AnobiumPunctatum

ASSEMBLING TERROR’S STERN
(Or, finally some sawdust!!!)
 
I haven't posted an update regarding my model in several months. While I've kept busy with side projects, the real reason for my delay is that I had reached an impasse with Terror’s stern.
 
As I've discussed in previous posts, the sterns of Franklin’s ships were modified in 1845 to accommodate a new auxiliary screw propulsion system – to be used as a time saving device “providing the wind should prove contrary or a dead calm”. There are two sources of data on these modifications: Oliver Lang’s original design plan, and its counterpart, a contemporary model of the design. I had purchased full resolution copies of the plan many months ago, but unfortunately Lang did not include a cross section in his draught. That information could only be gleaned from the contemporary model held at the National Maritime Museum’s storage facility in Chatham.   
 

The contemporary model of Oliver Lang's 1845 design. 
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London (SLR2253 [L2251-001]). 
Used under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) license
 
 
Fortunately, I recently had an opportunity to visit the Chatham model ship facility. Assisted by the expert curators, I was able to study the stern model in detail. It is quite unique, being constructed using a series of carved blocks arranged to conform to the position of major structural and engineering elements of Lang’s design.  The information I gathered has allowed me to complete my construction of the stern;  below, I’ll reveal the new information I've learned from the contemporary model, while documenting my final assembly of Terror’s stern:
 
1) The propeller well used to raise and lower the screw was rectangular, almost square-sided, with the sternpost and rudderpost forming the fore and aft sides of the well, respectively. To accomplish this, thick timbers were bolted to the sides of the rudderpost and sternpost. The rudderpost bolsters were much more complex than I originally assumed and were each constructed of at least two pieces, with the lower portions tapering gently to the width of the rudderpost, following the lines of the body plan (see here for my original conceptualization of the design).
 

The stern pieces prior to assembly. The bolster on the left is the old design I intended to use,
which was incorrect.
 

The overkill method I used to glue the bolsters to the stern and rudderposts.
Thankfully this was just a dry-run (note the older bolster design). 
 

The  new bolster timbers glued on the rudderpost. Note the groove for the "Lihou" rudder on the
rudderpost. I may need to sand the bolsters somewhat to match the run of the planking as they
may be slightly oversized - but no by much. 
 

Another angle showing the bolster timbers on the sternpost.
The NMM model shows that the bolsters on the rudderpost are
longer than those on the sternpost. 
 
2) The rudderpost and sternpost were each tenoned into the keel extension, as was typical, but each was secured with a single bolt, which was not indicated on Lang’s plan.  
 

Marking the precise position of the tenon bolts.
 

The bolts were simulated with 20 gauge copper wire, precisely the
same as that used on the keel scarphs. 
 
3) The propeller well was framed on the port and starboard sides in three distinct sections. The upper section included stout rectangular framing fayed to the deck beams, which formed a ledge for a scuttle on the upper deck. Below this, the well was probably enclosed by watertight planking down to the height of the stern timbers. Because of the construction of the contemporary NMM model, such planking was not shown, but it is unlikely that solid timber pieces would have been used, as these aren’t shown in contemporary models.
 

The heavy framing used to form the top of the propeller well.
The upper part of these timbers formed a lip for a scuttle to the well. 
 

Planking on the upper section of the well. I've estimated a width of 12 inches.
The actual width is unknown. Note that this section of the model will be covered
so I haven't simulated bolts or spikes here. 
 

A view of the topside of the well. The upper pieces of the sternpost
and rudderpost bolsters will be trimmed at a later stage of the build,
but are useful for alignment at this stage. 
 
4) A new section, clearly visible in the well of the model, started at the position of the stern timbers. This suggests the stern timbers were bolted to the sides of the rudderpost and sternposts to provide major structural support to the new rudderpost and well. This makes good sense, and Lang’s 1845 stern plan clearly shows the stern timbers as a major element of the design. In fact, these new timbers are substantially more robust than Terror’s original stern timbers, suggesting they were an integral part of the strength of the new structure. Again, this type of structure is supported by contemporary models.
 

