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Gorgeous! Fantastic! OK - not too bad at all. Looks wonderful, Augie - the scarphs are a nice detail.

From 1941 to 2002, The American Neptune was America's premier journal of maritime history and arts. The journal's articles, written with clarity and scholarly substance, are of interest to all who enjoy accounts of ships, the seas, and those who've sailed them - for mercantile gain, their nation's interest, or the love of voyaging and exploration. They cover a wide range of subjects (art and artifacts, people, events), geographical areas (American and international) and time periods (prehistory through modern day) and were written for scholars, professionals and enthusiasts. The journal, founded by a group that included Samuel Eliot Morison and Walter Muir Whitehill, was issued as a quarterly (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). I have been looking for various past issues of the journal, and found today that the Peabody Essex Museum has begun to post ditized PDF copies of the journal in the Phillips Library Digitial Collections at http://phillipslibrarycollections.pem.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15928coll3 Currently Volumes I, II and II are posted (1941 through 1943), with the first 2 issues for Volume IV also posted (1944). The Phillips Library is the documentation and research division of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. The collection presents a detailed account of the global nature of commercial outreach by Essex County residents in the 18th and 19th centuries during the “golden age” of shipping. Logbooks, merchant account books, shipbuilder’s records, customhouse records, and documentation of travels and exploration to the Pacific can all be found within its print and manuscript collections. At one time, Salem was the largest trading port on the east coast. Logbooks in the collection document the relationship between Salem and Japan as early as 1799. China trade is also represented through manuscripts found in the collection and by the Frederick Townsend Ward print collection, one of the world’s largest collections of Western-language materials on Imperial China.

Good morning, popeye. Took 2 tries to get it looking the way I wanted, but not too shabby a false deck. The inner bulwarks will be planked, with a waterway for transition to the planked deck. The lines on the false deck are my guides for when I plank it - they are about 4 scale feet apart based on the info in the Anatomy of the ship and the Frigate Essex Papers.

Nice work, Adam. Have fun, as you may recall, is rule 2 on the model builders code of mis-conduct (rule 1 is there are no rules, only guidelines). As long as you are enjoying, ignore the bugger who tries to make you work to a schedule (even if the bugger is you.)

Author: Charles Derrick Published 1806 Description from Cambridge University Press: “Following the British naval successes of the early French Revolutionary Wars, which culminated in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, public interest in the history and growth of the Royal Navy increased dramatically, inspiring the publication of scholarly works relating to naval history. This volume, written by Naval Office clerk Charles Derrick and first published in 1806, contains a detailed account of the changes in the state of the Royal Navy between 1485 and 1805. Derrick focuses on the decline and growth of the number of ships in the Navy during the reign of each monarch through this period, listing the number of ships and tonnage at the start of each reign and describing innovations and new ships built during the period. Including copies of contemporary naval reports on ship numbers, tonnage and shipbuilding techniques, this clear and concise study remains a valuable reference for the study of naval history.” Download available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=3CoVAAAAQAAJ Purchase printed reproduction ($42.99) at: http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/history/military-history/memoirs-rise-and-progress-royal-navy In addition to numerous listings of the ships in service (including, for many, their principal dimensions and number of men in the crew), there are several appendices wherein various dimensions from the Establishments of 1677, 1691, 1706, 1719, and 1745, as well as the proposals from 1733 and 1741 are listed. Additional tables show the weights of bower anchors and cables for various establishments (page 266), and dimensions of cannon and the guns (number and weight) from various periods. Note that this is the source used in the 1860 Encyclopedia Britannica article on Shipbuilding.

Truly amazing, Grant. Have you gone cross-eyed from working at that small size?

Very nice work!

Gracious - time has certainly flown by this summer! Not a huge amount of rogress to report. Have been far too busy doing things with the family when not working the paying job. Alas, that is all coming to an end. Brought my "other son" back to Arkansas this week - up side there was I got to see the other two grandkids! Son the elder leaves the nest (well, sort of) tomorrow - off to college he goes. Living on campus - not sure how we will handle not having any kids in the house (first time in 20 years). Anyway, have cut out the openings in the gun deck for masts and gratings and installed the false deck into the hull. Centerline aligns well, and the openings match the plans well. So, at least until the end of September, the Essex will go into ordinary and the Emma C. Berry will move back onto the build table. Thanks, all, for the kind words and for following along - see you over at the ECB build log!

Sjors - Here I am, 3 days left in my vacation, and you are preparing for another week off?? I want to work for your company - do they need drivers in Maine?? Pfffffffffffffffff Good decision on re-doing the copper plates. Will wait (patiently) for the next pictures. All the best-

I'm getting confused now. Both your build and those photo's from Bruno are DEFINITELY "eye candy"!!!

Beautiful work, Kevin. Ignore Sjors - to him, any non Dutch vessel is a fishing trawler! Interesting plan you have for display - will you be carving the crew or recruiting?

Nice start, Sjors. You should be about done with the copper plates on her when I am ready for you to put the copper plates on my Essex!!!

