pictures from the USNA Museum Workshop

[Navy51]

Navy 51,
That's quite an impressive "Completed Build" collection you have there!

But hardly merchant navy or liners. Wish there were more on the market.
My wish is to find and build the Seaview from the old Aurora kit

 

[Bill Hime]

But hardly merchant navy or liners. Wish there were more on the market.
My wish is to find and build the Seaview from the old Aurora kit

View attachment 386154

Moebius Models makes a Seaview kit, and the Flying Sub!

 

[Navy51]

Moebius Models makes a Seaview kit, and the Flying Sub!

Thank you Bill, see if I can find one here in Europe to avoid those super high shipping rates from the States.
Either Aurora or Moebius will do.

 

[shota70]

Dear Peter
First I would like to tell you that I am a little jealous of you for having a place/workshop where you can meet to build and renovate ships. I wish there was such a place in my country I would appreciate it if you could please explain on the place/the museum/the workshop and the activities that take place there, maybe I'll drop by to visit one of these days/visits in the USA

 

[Kilo66]

You are right! She is the Maine! This was the original builder's model, created as she was originally designed to be a steam/ ship rigged hybrid. When they actually built her, the Navy, which here tofore had clung to the vestiges of the age of sail, finally decided to do away with the ship rig. The Maine was delivered without it and the model never completed. The model has languished there on the workbench for as long as I (or anyone else) can remember. It was decided to finish the model, restoring it to its' original intent with the ship rig. A lot has been accomplished especially to the decks and all the accouterment on them, including the ships' boats, The rig is under way. As improbable as it may seem up to the Maine's time, the Navy still clung to the ship rig for their otherwise modern wardships, fearful of sailing beyond their line of supply ( or so was the excuse by an institution infamously resistant to change ).

Pete

That's a marvelous snippet of maritime/American naval/USS Maine/model shipwright history! Thank you, Peter, for taking the time to respond. As the old saw goes, the Devil is in the details! The model looked very much like (but not exactly like) the period photos of the doomed warship and, despite the capital M emblazoned on her smallboats, I just couldn't get past that darn third mast. I envy you the terrific honor it is to be able to work on the original "concept model."

 

[Peter Gutterman]

Hey,Shota
Nice to talk to you personally. I have seen your name pop up most times when I have posted things. Thanks for being a fan! I'm running out of things to post!
If you are ever in Annapolis and can, take time to visit the USNA museum (in Preble Hall) The museum display is on two decks (floors) and has "The ages of Sail" -Rogers collection of British admiralty models from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as a fine collection of French Prisoner of War models, and other examples from the Age of Sail. On the first deck is the US Naval History exhibit. Downstairs on the street level basement is the workshop. All open to visitors. It has been an honor and a privilege to Be a part of the Museum workshop as a volunteer model shipwright for most of twenty years.
There is a very nice comprehensive virtual tour of the "Ages of Sail" exhibit available on the same SOS forum as this one of the workshop, that is really quite good.
I don't live in Annapolis, I'm in Damascus MD about an hour away, Between Washington DC and Frederick. If you ever make it out this way, look me up. I'll send my email address on the private mail on this site.

Pete

 

[shota70]

Dear Peter
thanks for your explanation, it's looks promising, I will keep it in my special list of maritime museums in the world that I should like to visit.
I have a dream to travel the world for 80 days and meet friends from the hobby and visit special museums like this one in the USA as well as Ivan Traz'ek's in Germany.
Dreams are meant not only to dream them but to be inspired to realize them

 

[Peter Gutterman]

Kilo66,
Actually I haven't been a part of USS Maine team, having spent most of my time working on the 8' long model of the Civil War era St. Lawrence Sloop of War that you see in the pictures, and I restored the 18thc. model of the Spanish 74 "El Terrible" which I covered in an earlier post. The guy pictured working on her rigging in the Model Shop pictures post is Larry Valett, a friend with the same obsession, who is the masting and rigging expert and has taken over the lead as the restoration proceeds in that direction.
The St. Lawrence is now in the masting, spars and rigging stage in the hands of another capable expert, Deborah Rowen, a deep water sailor with a license to operate large commercial vessels and who is a maestro of rope. Her third great grandfather commanded the "New Ironsides", a monster floating artillery battery fortress vessel of the Civil War. The guys that built a model of it for the museum put a hair follicle from Deb under a mast step so that the model would have a bit of Rowan DNA to go with it!
There are currently as many as a half dozen different modelers working on the "Maine" Each employing different special skills as they apply.