The bottom portion of the framing planks were trimmed to match the run
of the stern timbers. Note the rabbet on the rudderpost on the right. 
 
5) The lower section of the propeller well was composed of the second layer of hull planking where it ran aft, horizontally.  Eventually, the run of the higher planks would have veered away from the straight-sided wall of the well. At this point, straight horizontal planking would have been used to frame the sides of the well. The position where this occurs is marked by a block seam on the contemporary NMM model.
 
Unfortunately, Lang’s contemporary  model does not include any of the ironwork used to strengthen the stern, nor does it include the propeller rail/track mechanism. I've based these portions of the model on Lang’s plans and extensive research on other contemporary models and designs. This research is outlined in several blog posts (and here, here, and here).
 

Oliver Lag's stern design. Note the extensive ironwork and the propeller systems.
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London (ZAZ5683 [J1529]).
Used under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) license.
 

The iron staple knee glued in place. The knee provided essential support for the rudderpost. 
 

Mini-Crozier inspects the staple knee in dry dock. 
 

Lang used iron strapping to further reinforce the stern structure. Here they are made from
chemically blackened copper. 
 

Each strap was glued in place and then the bolt holes were drilled out by hand. 
 

Bolts glued in place. These were simulated using blackened brass. 
 

Another view of the completed iron work.
 

Mini-Crozier frets over the modifications. 
 

The staple knee was protected by a fitted  chock bolted to the keel section.
I carved this using a simple chisel blade. 
 

The finished chock compared to the plans. 
 

Image showing how the chock fits over the knee. Unfortunately it had to
be glued in place to permit the propeller rails/tracks to be installed.
At least I know the knee is there. 
 

The chock glued in place.
 

The propeller was raised and lowered using rails or "tracks". These have been
modified slightly from my original versions based on new data. Copper bolts
were simulated using wire. 
 

The rails glued in final position. Note  the  rabbet on the rudderpost 
for the second layer of hull planking. The rabbet will be modified  to 
accommodate the precise run of planking when it is installed. 
 

View of the rails installed on the sternpost.
 

View of the rails installed on the rudderpost.
 

Another view. 
 

Wooden bolt plugs added to the chock. The bolts were "counterbored and plugged".
 

The staple knee was bolted to the rudderpost; these bolts were also counterbored
and plugged. I'm not entirely happy with the contrast here and may redo them at a later date.
 

The completed stern assembly.
 

Lowering the screw propeller in place (it raise and lowers - and the propeller spins). 
 

The propeller in position. Unfortunately the angle of the photo makes it
look slightly crooked, but it is not - is spins freely, with very small
tolerances as shown on Lang's original plans. 
 

A view from the stern.
 

Another angle showing how the propeller was seated.  
 

Looking down the well from the position of the upper deck .
 

Mini-Crozier contemplates how the stern will fare in the ice.
 
How successful was Lang’s stern at protecting the ship from the pack ice? Parks Canada divers are assessing that currently, and with luck they’ll find the answers soon. We know from historical sources that the Admiralty was concerned about the strength of the design, and that while Lang believed the “sternposts” (sternposts and rudderposts) were as strong as those on other ships, he would not certify that the strength of the filling chocks was sufficient to protect the Erebus and Terror [4].
 
No matter how vulnerable it made the ship, we can suspect that Lang’s radical redesign also altered the sailing qualities of Terror. Contemporary sailing reports indicate that Vesuvius class bomb vessels were rather lumbering and could not carry sail well, and Ross reported that Terror was constantly falling behind Erebus during his Antarctic voyage, delaying and endangering the expedition.
 
Recently, Regina Koellner, assisted by William Battersby, transcribed a letter from Francis Crozier to his friend John Henderson, written shortly after the ships arrived at Whalefish Islands in Greenland. In the letter, Crozier provides a brief report of Terror’s sailing qualities: "Our steering is decidedly improved by the alterations on the counter we now sail much more evenly with Erebus which is advantageous to us in many ways." I suspect that the effective lengthening of the keel to accommodate the propeller allowed Terror to sail closer to the wind, finally permitting her to keep up with the more nimble Erebus. It seems the final conversion of Terror to screw propulsion made her a more capable vessel under sail, an irony certainly not lost on Crozier.
 