Hello, Mobbsie - thanks for stopping by! There is actually only one that is a bit off - the battens are not placed really neatly - just to lend support for when i start working on the innards. I think I will need to trim the tops of a couple of frames but the overall flow works pretty well. i do need to work with the crew on reading the tide. Unfortunately, it comes in at a rate of about 1 foot in 15 minutes in that area, so they misjudged somewhat. One of the crew actually went for a swim - had to go out and get him before he headed to Canada on the tide! Greetings, Lawrence. I think most of the frames will fare in pretty well - those are just temporary battens to give some rigidity to the frames when i start working inside the hull. When I run the battens along the planking lines they fare in nicely. She is actually a fairly sharp bowed vessel.

Thanks, Walt - I had not realized that. Will get them reposted this week (I hope!)

I have been using it for about 2 years now and love it - each update adds a bit more functionality. Easy to enter data, easy to search, just need to keep it hidden from the spouse so she doesn't know how much I have invested in books I also added a couple of custom types so that I can track my downloaded (PDF) files using the program. MUCH easier than the spreadsheets I started out with!

Just to liven things up (so to speak), here are two excerpts from Alexander D. Fordyce: Outline of Naval Routine (1837) http://books.google.com/books?id=vPANAQAAMAAJ RATLING RIGGING (pages 45 - 46) Girt out the Rigging with a Fore and Aft Swifter, but not very much out of the straight line; then spar it down with spare Spars, Studding-sail Yards, Boat's Oars or Hand-spikes, all seized on carefully square. Nettle-stuff made from Bolt-rope Yarns, or something equivalent, is very necessary for seizing the Ratlings with; and, if new, it ought to be well and carefully stretched previous to cutting. The best Seizing-stuff should be preserved till the new Ratlings have been a little worn. Fourteen or sixteen inches is a good distance between the Ratlings, and their places should be calked off all the way up and down before commencing. Each man employed should have a measure within his reach, and special care should be taken to make the Ratlings of the one side correspond in parallel direction with those of the other. This can only be seen from outside. Make the Hitches neat, Eyes small, and Ratlings square one with the other. Few things tend more to snug appearance. If the Rigging is to blacked after Ratling down, it is best to leave the Spars on till that is done; but if the Rigging is not to be blacked, the Spars may be taken off as the new Seizings are finished and blacked. BLACKING RIGGING. (pages 46-47) When blacking new Rigging for the first time, the best mixture will perhaps be found to be Stockholm Tar, Coal Tar, and Salt Water, in equal proportions, and heated up in the Fish Kettle, over which a Sentry should be placed. After the first blacking, half the quantity of Stockholm Tar is sufficient; Coal Tar alone being always used for the Yards and Bends. The most convenient method of Blacking Rigging is with Top-gallant Masts on deck, but Royal and Top-gallant Rigging placed at Mast-heads; for the men who ride down and black the Topmast Stays, can then at the same time black the Topgallant and Royal Stays handily; or, what is handier still, men at the Mast-head haul over and black these small Stays, and pay them down forward when done; the men, also, who black down the Topmast Backstays, can carry on at the same time with Topgallant and Royal Backstays. In addition to all which, the Masts are kept clean. If, on the other hand, Top-gallant Masts be kept up when Blacking, the Small Stays and Backstays must be let go, in order that they may be got at by the men on the Topmast Stays and Backstays; consequently, the Masts must be adrift, and exhibit a specimen of slovenliness unbecoming a Man-of-War. The Masts will, moreover, be daubed over with Blacking; and if it come on to blow so as to render it necessary to get Topgallant Masts on deck before the Rigging be dry, much injury must result to the Blacking. Previous to commencing, the Decks should be well sanded, and the Paint-work and Figure-head carefully covered with old Canvas and Hammocks. The Quarter Tackle should be clapped on one side of Main Yard, and a Burton on the other, ready for Provisioning and Clearing Boats. The Hammocks should also be covered, and the Quarter Boats lowered out of the way. The finer and warmer the day, the better. The Blacking will lay on so much the smoother and thinner; but commencement should be delayed till the dew is well dried off. Topsail and Lower-lifts should be blacked first; the men having to stand upon the Yards to do them. A smooth, calm day is required for the Bends ; for the Blacking will not take effect, unless the surface it is laid upon be dry.

Looks sweet! Umm, are those cannon balls I see? I thought you were using cotton balls?????

Very nice, Sjors. Hope Anja had many copper coins in her bank for you to melt down!

I haven't been able to find the source (it may have been Charles Davis?), but he discussed the rat lines as not tarred for the reasons listed by Kester and a couple of others. 1. Reduce amount of tar tracked on that nicely holy stoned deck 2. Keep the flexibility in the finer rope used for the ratline 3. Cost - there are a lot of them rats to tar for minimal gain in service life! Realistically, they would pick up some of the darkening from the "wicking" action when shrouds were re-done, but probably not as dark as the shrouds.

