ClipperFan

Rob, please express my gratitude to Mike for his generosity in continuing to share these rare and incredibly sharp images of McKay's last Clipper. Seeing this angle, it's clear her Stern is truly curvilinear. She's almost flat towards the center and rounds towards both ends. I'm also struck by how fine her rear entrance is too. It reminds me of another famous McKay designed but not built by him Clipper Packet. The Newburyport 'Wild Boat of the Atlantic' extreme Packet "Dreadnought" under capable direction of 'Bully' Captain Samuel's once covered 183 nautical miles over 52 hours sailing backwards! He accomplished this amazing feat of seamanship when it became impossible to ship a jury rigged rudder to replace the original taken away in a storm. He refused to leave the damaged vessel when a French Steamship Captain offered to take him for medical care due to a severe compound fracture of his leg. Now seeing the fine Stern run of Clipper "Glory of the Seas" it becomes more understandable how this could have been accomplished.

Rob, it's wild how any images we get directly from Mike are so hard to get posted upright. This image, when righted reveals how slim and fine the Bow and Entrance of "Glory of the Seas" truly was. Again it reminds me that while she was referred to as a 'Medium Clipper' that was probably due to her near flat half floor for enhanced carrying capacity, still she had a lovely Hull.

Rob, it's always exciting to hear about your time rubbing elbows with Michael Mjelde, a man who has spent literally a lifetime researching McKay's last Clipper ship and who has a treasure trove of documents. I have to admit, I miss my email conversations with Mike. I suppose it's because he's been very busy with anticipated publication of book #3. By the way, did he give any hint as to when his latest book will become available? I would love to get a personalized autographed version of his latest book. Did he mention if the Stern moldings he has drawings of include the fancy scrollwork that was originally on Glory? For that matter, do you know if he has similar sketches of her original carvings on her Naval Hoods and curved arches on her Cutwater? As for her 14' nameboard (you were very close at 13' probably the curve made it look shorter) did Mike confirm a height of 1'? It probably can't be much more, maybe 14" if the moldings are 2" apiece, since the monkeyrail height's been established as 18". As for the 2 oak leaf end carvings, if those were 2' each, that would leave 10' to fit in her name. Does that sound accurate to you? I will focus on getting the most accurate sketch of her Figurehead and nameboard and post images in the next few days. Another observation I've made is that the long flowing gown that Athene grasps in her upswept right hand is actually very tightly carved so that it takes up a relatively small area behind her. Different photographic angles make it look much wider than it really is. If Mike shares any more pics of her Figurehead, especially from straight ahead, that would be very helpful.

Rob, 13' it is then. How about height? Do you agree that 1' high makes sense? My estimate is based on it fitting neatly in the space between upper and lower moldings, which would most likely set up the capital letters being 10" high. I will recreate the name board based on your 13' spec from oak leaf tip to tip and share it here when done. At 1:96th scale my estimate is it would be 1& 5/8ths" long × 1/8th" tall & at 1:72nds it will be 2&1/6th" long x 1/6th" tall. Feel free to revise my dimensions, if they're inaccurate.

Rob, First, I hope you get more pics of you and Michael Mjelde together. To say I'm 'green with envy' is the understatement of the decade! If he has any more Glory images to share, that would be so thrilling. He said he has some photos of her Goddess 'Athene' from India House. As for Glory's sign board, since the height of the monkeyrail is 18" when you account for both upper and lower moldings, it looks like the height at most is a foot. That would mean capital letters are 10" high, most likely 4" wide, with exception of "Y" & "A" which are probably 5". If you assign "3" to spaces between letters and 7" to beginning and end spaces, then it's just accounting for 2 lower case words. Comparing the area they take up about 18". 7 capital letters 4" wide equal 28" + 2 capital letters 5" wide add another 10" for 38", then 9 spaces of 3" each add 27" + 2 end spaces each 7" equal 41", all totaled that equals 97" or 8'1", if you figure each oak leaf end caps are 18", that gives 36". So I come up with 11'1". Of course, it makes more sense that these big signs were even dimensions, so 11' makes more sense. However, if you have another way of comparing the dimension that clarifies 13' (my rough sketch could have spaces too close in certain areas) then I suppose it could easily be 13' long.