 
 
 

Trimming the top timbers and adding gunport sill, upperwork side planking on both side of hull.
 
Cheers, Lee

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 118 – Chain Pipes/Catheads/Topgallant Rail
 
Not a great deal of progress to report – just trying to get the model to the scope of volume I of the book.  The first picture shows the second chain pipe being inserted.  These reach down to the hold where the chain was stored.  From these openings the chain was run forward around the winch to the hawse holes.
 

 
In the next picture blanks for the catheads have been fitted.  The fancy rail is cut out where these pass through.  They will bolt through carlings on the inboard ends and into the framing at the side.
 

 
While sheaves were being cut into the catheads the pieces of the forecastle topgallant rail were cut, boiled and put into the fixture shown below to dry.
 

 
The rail will consist of a central bulwark plank with strips attached to the top on either side to simulate a thin top rail – much easier that to bend the 2” rail on its edge.  Sanding and painting make it look like a single rail – much like the multi-part rails along the sides.  In the next picture the rail has been assembled -  including short stanchions on the inside – and is being glued to the fancy rail.
 

 
Paint was scaped from the fancy rail for this.  The topgallant rail was then bolted through the pinholes, finish sanded and painted – as shown in the last picture.
 

 
This picture also shows the finished catheads installed – with their American plaque emblems painted on the ends.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 117 – Poop Deck/Fancy Rail
 
In the first picture, the aft section of the margin plank is pinned in place against the tops of the stern timbers.
 

 
This piece has a hook scarph on each end.  The rudder post will be cut off later.  This picture also shows the framing of the boomkins and aft mooring bits.  In the next picture the next section of margin plank is being fitted to the hook scarph on the aft section and around the mooring bits.
 

 
In the next picture the poop margin planks have been fitted forward to the breast beam and the aft sections of fancy rail are pinned in place.
 

 
The fancy rail forms a cap over the stern timbers, deck margin plank and the top strakes of planking around the stern.  The coamings for the two skylights are pinned in place for fitting the head ledges.  In the next picture, the poop deck has been planked – leaving open areas to view the cabins underneath – and the skylight coamings are in place.
 

 
The fancy rail has again been pinned in place.  To keep water out of the cabin deck this had to be caulked inside and out.  To have sufficient overlap of the poop margin plank, it was made 15" wide – as on the forecastle.  I stepped these rails down to 12" along the main deck.
 
The next picture shows the painted parts of the fancy rail being installed.
 

 
The step down in breadth on the forward piece can just be seen at the break of the poop in this picture.  I spent quite a bit of time deciding how to handle this fancy rail width issue.  Most midship sections show a narrow rail – about 12" – but I finally decided this would not provide sufficient overlap of the poop and forecastle margin planks.  So, another one of those judgment decisions.
 
The next picture shows the fancy rail fully installed aft of midship. 
 

 
After painting, the sections were glued and pinned.  As the pins were removed, copper wired epoxied bolts were installed down into each toptimber to reinforce the attachment.  The bolts were filed off and the top of the rail received more finish painting.  And the next picture shows it at the bow. 
 

 
The last picture shows the model with the completed fancy rail. 
 

 
I have been looking forward for a long time to the capping off of those toptimbers.
 
Ed

William L. Crothers
I am very sorry to report that Bill Crothers passed away on Friday, May 1.  He was in his 103rd year.  Bill’s research and writings on American clippers and packets, in particular his intensive exploration of the structures of these ships, place him at the forefront of contributors to our knowledge of these subjects.  I am personally indebted to him, for without his work there would be no framed Young America model, nor perhaps more excellent examples to follow.  It was my special privilege to have briefly known Bill and to have his valuable comments on my work.  I will always value the interest he showed in the model, no less than the writings that made it possible.
 