Pete

 

[DomCee]

But hardly merchant navy or liners. Wish there were more on the market.
My wish is to find and build the Seaview from the old Aurora kit

View attachment 386154

check out www.amerang.co.uk, they have a list of uk distributors for Moebious models

 

[Navy51]

check out www.amerang.co.uk, they have a list of uk distributors for Moebious models

Thanks for the tip

 

[threebs]

Excellent photos, great work being done. Regarding rigging, please comment on the differences between old materials and what is available nowadays. Some lines must be beyond repair, so how difficult is it source an acceptable substitute?

Personally, for the standing rigging I use cotton thread from bluejacket. I spin various thread diameters on a hand cranked rope walk from Model Expo. I wax the finished rope. Eventually when the model is done I mist ALL the rigging with clear flat acrylic spray, enough to coat the rope lightly after a half dozen or so applications. This seals the rope so, as mine are now, but not forever, not encased, blowing the dust off with an airbrush compressor makes dusting the ships relatively easy.

 

[Michael T]

Has anyone been in contact with Bob Summerall about some of his research materials? I believe he had quite a bit from the files regarding the models, their history and back stories.

 

[Uwek]

Hey,Shota
Nice to talk to you personally. I have seen your name pop up most times when I have posted things. Thanks for being a fan! I'm running out of things to post!
If you are ever in Annapolis and can, take time to visit the USNA museum (in Preble Hall) The museum display is on two decks (floors) and has "The ages of Sail" -Rogers collection of British admiralty models from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as a fine collection of French Prisoner of War models, and other examples from the Age of Sail. On the first deck is the US Naval History exhibit. Downstairs on the street level basement is the workshop. All open to visitors. It has been an honor and a privilege to Be a part of the Museum workshop as a volunteer model shipwright for most of twenty years.
There is a very nice comprehensive virtual tour of the "Ages of Sail" exhibit available on the same SOS forum as this one of the workshop, that is really quite good.
I don't live in Annapolis, I'm in Damascus MD about an hour away, Between Washington DC and Frederick. If you ever make it out this way, look me up. I'll send my email address on the private mail on this site.

Pete

I love the books by Grant Walker showing the beautiful models of the Rogers collection.

Grant Walker

Grant Walker graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1973 and then completed the Officers Field Artillery course at Fort Sill Oklahoma and the Army Ranger School at Fort Benning Georgia. Grant completed ten years of ments in the US and Europe, and entered the Foreign Area Officer...

seawatchbooks.com

In short time the III Volume will be released - Pre-Ordered already

 

[Peter Gutterman]

Bob Summerall Passed away several years ago. His protege Don Preul is now the Curator of models for the USNA: preul@usna.edu.
Grant Walker: walker@usna.edu

 

[Thomas]

Talk about a dream job!

 

[Peter Gutterman]

It Has its' attractions, but like any other job where you have to answer to a parsimonious hierarchical bureaucracy It can drive you nuts running around doing busywork "Honeydos'" interfering with the progress on the work that is the reason they have you there in the first place. I'm glad it ain't me.

Pete

 

[Thomas]

It Has its' attractions, but like any other job where you have to answer to a parsimonious hierarchical bureaucracy It can drive you nuts running around doing busywork "Honeydos'" interfering with the progress on the work that is the reason they have you there in the first place. I'm glad it ain't me.

Pete

Well, when you put it that way . . . ! Sad but true of so many work places.

 

[Peter Gutterman]

As volunteers we just keep our heads down and go about our business. We just have to answer to Don , and he's a peach to work for. Appreciative, encouraging, always on our side, and never in a hurry.
It really is a privilege to work there and on all the good stuff. Never having served in the military (my Dad was a WWII Navy vet) It's an honor to give back and serve a few years using the skills I acquired during the time bought for me by the guys (and women) who joined up or got drafted and had no other option, and help preserve their and our countries' legacy.

Pete

 

[Peter Gutterman]

Pondering. A common activity at any given time in the work shop. (You can make a reasonable assumption as to the average age of the volunteer model shipwrights based on these pictures. )

 

[Peter Gutterman]

The title over the wood sample chart says it all.