mysticlee

Thank you John for your advice. I haven't seen gray thread sold by any ship modeling vendors but I suppose sewing thread might work. Otherwise I'll look at using black thread. Lee

As I mentioned in my previous post, a significant portion of the sheets on the Eagle are wire rope, starting from their attachment to sheet chains fastened to the sail clews, then routing through the sheet sheaves and on down to wood blocks. In photos of the ship (and in person), the diameter of the wire rope is noticeably smaller than the hemp rope that runs through the wood blocks and eventually to the fife rail or other deck fixture. Any recommendations for how to (or whether to) model the wire rope segments? I'm wondering if it would be an acceptable compromise to treat them as normal rope, and size them accordingly (i.e., same size and color as other rope, rather than smaller diameter and different/gray color resembling wire rope). The same issue appears on portions of several other lines of running rigging, where the Eagle uses wire rope instead of regular rope (clews, halyards, lifts, etc.) For that matter, since wire rope is used for all of the standing rigging, and is in some cases of smaller diameter than some of the hemp running rigging, will it look strange to model the standing rigging with smaller thread than some of the running rigging? I got access to an online copy of Harold Underhill's Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship & Ocean Carrier, which contains tables for steel wire standing rigging, and approximate size of running rigging (hemp and wire), for various size ships (by registered tons). The Underhill tables correspond fairly well with the standing rigging sizes I previously identified on the Eagle blueprint. I'll use the tables to determine the size of all the running rigging for my model, once I decide whether or not to model wire rope as wire or hemp. That's all for now. Comments and recommendations are very welcome. Lee

Metal sheet sheaves are used on each of the Eagle's fore and main yards (except the royal yards). The sheet sheave attached to the main course (for the lower topsail sheets) is shown below. On the Eagle, chain extends for about 6-8 feet from the clew of each square sail (except for the courses), and then connects to a wire rope, which leads through each side of the sheet sheave and on down to where it is attached to a double or triple wood block. The block and its opposing block are connected with hemp rope that terminates at the fife rail (the exception being the course sheets). I tried various ways to model the sheet sheave, and eventually I found inspiration from George K. (gak1965) and how he crafted the sheet blocks on his build log of the Flying Fish (1:96), entry #442. Whereas his was made of pieces of brass sheet with holes drilled for three small brass nails, I used aluminum sheet metal (slightly thicker than the brass sheet he used), and drilled only two holes for two straight pins. I inserted a piece of veneer between the two layers of metal, and used mini-files to shape the structure. (I tried using my Dremel tool to shape the metal, but it's a new tool for me, and I wasn't getting the results I expected.) I chose aluminum because it more closely resembled the steel used on the Eagle, and it was a bit more rigid than the brass sheet I have for other components. Below are a few pics of my construction process. The first pic shows the rectangles of metal, with a pattern taped on, that I drew in MS Word. Second pic shows the sheave after shaping the metal pieces. Third pic shows the sheave on edge; note the layer of veneer that provides enough of a gap for the line to run through (eventually). Last pic shows the size of the sheave, about 1/4" wide by about 1/2" long. I'll cut the sheave to length (about 3/16") before attaching to the yard with CA. I'm happy with the process and results, so I'll proceed to make the additional 7 sheaves for the other yards. That's all for now. Lee

Thanks, Don, for your kind words. I'm learning as I go, both regarding the myriad details about the ship's rigging, fittings, etc., how to model them, what to include and what to omit. I do a lot of browsing and searching on this forum for ideas and techniques. Lee