Ed

Hello friends,
 
my next project in the planning:
 
The  74  GUN-SHIP
 
" L E   C E N T A U R E 1783 "
 
after the plan drawwings of:
 
 
Jean Boudriot, publishing company ANCRE, France.
Timbering Plans of
Jean C. Lemineur
as well as numerous photos and pictures of the construction of his 74 GUN -SHIP
Gaetan Bordeleau, Canada
I here with once again warmly thanks.
 
The construction of the rear section is planned as a cross section model with complete inside removal.
 
Scale :   1 : 48
 
NEW :    1 : 36
 
Type of wood : Deutsche Elsbeere
 
Karl

 
Hi friends.
Link: all photos during the construction phase:
 
https://cloud.web.de/ngcloud/external?locale=de&guestToken=22n438epR2m22PUrLw7l4A&loginName=karl.weinmann#/_

Hi friends,
 
Completion of the main mast
 
with shrouds and ratlines.
 
Karl   
 
 
 
T e i l   5 8

Glad to be of help Tony .
 
Topsail Yard Lifts
 
As with the lower yard lifts these are used to square the yard. They attach a little differently to the lower ones.
 

 
A Span fitted with a thimble at each end is clove-hitched around the topmast cap :
 

 
The thimbles at the ends of the span are lashed to thimbles in the standing ends of the lifts :
 

 
Then the lifts go through the lift blocks on the ends of the yard, up through the lower sheaves of the sister blocks lashed to the shrouds, and belay to the aftmost cleats on the lower part of the shrouds :
 

 

 

 
 Danny

Nice fix, Jürgen

Yard Lifts
 
The Yard Lifts are used to square the yard. They don't carry a lot of the weight, which is done by the Jeers, so they seem a little flimsy. The main and fore lifts are of 3" rope, and the mizzen are a mere 1.5" (diameter).
 
The pics should tell the story of how they are rigged :
 

 

 

 

 
 Danny

Once again thanks for the comments George, Greg, Skybolt, Michael, Ben and Kees .
 
Mizzen Mast Cleats
 
There are six cleats to be fitted near the foot of the Mizzen Mast. These would have been considerably easier to fit before the mast was stepped .
 
To mass produce the cleats I tack glued about 10 (some spares) pieces of 5mm x 1.5mm x 0.8mm pieces of english box together. When dry I filed them to shape :
 

 

 
Then I dropped the unit into Isopropyl for half an hour and seperated them :
 

 
The hard part was gluing them to the mast with the shrouds getting in the way a bit :
 

 
 Danny

Gaff
 
I made the Jaws for the Gaff from Swiss Pear for a bit of contrast. This pic shows the jaws after gluing to the spar and before rounding off :
 

 
After shaping, and with card bands, eyebolt, blocks and parrel fitted :
 

 

 

 

 
I turned and drilled the Parrel Trucks on the lathe. They are 1.5mm in diameter :
 

 
The Throat Halyard block is supported in a sling which goes over the bolsters in the mizzen top :
 

 
The Parrel is knotted on one side of the jaws, goes around the mast and back through the hole in the other side. A stopper knot finishes it off :
 

 
The Peak Halyard rigging. A double block hooked to the mast cap is used to lead it downward :
 

 

 
The falls of the two halyards belay to the cleats :
 

 
 Danny

Jeers
 
With the arrival of the rigging thread I was waiting on I could now finish off the Jeers on the fore and main masts.
 
These start with a double block on one side. It reaves through the large jeer block under the Top on one side, through the block in the centre of the yard, back up through the other block under the top, and finishes with another double block :
 

 
The tackle of the jeer falls. This is the main mast :
 

 
And the fore mast :
 

 
The falls of the tackles go through the sheaves in the Jeer Bitts and belay around the Bitt Rail :
 

 
 Danny

Really wonderful progress, Lee

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 116 – Bow Decoration
 
Young America's bow decoration is interesting for a number of reasons.  Each side is different.  Just aft of a billet decorated with greenery, the carved figures rest mostly on the waist planking and partially on the base of the billet.  There were no headboards, so it is not clear how these were mounted on the original ship – much less how to mount them on the model -  due to the angle between the two surfaces.  Also, unlike the gilded stern decoration, the figures at the bow were painted in natural colors.  All this, like many other aspects of the ship, is based on Bill Crothers research.
 