Bob Cleek, At the end of this video, there's this email: SAFR_Maritime_Library@nps.gov My attempt to contact them resulted in a rejection stating my email address wasn't a recognized one. I was trying to see if it was possible to get prints of the name board and Samuel Walter's oil painting following. If possible I was also asking associated costs involved. Since you have access to this previously unseen video, by any chance do you have approved access to send my request?

Rob, very clever. I'm rapidly becoming a fan of your creativity. My guess is you need tin snips in order to cut these.

Vladimir, Yes, definitely digitize this. There's conflicting techniques demonstrated in production of these name boards. Viewing the video on pause, letters "G" & "O" have 7 & 8 straight lines which comprise the main characters. Meanwhile letters "R" & "S" have actual smooth curves. File it under 'go figure' I guess. I also noticed that the name board consists of two layers. The sculpted oak leaves actually fold up gracefully and are on a lower level than the curved name board itself, which has letters carved into it. If you know anyone who does 3D printing, that would be perfect.

Vladimir, Nice post. I've always appreciated your enthusiasm and computer skills. This will be a fun build to watch develop!

Bob Cleek, Rob & Vladimir It took the better part of the afternoon, running and pausing the video more times than I can remember. Anyhow, here's my sketch of the name board for McKay's last Clipper "Glory of the Seas."

Rob, that explains why Glory's name boards appeared to be so well preserved. I remember reading that the "David Crockett" had her figurehead's rifle removed when out to sea and "Thermopylae" had King Leonidas's sword taken out as well. I don't recall entire Figureheads being taken down but I suppose it's possible. There's a tale of the British Clipper "Torrens" losing her lovely lady Figurehead being lost in a dramatic collision with a Steam Ship. Three years later she reappeared thousands of miles away in a rugged island near the Antarctic!

Bob Cleek, Thank you so much! It's always so thrilling to see actual items from McKay's long lost last Clipper! Seeing the genuine signboard from her, I am struck by the rough hewn simplicity and "woodeness" of her capital letters, although the "R" and "S" seem to be smoother than the "G" which looks the crudest of all. In fact, the "of the" lower case words are far more refined in appearance. Even still, it must have been quite an impression to see this in it's original gold leaf glory. Reviewing her 1869 photo, I noticed her "oak leaf" end clusters appear to have been completely gold leafed too. At launch, her Bow signboards were positioned further back, aligning with the graceful termination of the quarterdeck caprail just above.

Rob, has it already been a year? It seems like yesterday when we started. Besides, at the blistering construction pace that you usually proceed with your builds, I'd lay even money you'll be done with your "Glory of the Seas" before Keith Black even sees another Birthday!

Keith, "May you be dearly departed in Heaven with God, a half an hour before the devil knows your gone!" an old Irish joke

Keith, where you planning to go? Inquiring minds want to know!

Rob, Being familiar with the dramatic ins and outs of Hull curvature I think I get what your revision does. It's intended to allow you to put the pins in perpendicular to the hull's bulkheads regardless of the angle or curvature, right? If so, that's genious!

Well better to have a powder horn than a powder keg!

Rob, Those are really clever and beautifully made. Honestly, I have no clue how they will function, other than your detailed explanation. It will be fun learning from observation.

Rob & Vladimir, I'm in absolute agreement with both of you. Looking closely at this half Hull, you'll notice the view is just slightly from below. It's too bad the image of "Donald McKay" is so dark. Still you can see how accurately the model is to the lines plan. It does give a lovely impression of the ship. What I'm continually in awe of, is how simply beautiful these vessels were. While it's an optical illusion, it can be seen on many Down Easters and Clipper Ships of this era. My goal is to realize as accurately as possible the true form of "Glory of the Seas."

Rob, I've seen a similar slight droop in another McKay ship very recently too. She's very familiar to all of us. You can have no doubt. Both of "Glory of the Seas" Jibboom and Bowsprit are rectangular when they enter her Bow. This makes total sense too, as it prevents any possibility of either spar from rotating. McKay must have somehow considered this as a design advantage, since he went out of his way to conceal it. If you have any doubts, look at the McKay sketch of Clipper "Lightning" which mysteriously leaves the entire Bow which includes Naval Hoods and Cutwater completely blank! Donald McKay was so effective in concealing this element that it's probably the chief reason why none of the models of his Clipper Ships contain these features, even today!

Druxey, thanks for enlightening me as to the opposite phrase!