I finally finished updating my spreadsheets for the sizes and attachment points on each of the masts and yards, per the Eagle drawing. Besides the detailed dimensions of the masts and yards in the Eagle rigging drawing, two other key measurements are shown. 1. Mast rake (German: "mastfall") is specified for each of the three masts: Fore: 52mm per 1 meter Main: 70mm per 1 meter Mizzen: 87mm per 1 meter These convert to 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 degrees respectively. Now I can accurately set the rake on each of the masts. My estimates based on photographs were in the ballpark, but nothing beats the design specs. 2. Standing rigging (wire) rope sizes. There are six different sizes listed on the drawing (50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100mm), the largest (100mm) for the fore and main topmast stays, and the smallest (50mm) for the mizzen upper backstay. The diagram also shows that the primary fore/aft stays for each mast are double ropes (which is evident in vintage and current photos). Now, are these figures diameters or circumferences? The main shrouds are listed as 90mm. If 90mm is a diameter, it converts to 3.50 inches in diameter. If 90mm is a circumference, it converts to 1.11 inches in diameter. Looking at a closeup of two cadets grasping the shrouds, I'd say the shroud diameter is almost certainly 1 inch rather than 3.5 inches (also note that the shrouds are served with small stuff; I'm not planning to model that). Rather than trying to scale and use six different line sizes, I'll use the two most prominent sizes, 70mm and 90mm, for all of the standing rigging. These scale (102.2) to .22mm (0.009 in.) and .28mm (0.011in) respectively, which seem considerably smaller than I would have expected. I'll address the sizes of running rigging later, but the above picture gives a clue as to the size of some of the lines (those pictured are clewlines and buntlines). Note how much smaller they are compared to the shrouds (half or less in diameter). I may need to re-think the scale size of lines for the standing rigging as compared with the running rigging. In any case, I plan to use black line for the standing rigging (rather than dark brown), and tan (or similar) for the running rigging. That's all for now. Lee

One thing my project was sorely lacking was actual plans of the Eagle. I've come across several of the drawings by Harold A. Underhill for the Gorch Fock (sister ship), with sections showing how the Eagle differs from the GF, but those documents didn't provide dimensional details. I did come across plans for a model of the Gorch Fock that had considerable detail, but many of the sizes and dimensions didn't match up with what I already knew about the Eagle. Well, while browsing the internet recently for additional Eagle details, I found a reference to drawings available from the National Archives. It took a while to search the NA catalog, but I finally found a set of three drawings of the Eagle, held by the War Department, Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, 9/18/1947: 1. Body Plan, U.S.C.G. Eagle, ex German Training Vessel Horst Wessel, created by US Coast Guard naval architects, dated 2 September 1947 2. Inboard Profile, Horst Wessel, created by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (the original builder), dated 6 October 1936 3. Rigging / Onboard Profile, Segelschulschiff III [which is Horst Wessel, later USCGC Eagle], created by (apparently) a German naval architect, dated 2 January 1937. All three drawings are listed as in the public domain by the Archives. The Rigging drawing is highly detailed, with dimensions of each segment of the masts and yards, in millimeters, along with the sizes of the standing rigging lines, also in mm. The pic below is a low resolution copy of the drawing. Per this drawing, the length of the ship, dimensions of the masts, yards, booms, and bowsprit, and other particulars, all match extremely well with the published specs of the Eagle. This now allows me to accurately finalize the dimensions of the various masts, yards, etc., on my model. I've already determined that two of the yards on each mast (topgallant and upper topsail) are considerably short, and will need to be remade. The bow also needs a small adjustment so that the bowsprit conforms to the drawing. I'm also updating my spreadsheets for this new-found information, especially the standing rigging details. All for now, Lee

In the past week I've been updating my spreadsheet for placement of attachment points on the yards and masts. I came across an issue with the standing rigging. The original model plans called for eight stays fastened for each of the port and starboard sides of the fore and main mast. I knew when I started the model in 1977 that that was wrong (as are many other details shown in the plans), and instead reverted to the standing rigging configuration as shown in my copy of Eagle Seamanship (the cadet's bible for learning all things Eagle). It names 14 stays as follows: Shrouds (6) Cap Stay Topmast Backstays (3) Topmast Cap Stay Topgallant Backstays (2) Royal Backstay The diagram in the book shows that the royal backstay and one of the topgallant backstays originating from the same point, and so in my ignorance at the time, I mounted 13 eyes on the model for the attachment points, as shown in the below pics (port-side fore stays on the left, port-side main stays on the right). Of course, I've confirmed in both old and recent photos that there are indeed 14 stays, each with its own attachment (i.e., a turnbuckle attached to a stanchion fastened to the deck through the waist pin rail). What to do? I can see three possibilities: 1) Add an eye either at the aft end of the row, forward end, or somewhere in the middle of the row of eyes. Not a problem for the foremast stays, there's room at the aft end to add an eye with the same spacing as the others. But there's no room at the aft end of the row of mainmast stays, and adding a stay in the middle would, I think, look ugly (that's my technical term for irregular spacing). In the alternative, adding an eye at the forward end of the mainmast stays would put that stay (the first of the six shrouds) forward of the mast...that would be noticeable and certainly not like the actual ship...but relatively easy to do. 2) Double up two stays on one eye (either two at the aft end of the row, or two somewhere in the middle). This would mean two turnbuckles mounted side by side, which would probably mean one or the other would be at an odd angle and not in line with the stay. Again, ugly. 3) Use modeler's discretion and include only two of the three topmast backstays (all three terminate at the same point under the crosstree, so one fewer wouldn't be a problem). Easy to do, not ugly, and not noticeable to the average person. It would be "our" secret. I'm leaning toward option 3). Any thoughts or suggestions? Lee

