Ferrus Manus
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Everything posted by Ferrus Manus
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The forecastle will be entirely freestanding, but the sterncastle will likely have its aft end resting on the top of the sternpost. Either way, both castles will be freestanding on the supports in the hull. It will look something like this: The ship will not look like this in any way. However, you can see how the sterncastle rests up against the sternpost. On my nef, the aft end of the (likely triangular) castle will rest on top of the relatively low sternpost. -
I will likely have to keep the mast step, because i don't know how to remove it and keep the deck salvageable. If i can find a way, i could probably get it gone.
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"The Spaniard came in sight, with his huge sea-castles heaving upon the weather bow... And up-shadowing high above us with her yawning tiers of guns, took the breath from our sails... And we stayed." -Alfred Lord Tennyson From the Armada to Gibraltar, the Azores to Antwerp, the Spanish Galleon has always been a breathtaking and terrifying sight. With her yawning tiers of guns, she was the absolute pinnacle of an entire class of ship, built on the backs of plundered silver and blood. Tennyson puts it perfectly in his poem. Simply nothing could assail the Sea-Castle, so they stayed. It was not any kind of inadequacy that brought her downfall, but rather the arrogant hubris of her commanders. The ~1000 ton Esmeralda would have taken hundreds of men over two years to build, and would have been one of the largest ships in Europe at the time. However, the model of which only took one man six months. Thank you all for sticking around to see the glorious Esmeralda come to completion. She shall sail the imaginary high seas as a glorious and unassailable sea-fortress, carrying victory to her homeland for Gold, Glory, and God. My next build, the Beowulf, is currently up in the pre-1500 builds. Until next time (right now), fair winds and calm seas.
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Just for clarification, I am very well aware that a nef and a longship are two distinctly different designs, and the deck of a longship was likely very different to the deck of a nef. I am well aware that the organic curves and flowing lines that defined longships were likely not present on nefs. However, we have never recovered an intact nef, and they remain by far the most under-researched ship type of the Middle Ages. I am not claiming any form of historical accuracy on this build. I know that this is a departure from the norm for me. However, I am looking for a calm, interesting yet not time intensive "palate cleanser" while i get settled into online college. This vessel should not be seen as true to life or a historically accurate reconstruction, or really anything more than a fun proof of concept. It's kind of like the Mataro Nave in a way: meant to be viewed by church parishioners, not experts. Let the build commence! (Thank you Steven for being willing to help me)
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look for it in the pre-1500 kit logs! I look forward to your presence, as i always do. Cheers!
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Hey Steven, i'm building what will likely turn into a nef. Just letting you know, because i know you're really into ships from the High Middle Ages. I will likely also need your help.
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I also had a really good idea for a major change to the ship, while writing the first post. This ship is to be built for display in a church. So, i could change the ship relatively easily to a more "Christian" design: a Nef. I have always wanted to build a nef, and i also always wanted to considerably modify a plastic kit with card. This provides a challenge that the base kit would not do, and all it would take would be the addition of two relatively identical platforms (castles) at the fore and aft.
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I'm sure you have heard of this kit before, as it is pretty common. This is the Revell 1/50 Viking Ship, intended to be loosely based on the Gokstad ship. However, my copy of this model is a lot more special than the ordinary thing, because it has a great backstory. You see, the pastor of my church and personal friend, David (The recipient of the racing yacht David Lewandowski) went to Poland on a mission trip there, to aid the Ukrainian refugees. While he was there, he and his family did some buying of souvenirs from Poland, for various people. And, well, he came across a 1/50 viking ship kit. Suffice to say, i was absolutely thrilled that he thought to grab it. The box was kind of beat up, but the kit itself was intact. As you probably know, we're going to do a little "sprucing up" of the base model. Thus begins the build log.
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One thing i love about Hendrik Cornelisz Vroom is that instead of putting his signature at the bottom corner like every other painter, he, a lot of times, planted his name smack in the middle of the nearest Dutch flag. They're like finding the hidden N's in Kinkade paintings.
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The main topsail is also complete, giving the ship its final silhouette.
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The stern flag has been complete, but not shown. Here it is, proudly waving the Spanish heraldry:
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What i didn't have was any kind of chemical blackening agent. What i did have, however, was a black spray-paint specifically designed for use on metal. The tiny creases in my hands are still black with paint. If it sticks to my hands, it'll sure stick to the chain. Anyway, the Esmeralda now has a boarding anchor. Is there anything else you guys can see me putting on the ship? I kind of feel like putting my sentimental "first figure" on the ship, but i probably won't. Instead, i'll keep him on my modelling table.
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If i understand correctly, your bewilderment comes at the fact that none of the models you've seen feature the grating/slats in the quarterdeck bulkhead? Because that's basically the only aspect of the steering setup that would be visible from outside.
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Thank you. I see the grating by which the captain and pilot would communicate. This is standard for carracks and galleons throughout the period of the whipstaff.
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Cacafuego was a Nuestra Senora. Her full name was Nuestra Senora de la Immaculada Concepcion. Captured by Drake with the Golden Hinde.
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The issue is, basically every saint ever has had a galleon named after him/her. Mary probably has upwards of a dozen "nuestra senora de la..." ships.
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Alright, no gads. I was thinking the same thing. I was also thinking of the name Esmeralda (it's a personal story) and was wondering if that was accurate to reality or not.
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Where is the whipstaff on your model? If i remember correctly, the ship's wheel was a much later invention.
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Do you plan on adding waistcloth to your Model? The Vasa, as well as basically every other ship at the time, had it.
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I took a staple and cut it in two. Then, i bent the two halves of the staple into a more obtuse angle, and glued one half on top of the other with super glue. Then, i got the thinnest piece of plastic i could find, and glued it on top of the staple halves-turned-anchor flukes. Then, i glued an eyebolt on top of that. I proceeded to paint the entire thing wrought-iron black. It's about a 15mm long, about the height of a man at scale. Why did i do this? Well, i did it because i couldn't find a model ship grapnel short enough. The shortest one i could find was 20mm, which is far too large for its purpose, as a bowsprit grapnel. The one thing i like about this, other than the fact that i built it instead of spending money, is that due to the fact that the flukes aren't curved, it kind of looks like a Spanish-style anchor. I got the idea to use a staple from Steven's Great Harry build.
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Also, even more important, is a name for the galleon. I need name ideas. However, i can come up with my own if i don't get any.
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This is "The Santa Maria at Anchor", painted in 1628 by a man with an absolutely horrific understanding of history. Yes, this is a 1620's dutch galleon. Yes, the artist was attempting to depict the famous Spanish nao. Either way, this painting proves that by 1628, bowsprit grapnels were still in use, although the rigging for this one is depicted incorrectly. As such, i will need to add one to the galleon.
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Can anyone, preferably Steven or Kirill, find me some actual evidence as to whether or not gads were actually used on Spanish ships as late as 1607? Thanks. Kirill used gads on his galleon (Those javelin things in medieval fighting tops that Google knows NOTHING about), and i wondered if the mindset of "hucking pointy sticks at each other" had fully transitioned to naval artillery. Kirill's research indicated that the use of gads persisted into the beginning of the galleon age, but by 1607, they could have been completely phased out.
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