BANYAN

Wayne, thanks for posting this. WRT guns, I think Endeavour sailed with 10 guns, six (stowed in the hold) of which [edit: 6] were intended for use in fortifications of the observation site/camp while in Tahiti. In her log there is mention of various numbers of guns on deck at times (4, 6 or none). Certainly stowing/unstowing these would have been a pain, but I think (I would need to reread the log) there was a period when Cook believed they were in benign (enemy wise) waters and had some of the guns (not the swivels though) stowed. Also, as per my comment earlier, I have read in a couple of references that in extreme weather the ready use shot would be stowed away, but the guns would be weather lashed on deck. Those "instructions" you posted bear this out and sure did make stowing the guns an evolution to be avoided; but, with the use of the mast and other tackle, quite achievable in Endeavour via the midship hatches - BUT you would want to do it in harbour . The locations of the guns is also hard to determine and why in some models you see 4 guns on the Quarterdeck, and in other 6 guns in the waist. thanks again Pat

Yep same stuff Popeye - weighs less, won't shatter and more importantly, at least when I bought my acrylic sheet, cheaper than glass. Not now though as it seems glass is the cheaper option these days. cheers pat

Hi Les, 1. Sorry I have to disagree with USS Frolic in that, to the best of my knowledge, the ready-use shot in shot racks were not netted. The purpose and the design of the racks was to hold them securely - the idea was mainly to keep them topgether and stop them rolling; their weight was sufficient to stop them 'jumping out' and in very severe weather they would have been stowed as the guns could not have been used anyway. I would be very interested in any reference that shows they were netted so as to satisfy my curiosity now that it hase been piqued . 2. The binnacle was fitted just in front of the wheel where the helmsman and the Officer of the Watch could see it. Depending on the source you are using as your main reference, this could have been a double cabinet that spanned the skylight, or a single cabinet style moved from side to side as required. These were lashed to ring bolts in the deck. No one really knows exactly the style used in Endeavour, but rather use one typical for the period. I would recommend you invest in a copy of the AOTS or another source data reference especially for the rigging etc as that will answer many (most) of your questions. To answer some of the rigging questions we always need to refer back to a source and copying them here runs the risk of breaching copyright. It is much easier to answer if we simply point you to a page in the reference to clarify or answer the question and we do not then breach copyright. looking through the various build logs woill also give you a good idea of the deck arrangements, and some of the logs have good discussions about various items. cheers Pat

Hi Les, not sure if you meant a few more pics of the shot rack options or of the ship? WRT boats, she sailed with 5 boats in 1768 but the carpenter's punt was lost early on in the voyage (before even getting past Europe ). She was provided with a Longboat, Pinnace, Yawl and then there was Mr. Bank's private skiff. The AOTS provides good detail on these. However, there has never been consensus on exactly how (or even where) they were stowed, or on their type of construction. For example Ray Parkin and Karl Marquardt, in their respective books, suggest two slight differing designs for the longboat - one a slightly longer and narrow design and the other a wider but shorter design. The longer one being to be stowed on the gallows with the other boats nested, the other design under the gallows but no nesting. There is also debate as to whether they were of clinker or carvel construction. You can see which way I went I still have two boats to construct but they will not be on the ship. they will be displayed as under sail and mounted on clear acrylic rod at waterline level near to the model. cheers Pat

Hi again Les - hare are some more pics from another thread on one of the MSW forums which show some of the alternatives in real life: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/10099-cannon-shot-storage-on-deck/#entry300291 cheers Pat

Not a glass one greg, but an acrylic with wood base which is ready to go - I'll post a piccy in a couple of days. Just finishing the boat's oars and fitting the Common (tricolour) pennant and she will be ready for display. cheers Pat

The King Chuck carving came up pretty nice Dave. and the ship overall is looking good. cheers Pat

Better than my carving mate cheers Pat

Those Pontos blast bags look a lot better Greg; although the Tamiya turret details look reasonable sharp also. cheers Pat

Always room for improvement Denis I sit imagining those two small paintings and smile; I'll have to have a look at that site - The popeye cartoons are still a favourite. I look at my Endeavour (which I am just finishing) and lament some of the silly things I did back in the early years of the build which later affected the final finish - if we are not improving then we could call ourselves Masters and I have a long way to go before that (not in my lifetime at least ) cheers Pat

Hi Les, see the piccy of my fit below which shows the shot racks I have fitted. Please note that because of the scale I am working at, I have not raised the 'rack' off the deck as it would have looked wrong. These were constructed such that they held the individual shot in separate holes to stop them rolling around, even in heavy seas. I used small ball bearings as my shot which needs to be appropriate in scale and match the bore of the scale cannon. There are other discussions on this subject on this site where they cite the references and rules for construction. I know the MSW search engine is a little cumbersome but you should be able to find the discussions with a little patience. I think Daffi may have a discussion in his Victory or Thinking Things Through series of posts. I also think that Lavery in The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War 1600-1815 may have a discussion if you have that? cheers Pat

Thanks Dave

Great progress there Ulises. That scribed panel would have been difficult to 'control' over a curved surface? cheers Pat