Rob, Vladimir, rom the MAAS Museum, Australia comes this beautiful half Hull model by Ron Haug, of the 1855 McKay Australian James Baines 'Black Ball' Line Clipper "Donald McKay, Here's an article from the Museum's site: https://collection.maas.museum/object/570557

Rob, here's what I learned about the depth of "Glory of the Seas" Keel & Backbone. When you count all the timbers bolted together above the Keel, it's between 11'10" to 12'6" depending if you count her 8" Bulwark Stanchions (which Duncan MacLean did count in his description of "Stag Hound" having a 9' Backbone. 1869 Medium Clipper "Glory of the Seas" LOA 265' displacement 2,102 tons Keel moulded 24" & Shoe 5" total 29" Floor Timbers moulded 20" Bulwark Stanchions kneed to Beams above & Keelson below moulded 8" 3 Midship Keelsons ea moulded 16" total 48 3 layers of Thick Work ea moulded 15" total 45" Moulded total 150" = 12'6" 1852 Clipper "Sovereign of the Seas" LOA 265' displacement 2,421 tons 11'8" "through the backbone" including mouldings of Floor Timbers. 1850 Extreme Clipper "Stag Hound" LOA 226' displacement 1,600 tons Possibly because she was the largest merchant vessel in the world at her time of launch, McKay's revolutionary new Extreme Clipper "Stag Hound" was described in great detail, especially in components which comprised her 'backbone.' Keel combined with Shoe moulded 46" (3' 10") Floor Timbers on Keel moulded 14-16" 3 Midship Keelsons combined moulded 42" Hold Stanchions kneed to Beams above and Keelson below 10" square, including these make her "9' "through the backbone" Total moulded depth 107" (9'11") 1851 Extreme Clipper "Flying Cloud" LOA 235' displacement 1,750 tons "nearly 9' through the backbone." [in reality 9'3"] Keel [& Shoe] moulded 44" (37" clear of the Garboards) Floor Timbers moulded 12" 3 depths of Midship Keelsons moulded 45" 2 Keelsons moulded 10" Total moulded depth 111" (9'3") 1851 Extreme Clipper "Flying Fish" LOA 220' displacement 1,566 tons 9'6" through the backbone Keel (& Shoe) moulded 3'2" (38") Floor Timbers moulded 18" 2 Midship Keelsons ea moulded 15" (combined total 30") 2 Bilge Keelsons ea moulded 14" (combined total 28") Total moulded depth 114" (9'6") 1851 Clipper Packet "Staffordshire" LOA 240' displacement 1,900 tons "9'8" through the backbone." [in actuality 10'6"] Keel (& Shoe) moulded 48" (4') Floor Timbers moulded 18" 3 Midship Keelsons combined moulded 5' (60") Total moulded depth 126" (10'6") 1853 Clipper Packet "Star of Empir zeee" LOA estimated 239' displacement 2,000 tons "Whole depth from top of Midship Keelsons to bottom of Keel [including Shoe] is 9 1/2 feet" [in actuality including 5" Floor Ceiling & 2 16" square Bilge Keelsons of 32" her 'Backbone' was 12'7"] Keel (& Shoe) in 2 depths moulded 32" Floor Timbers moulded 18" 4 Midship Keelsons ea 16" square total 64" (5'4") total moulded depth 114" (9'6") Floor Ceiling 5" thick 2 Bilge Keelsons 16" square (32") total through 'Backbone' 151" (12'7") 1855 Clipper "Donald McKay" LOA 266' displacement 2,588 tons 11'11" through the Backbone Keel (& Shoe) moulded in 2 depths 16" ea total 32" Floor Timbers moulded 20" Midship Keelsons in 4 depths, ea 16" square, total 64" (5'4") Ceiling on Floor 5" thick Ceiling above Bilge 12" Ceiling above that 10" total moulded depth 143" (11'11") In conclusion "Glory of the Seas" having a depth of 12'6" through "the Backbone" is consistent with increased size and carrying capacity of thes massive ships of Donald McKay.

Vladimir, you are absolutely right. Look very closely at her Stern in the 1869 fitting out scene. There's just a hint of her carvings. In the tradition of the time, there would most likely be a small amount of floral decorations over her name and Port of Hail, which probably was originally Boston. The more elaborate embellishments would be below her identifying information. It most likely would have echoed the elaborate work seen on her cutwater.