After some unsuccessful attempts to fashion a wood base in the angle, I finally decided to sculpt these as six separate pieces, then fit them together on the bow.
The first picture shows the initial figures, sculpted with MagicSculpt® on wax paper taped flat on the pattern sheet.
 

 
The figures are quite small.  The starboard side features a female figure – presumably Liberty – with a shield flanked by draped flags.  On the port side an American Eagle is substituted for the female figure.  Below is the sculpted female figure before any post-hardening refinement.  The points on the flag staffs are thumb tack points.
 

 
The next picture shows some refining of the sculpture using a very small chisel.
 

 
In the next picture the fragile greenery has been lifted off the waxed paper, laid on the billet and touched with a drop or three of thin CA.
 

 
 
Refinement of the greenery was done after being glued on.  In the next picture the three port figures have been fitted and glued on with CA.
 

 
The figures were set into soft sculpting material placed in the angle between the billet and the side, than pushed into a fit.  Some modification of the parts was needed for this.  The sculptures must leave clearance for the square bowsprit to slide in and out.  Excess material was removed.
 
After attachment, the figures were primed with thinned flat black enamel.  The entire hull was given one last coat of acrylic paint and the figures were painted using acrylic gouache.  The next picture shows the starboard decoration.
 

 
The next picture shows the port side.
 

 
The greenery is actually brighter with light highlights than shown in the photos.  The next picture, from dead ahead, shows both sides.  Photos like these and closer ones were very helpful in judging the paint job and suggesting improvements.  The model went back and forth a few times for these.
 

 
The acrylic gouache used for painting the figures dries dead flat, causing an almost two dimensional appearance in the photos – especially in the close ups.  I may give these a coat of semi-gloss medium, perhaps the acrylic sanding sealer I used over the stern lettering.
 
Speaking of that, I received the second order of dry transfers, so I was able to correct the letters that were photo shopped in the last post.  The last picture shows the repaired letters – unadulterated.
 

 
This picture was taken before the final repair on the C.  After repair the dry transfer letters were given a coat of diluted sanding sealer.   I am also quite happy with the final black finish on the hull – shown in this picture.
 
With all this work done, the lower framing was given a last coat of wax, so the model should not have to be inverted again, I hope.  This will allow me to get on with work on the upper deck – cabins, etc.
 
Ed

Really wonderful progress, Lee

Thanks once again Carl, George, Mark, Grant, Janos, Crackers, Christian, Nils, Greg and Mhegazi and also for all the "likes" .
 
Truss Pendant Tackles
 
The Truss Pendants prevent the yards from pulling away from the masts in a forward direction. There is one on each side of the mast.
 
Work begins by stropping a thimble in each one. The line turns around the yard and is seized back to itself :
 

 
Then each line is passed around the mast and through the thimble in it's opposite number. I've only temporarily tied the yard through the jeer blocks to prevent it from dropping - I'm awaiting some more suitable size rigging thread from Chuck :
 

 
The falls for each tackle have a double block at their ends. The tackle passes through this block and through a single block with a hook stropped to it. The strop is long enough to clear the bitts. This hooks into an eyebolt at the foot of the mast. This is the fore tackle :
 

 

 
And the main tackle :
 

 
 Danny

Metal stove, sailor room and 7th deck beam
 
With pre-blackened thin copper sheet, metal stove was remade. In this work, wood mold was used and the metal parts was joined with CA glue. The blackened result looks better than previous one. The sailor room was built between main mast and hatch. Metal hinges for the door and window were simulated with copper strip just for decoration.
 
Cheers, Lee

The port side is done and treenailed. I also made the horse shoe plates for the stem and keel plate at the stern.  These were laser cut from laserboard.  I painted and glued them on.  They have little holes cut through them as you can see.  The beauty of that is after gluing them with yellow glue and placing them on the model....a little bit of glue seeps through the holes and forms a nail head.  But if you dont want to do that,  you can drill through the holes with a #78 bit and insert some 28 gauge wire as bolt heads.  ....Or   just leave it as is.  I will be drilling and inserting the wire as bolt heads later on.  Also all of the fancy molding is in position that I want to add at this point.   Now its time to thin down the bulwarks inboard.  FUN ....FUN!!! 
 