I've been taking a break from deck fittings to start planning for the masts and yards. The Eagle is a modern steel hull ship, and the yards and masts are also steel, although my model will use wood for those structures (painted spar color). Metal sheaves are used in several places where wooden blocks would be used on wood-hull ships. The picture below shows part of the upper topsail yard and yardarm, with a sheave mounted to the yard to direct the sheet from the topgallant sail above, down and through the sheave, and across the bottom of the upper top yard toward the center. Also note the smaller metal sheave for the upper topsail clew, directing its line also across the bottom of the upper top yard, below the sheet line. I thought I'd try modeling the sheet sheave using brass sheet metal. I cut a 1/8" strip from a sheet of .005" brass, and cut lengths 1/4" long. On each piece, I cut 3 tabs on each end, leaving a 1/8" square within the tabs. Then I cut the outer tabs on each end, leaving a diamond shape with a single tab on each end. I filed the points to a rounded shape, bent the tabs 90 degrees, and cut the tabs short, leaving a little less than 1/32". Using a common pin, I stamped a depression on the inside of the piece, and soldered a short length of 24 gauge wire in the depression. The wire post is inserted in a hole in the yard until the sheave is snug against the yard. This leaves a narrow slot that will accept the sheet line (or chain, as is used for lower yards, if I can find small enough chain), which curves around the wire post. See the pics below for the construction sequence, and showing the sheave test fitted to a dowel similar in size to the modeled yards. The final two pics show the first sheave I made. On all the subsequent ones I cut and filed the tabs a bit shorter to narrow the opening. I made a total of 16 sheaves, two for each of the course, lower top, upper top, and topgallant yards, and ditto for both the fore and main mast yards. The royal yard does not have this sheave, since there is no sail/sheet above. The sheaves will be painted spar color along with the main part of the yard. For the smaller sheave shown in the first pic above, I'm thinking to use a similar technique, but with a second piece as a backing, and tabs only on one end. I'll drill a hole through both front and back pieces, inserting the wire through both, solder the wire on the outside of each disk, and trim/file the wires flush. I'll use a thin spacer (such as wood veneer) in the gap during drilling and soldering. I'll leave tabs long, bend them outward, and shape them into a strap to attach to the yard arm (or in other cases to a line for attachment elsewhere). There's also a double sheave below the center of each yard that redirects the sheet line from each side, downward to the deck. I'll model that sheave similarly. That's all for now. Happy modeling! Lee

Thanks for the complement, John, and for reminding me of their technical name and nickname. We called them the navigator's balls when I sailed. Today on the Eagle, they're painted red and green (port and starboard respectively). And thanks to all for the likes on preceding posts. Lee

Next is the binnacle forward of the main steering. The 1972 photo below (showing two of my classmates manning the helm) shows the binnacle as it was then (now, all but the hood is boxed in with cherry wood). The size of the binnacle is distorted in this photo due to the angle and perspective. I used actual measurements from my visit to Eagle last fall to craft my binnacle. The body and stem are wood, the balls are round ball head pins, and the support bar is brass. The top hood will be painted brass color, the support bar black, and the rest white. I'll add a base ring before mounting on the model.

The Eagle's aft steering (called the Captain's Coffin) is shown below, along with my fabrication. The grid platforms match those I made for the main steering. I fabricated the benches using a block of basswood for the lower part, and pieces of veneer for the sides and back. The benches will be stained to match other bare wood components. I'll add cushions later (using material TBD).

