elements of Mastmaking, Sailmaking, and Rigging”, by David Steel, 1794

“Young Sea Officers Sheet ” by Darcy Lever, 1819

“Fair American 1780” by Erik Ronnberg Jr, 1978

“18th Century War Brig Fair American”, by Clayton Feldman, 1986

“Modeling the Brig of War Irene” by EW Petrejus, 1970

“The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860” by James Lees, 1984

“The Fully Framed Model, Volume 4, Rigging a Sixth Rate Sloop of War 1767-1780”,
by David Antscherl, 2010

 

[Roger Pellett]

An excellent post!

 

[Bankai]

What follows is a collection of information you will find useful in constructing a model of the Fair American, model #60 of the HH Rogers Collection of ship models in the US Naval Academy Museum. The rigging on the model is not original and has been restored at least by Frederick Avery in 1921 and Charles Davis in 1933. The Model Shipways kit is based upon “Steels Elements of Mastmaking, Sail Making, and Rigging” By David Steel 1794 (as stated by Erik Ronnberg, kit version No.2) which can be used to further detail the model.

When rigging the Fair American model keep in mind the following quotes from “The Ashley Book of Knots” by Clifford Ashley:

Ship models made as early as the seventeenth century frequently carried lanyard knots, but ship models are untrustworthy. Under the best conditions model rigging requires repair or replacement every fifty or sixty years. P 119.

Ship models as a source of contemporary information are usually untrustworthy. Models are delicate things that require repair, they offer too much temptation for the amateur rigger, who sometimes has more zeal than knowledge. Most ship models have at one time or another fallen into the hands of at least one of these. P 512.

No matter how you decide to build it, as a model of a model, or as an 18th century brig, the Fair American is a beautiful model, Bruce Bollenbach.















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Thank you, great article.

 

[BDB]

I just realized that David Steels work, which is what Eric Ronnberg states that he referenced for the Fair American rigging plan, was published in 1794, and the Fair American model is assumed to be 1778. This is all well and good as many rigging methods are slow to change and American shipbuilding was heavily influenced by the British. So 16 years isn't a big deal, it's not an exact science.

James Lees in his book on English rigging practices indicates items that change in roughly 1790, practices used in Fair Americans day and not mentioned in Steel,s work of 1794. For example, topsail lifts, topsail reef tackle, etc evolved from when Fair American was rigged, pre 1790, and when Steel wrote his work in 1794.

I noticed also that Ronnberg's instruction booklet was copywright 1978 and James Lees The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War is not listed as a reference because it was not copywright until 1979, meaning Ronnberg would not have had access to Lees work when he developed the Fair American information.

So be aware that strict adherence to David Steel may be open to question.

 

[TheGatzby]

The information for Fair American only exists as a model.
If Ronnberg accurately documented the model, any model you build can only be as good as the model, unless you propose to improve on the original model.

 

[Roger Pellett]

Back in I think the late 1990’s there was a series of articles in the Nautical Research Journal about Fair American and her rig. If you look them up on the NRG’s digital index you can order downloads by calling the NRG office.

Model ship rigging is obviously fragile so, it’s likely that many old models have been rerigged. I believe the possibility that the Fair American model in the US Naval Academy’s collection has been rerigged is discussed in the NRG articles.

Roger