Chuck
 

 

 

 

 

 

Maury, Thanks,  but ....No,  not at all.  Whats the point of that?   In reality they were let into the keel by about half their thickness.   At least according to Lavery and Goodwin.  Its a detail that wont be seen at all and its a difficult task.  These are just glued right on.  They would still stand proud of the surface of the keel and stern post.
 
Goodwin states that the fish plates and horse shoe plates were about 1" thick and let into the wood by 1/2".  They were fastened with copper bolts from one side through to the other.   
 
What did they do later when hull's were plated?  There is no real source as to how it was done.  It makes sense that they would simply let them into the wood by the full thickness. But I have never found any hard and fast source about it.  They werent let in completely on the Victory and she was plated.  But I would like to add two points.  Just so folks know where my head is at with such minutia.  I get asked a lot about some of these details and this is actually one of them.
 
I have no record that Cheerful was actually plated anyway to add another complication.  I imagine at this time most ships were but I am not sure if it was reserved for larger vessels only.  I have never seen a period cutter model plated and havent read that in general they were not, saying that I would not have plated this model anyway.
 
In addition,  that is such a small detail that I am not real worried about it either way.  When I weigh the pro's and con's..even the best model builders have trouble doing this.  I have seen some attempts by the best and it still looks sloppy to me. I applaud them trying but in reality dont understand why they would even try.  I would rather bend a bit on the accuracy here if its actually the case and opt for a cleaner crisp look.  Something that was regularly done by contemporary ship modelers.  Not every detail has to be executed.  Just my thoughts as I look for another excuse not to make any more rope today.  So please excuse the longer response as I procrastinate a bit more.  Sometimes I laugh softly to myself when I see the level of detail some builders insist on trying to put on their models.  Just my opinion.
 
Having said that.  I made the mistake of adding up the number of treenails on this hull.  Its about 6500.   I drilled 6500 holes.  So although I am a bit crazy as most non-modellers tell me,  I think there are even a few others that have gone a bit further off the deep end.   I am not there yet.
 
So Maury..... long story short.  Thats a ride on the crazy train I am not willing to take just yet.   But knock yourself out and give it a try.
 
Chuck

Wonderful figurehead, Dan.

Hey all,
 
Well the internal fairing is pretty much completed so I released the hull from the build board, so I can start external fairing and will also help to complete the internal as I can hold the hull in my lap and be able to access parts that the buildboard made difficult.
I see a lot of sanding in my future!
 
Ben

Everything below the wale,   I did include the garboard......... I actually have a second planking draft that is slightly different and shows 21....this one is just more clear  to post,  not to confuse the situation.  There are also two deck plans.  All original but with slight differences.   The important thing to note however is that they are identical in showing no steelers and the one drop plank.
 
When I started planking,  I had two versions of my own plans ready to go....I found that after doing the math,  the 20 strake scheme was a perfect match to fit 3/16" wide planks mid ship in two belts.   Once the hull was lined off and I divided into two belts, below.   Each ten plank belt divided up into perfect 3/16" wide strakes at the center bulkhead.
 

 

 
The break at the square tuck divided the hull perfectly with ten strakes in each belt.   Whereas the one that showed 21 strakes would need a funky smaller fraction.    Its a lot easier to rip 3/16" wide planks and its a standard wood thickness to buy,  so I went with that one.
 
As a side note....I added the drop plank and the first two strakes in the first belt before I lined off the hull.  It just made it easier to do the lining off.  Thats why you can see them in the picture while I lined out the hull.

Just finished planking the port side.  I added the stern post.   Now to treenail the port side and add the molding...   It feels good to have it all planked.  It will feel even better when the treenailing is done.   I was getting tired of seeing the hull without its stern post.  I think it really makes a difference at this point.   At least from the starboard side.
 

 

 

 

 

WoW !!!
Such a stunning contrast from the black, to the buffed copper, and then the open frames.