Thanks Greg

I cannot cite a source or otherwise for this Les, and this is pure speculation. I believe that these ships would have been just like any other warship, or even armed merchants for their gunnery practices. No use having a gun/cannon fitted if you cannot put it into action quickly when in 'some' waters; therefore, some form of ready-use ammunition (shot and cartrige) would have needed to have been made available. In these cases I believe, the shot would have been kept in shot racks just as in warships; whereas, I think cartridge may have been made-up (and refreshed regularly) ready for use but kept in the powder room???). I have seen shot-racks abutting hatches, hard against against the bulwarks and in triangular racks (similar to a billiards rack) - this would have been governed bythe practices for the period and nationality of the ship. Additionally, in less dangerous, or benign waters, the guns (and the shot) would have been secured below as attested in Capt. Cook's Log where on occasion he mentions the guns being stowed below. That said, if permanent shot racks were fitted they would have remained in-situ. i have fitted shot racks along the outer edges of the mid-ship hatches in my Endeavour build but that is only a guess and I cannot confirm this was actually their location or, even if fitted. cheers Pat

Very nice machining Wefalck; these micro machines you create are miniature work of art in their own right! cheers Pat

That winch looks great Denis. Talking of detail; I went to a model competition where a complete section was devoted to fishing craft (about 20 or so models) and the level of detail was superb. One 'cheeky' modeller even depicted the skipper and mate in the pilothouse along with the ship's dog whom had left a 'message' on the deck near the door cheers Pat

Thanks for looking in and all the likes and comments folks; I very much appreciate the feedback. B.E. Easily done mate, especially noting the many fine logs in this forum; I have missed many and bet there are still a few logs going that I would appreciate following - but there is only a finite amount of time in the day John, Popeye - That finish line is so close I can small the champers C.A - I am sure it will mate - perseverance is the name of the game (only 13 years for mine ) cheers Pat

Hi folks, Another small update, and very near complete now. Could add a bit more - but as Greg pointed out - need to move on sooner or later. Still to go: 2 x boats, boat oars (started - see picture), some more rope coils and the commissioning pennant. cheers Pat

Nice work Dave; they look good. cheers Pat

Ah thanks BE and JB - that clears all of that up for me Common it will be then. cheers Pat

Wow, thanks folks some great info there. I will really need to sit and read that Wilson Book much closer as I missed some of the detail. I have the Ensign and Jack sorted (and fitted). It is the masthead pennants I am now trying to resolve . JB many thanks for the direct link (again I need to sit and work my way through this sit more thoroughlye). Spot on about the commissioning pennant, I think I will fit a commissioning pennant also which if I recall correctly, is simply a thin red cross (St George?) on white pennant, with the vertical leg of the cross biased well to the hoist edge of the pennant. These are still in use with the RAN also. We fly a very small version at all times but often not visible as they are flown from some inconspicuous places so as not to be misinterpreted as part of any signal hoist etc. The 'paying off/decommissioning' versions are huge (length wise), especially for ships that have been in service for some years. We sometimes held the tails of them aloft with helium filled (weather/wind finding) balloons. B.E. thanks for that info. I'll post a piccy of the fitted flags (Ensign and Jack I have used in Endeavour) later today or tomorrow. They are similar in size to what you have used as I am working at 1:60 - so will be about right. The common pennant looks a goer and I think I may fit that also. Thanks for the link to Robin's site as well. Chuck, that site has a lot of info but not the easiest to navigate - but your point is well taken. Any clues/comments re the masthead position of the common or commissioning pennants. Currently understand that both were flown from the main masthead, but which had precedence?

Thanks JB. I am assuming that the commissioning pennant you describe as being three equally distributed horizontal stripes in the order red, white blue? I am also assuming a standard (elongated triangle) shape and not a 'burpee [V end]) ? i have looked through that site but find it very difficult to find this sort of information (unless looking for a typical flag such as an Ensign for a particular country in a particular period). That could just be me being thick headed though is there a particular section to look in for this? I am protraying her at anchor/alongside with spars fitted but sails stowed away - so the at anchor positions for Ensign and Jack and now the commissioning pennant at the main mast truk will be my most likel;y configuration. .... Then to find one of these (at appropriate scale) cheers Pat

Thanks again B.E. - your logic and comments generally mirrors my thinking but you have alerted me to a new possibility . I have that book by Wilson, but I did not want to post my interpretation initially as I did not wish to influence any responses along any particular path. My initial thoughts were that perhaps the Common at the main (as you also interpret) and perhaps a commissioning pennant at the mizzen, but I do like the idea of the vanes (which had not occurred to me - many thanks). Are you aware of any size 'rules of thumb' for the pennants or vanes? I am also not aware (or more accurately yet to determine) when the use of commissioning pennant started. cheers, and many thanks again Pat [Edit] You are very correct in pointing out the lack of contemporary evidence of these for Endeavour. i have found one watercolour of Endeavour showing pennants at each mast head but it is a more modern interpretation. I'll take a closer look at this and see if I can contact the painter (unfortunately, I think it may have been Robin whom is no longer a member).

Thanks B.E. Yep agree and have established she had the Red Ensign and Jack forward - but it is the other pennants I am trying to determine. Do you think she may have also flown the common pennant (tricolour) if assigned to other duties (scientific exploration)? Interesting that the Commissioning pennant was at main mast - if nothing else i will consider fitting this one. The period is too late for Streamers, so it is possibly 1 to 3 pennants. cheers Pat