The Eagle's main steering consists of three ten-spoke ship's wheels on a common shaft, with a large support between the forward and middle wheels (which houses the gears), and a small support between the middle and aft wheels. Cadets man the steering, standing on grid platforms on both sides. A small section of grid platform aft of the wheels connects the two side platforms. The pics below are from last fall; the wheels and platforms have not changed over the years (although the aft platform was moved out of view in the right picture below). I had two issues in constructing the ship's wheels and platforms. First, what to use for the wheels? The ideal model wheel would be 18mm in diameter (including the spokes, equal to 6 feet at my model's scale), and would have 10 spokes. And I needed four of them (three for main steering, one for aft steering). The wheels that came with my model are brown plastic, about 13mm diameter (much too small), six spoke, and ugly. I was excited to find the laser cut ship's wheel kit at the Syren Ship Model Company website...10 spokes, wonderful detail, but alas, 15/16" diameter (about 24mm). Unfortunately, being 33% larger than my desired size, I had to look elsewhere. After finding only a few other possibilities, I ended up buying 20mm wheels made by Amati (unfortunately, larger than I wanted, and only 8 spoke, but they're the closest I could find. The second issue was how to fabricate the grid platforms. Again, I found nice boxwood grating kits at Syren, with 3/64"/1.19mm gratings. That grating size would have been larger than desired, but I would have settled for that, had their grids been thinner. Instead, I found .8mm x .8mm laser cut cardboard grating at ModelNet (UK), still larger than desired, but the absolute smallest I could find. While I was waiting for delivery (several weeks), I drew and printed a rough pattern, and planned the dimensions for all of the grids (include two needed for aft steering). Once the grid material arrived, I cut sections to the appropriate size, and attachd strips of veneer for the edging. I used small pieces of dowel for the feet. I glued the three sections of grid together with PVA, and reinforced the joints underneath. Shown below are the pattern and grids. I made the wheel supports from pieces of sheet metal around a wooden core. As a compromise (designer's choice), I omitted the large openings that show on the actual supports, and the fore-aft dimension of the smaller support is a bit larger than actual. The larger support will be painted a brass color (If I get ambitious I may re-make it using brass metal), and the smaller support will be painted spar color. The borders of the grid platforms will be stained to match other bare wood components. I may stain or paint the grids too, as long as I can do so without filling in the holes in the grids. Testing on a few scraps will tell me what can be done.

A set of storage bins are mounted on the railing along each side of the aft foredeck, overhanging the narrow part of the waist deck between the galley, scullery, etc., and the railing, ending forward at the ladders up to the foredeck. In 1972, the bins on the starboard side were shorter than those on the port side. The pics below facing aft, starboard on the left, port on the right (the latter pic showing only part of the bins) are from my Europe cruise in 1972. I modeled these with basswood. Each set of bins is one piece of wood, with lines scored to divide the sections. The lids are low-tech, pieces of card stock cut to shape. All will be painted white (they look white in the pics, that's just the lighting), and eventually affixed to the railing.

The Eagle has four ladders (staircases for landlubbers): two (port and starboard) from the foredeck to the waist (main deck), and two (port and starboard) from the waist to the mizzen deck. The pictures below that I took on the Eagle in August 2024 show a closeup of the starboard aft ladder. As best I can tell from pics I took in 1972, the ladders have not changed. A plug for the Eagle permanent crew: I was given topside access to the Eagle one day in the fall last year, before normal visiting hours, to take as many pictures as I wanted. Many thanks! I had the good fortune of a friend giving me a box of 50 sheets of furniture veneer samples. The pearwood sample was a nice color with very straight grain. I used it for constructing the steps, stringers, and railings. The support bars are made from 24 gauge wire soldered together. The bars were glued to the wood components using CA. The pics below show the steps being built, and the completed steps test fitted at the aft end of the waist. I'll be finishing the wood with stain and (probably) poly later, along with all other bare wood fixtures. I made use of the veneer in a few other fixtures, as I'll show in upcoming posts.

Thank you Kenneth! The Eagle sails with two motor surf boats housed on davits. The model of motor surf boat has changed over the years (generally about 30 foot), but I was able to identify the model that we had in 1972. I used multiple photos to determine the size and configuration of the davits and boats, and crafted them from basswood as shown below. The davits are not quite finished; I still need to add the hand-crank handles. The davits will be painted with Coast Guard spar color, as will the interior of the boats. The boat hulls will be totally white (no racing stripe!), with black trim along the rub rail. The rudder is temporarily fitted in the picture below, and the propeller and shaft are not shown but have been fabricated. I'll be adding eyes fore and aft on the boat deck for the lifting points. Another little detail was the ship's bell. I had several photos of the bell, both from 1972 (shown below) and current; it has not changed over the years. I attempted to make a bell from a piece of copper grounding wire. It was looking decent, although not how I really wanted it to look. About that time, a friend offered me a ship's bell from another model of very similar scale, so I used that instead, and made the support pole and bracket. The bell will remain brass, while the pole and bracket will be painted spar color. More to follow!