I think the choice really depends on the piece. Is it worth the effort and waste to set up and spray 3 pieces of 1/8" x 1/4"? For other parts such as the hull it may make sense.

Toluene, heat gun and Dremel on her prosthesis - she is much more trusting than my mother was! That framing is looking very nice, Mark.

Amazing work, Grant. Those plugs alone are beautiful pieces of art!

Nice gift! I am sure you will put it to good use. Nice work on your Hermione. Looking forward to the next update as well, and Happy Birthday to you, Nick!!!

I have submitted a review of Allan's book to the MSB Journal - should be coming out in the August edition. See below - Scantlings of The Royal Navy 1719-1805: Comparisons of 1719, 1745 Establishments, Ship Builders Repository and Steel’s Elements and Practice by Allan Yedlinsky, Published by SeaWatchBooks, LLC. 2014. ISBN-13: 978-0-9837532-9-2 From the publisher: 14”x8 ½”, semi concealed, lay flat Wiro binding, heavy paper cover, 271 pages, one color. This specially formatted book (14”x8 ½”) is divided into 2 sections. The first shows all of the scantlings from the 1719, 1745 and 1750 amended figures in an easy to use spread sheet format. The second section compares Steel and Ship Builders Repository in the same format. Additionally, the author provides notes and comments for each section. The work is presented in a lay flat binding so that when opened, 28” of information is in front of the reader. In the preface to the 1755 edition of Sutherland’s Ship-Builder’s Assistant, the anonymous editor offers the following: The advantages flowing from Shipping, are so great and conspicuous, especially to the Inhabitants of these Kingdoms, that it would be superflouous to advance Argument in Favour of the Art of SHIP-BUILDING, or MARINE ARCHITECTURE, and therefore whatever has the least tendency to its Advancement, certainly merits Encouragement. It should also be remembered that every Improvement made in an Art of such Importance to Society, adds a farther Security to the Power, Strength, and Interest of these Kingdoms. Allan Yedlinsky provides the model ship builder, as well as the naval historian, with a valuable contribution to the art in his Scantlings of The Royal Navy 1719-1805. The builder of a model ship, not unlike the builder of the full size ancestor, requires a great deal of information to build a model which accurately represents the desired vessel. While the basic dimensions of length, beam and number of guns is important, these alone fail to provide sufficient information to describe the intricacies of the vessel. To fully describe the desired result necessitates the use of a 3 dimensional description of not just the summary dimensions, but the sizes (or scantlings) for a myriad of smaller bits and pieces. In Scantlings, Yedlinsky brings together the detailed information from the primary sources of the era used to guide the building of His Majesty’s ships of war during the 18th and early 19th centuries. While other books have been published on the topic (such as Goodwin’s The construction and fitting of the English man of war, 1650-1850), none have to date pulled the detailed scantlings together in one easy to use set of tables. In Scantlings, we have for the first time all of the gritty details from the early Establishments, which were intended to standardize the construction of British war ships (actually, with humble apologies to Captain Barbossa, in practice they became “…more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules.”) The detailed tables of scantlings are both extensive and legible, set in a spacing and font which is easy to see without visual aids. The inclusion of the un-official (but more generally known) information from the Shipbuilders Respository and Steel’s Elements and Practice of Naval Architecture serve to extend the period covered through the Napoleonic wars and nearly to the advent of steam. No endeavor this ambitious could be expected to include every potential source of information. Yedlinsky has selected a set of valuable reference documents that are not only comprehensive in their own right, but perhaps more important, when consolidated in such a manner they offer an interesting insight into 100 years of evolution in shipbuilding. When used with care, heeding the advice offered by Yedlinsky, these scantlings can aid the model maker in filling in the gaps between plans, paintings, logs and other contemporary sources to build an historically accurate model. As noted in the preface from Sutherland , It should also be remembered that every Improvement made in an Art of such Importance to Society, adds a farther Security to the Power, Strength, and Interest of these Kingdoms. Yedlinsky has quite effectively consolidated some of the most important information concerning the improvement in the art of shipbuilding into this very useful volume. Whether a novice or a journeyman, if you are intending to build a British man-of-war from the 1700’s into the early 1800’s, this volume deserves a place on your bookshelf, along with your other most frequently used reference books.

Augie - The only reference specific to the Essex I found that gave the length was in the Anatomy of the Ship volume, they measure out to be about 12 feet for both capstans. I have found a couple of other references, though, that may be of use (and agree well with the length shown by Portia Takakjian in the AOTS) In the Humphreys papers, he lists the bars for a 30 gun ship as being 10 feet, and for a 40 gun ship 12 feet (appears to be from the 1719 Establishment). Steel lists them as being 11 feet for a 32 gun frigate, and 11' 6" for 36 and 38 gun frigates (Elements and Practice of Naval Architecture). All of these dimensions make a great deal more sense - 3 feet would not provide any great mechanical advantage when the capstan is likewise 3 feet in diameter at the head. Hope that helps!