uss frolick

Alan and uss frolick,
 
According to the literature, the model was built by American prisoners who were confined in English prisons around 1814. They bestowed the model to the widow of Captain Lawrence. The large scale of the ship model offers scope for the abundant details which the builder bequeathed for posterity. This model is the only one in the Peter Tamm bone ship collection made from whale bone. At the head of the ship model we can see the “seats of ease” on starboard and portside.
 
According to my knowledge, the book is the first which deals with the issue "POW Bone Ship Models" in such a detailed way. The photos are all high resolution (ca. 80 MB), and the printing, layout, etc.produced a very precious book.  

Thanks 74_boni.
 
I had always thought that the models were made by French or British Prisoners of War. Had never given any consideration that they might have also been made by American prisoners. Is this a correct assumption?
 
Does Stein give the provenance to this model?
 
What are your overall impressions of the book?
 
 
Alan

There is a chapter in the book on the huge and well-done POW bone model of the US Frigate Chesapeake (144 cm long). 34 detailed photos show e.g. In the long-boat the oars, a hitcher, a scoop and the scuttlebutt. You will enjoy it.

Happily, I 've completed one of those tedious tasks that I never enjoy very much. With the completion of the mizzen deadeyes and chains, that work is done. The mizzen work duplicated the work on the fore and main and needs no further description.
 
For those looking at the full profile photo attached to this post, there is an addition that may or may not become permanent. I've been thinking about what to do about a boat or boats. While contemplating whether to try (likely unsuccessfully) to duplicate the wonderful efforts of B.E., Grant and others to make framed and planked boats, I discovered that I had a partially built boat made from lifts. To my surprise, this boat ,with some small changes , virtually matched the dimensions and shape of the 28' longboat shown in AOTS Essex. I'm going to do some more work on it to see if it will produce a result that  I'll be happy  with. Stay tuned. 
 
Bob
 

Another manufacturer in the US with a good reputation for accurate designs is Bluejacket Shipcrafters (http://www.bluejacketinc.com/ ) - can't vouch for all of their model kits, but the Constitution and Jefferson Davis have good reputations, as do the schooner kits they make.
 
The Constellation has been a long-time controversial ship.  While Fouled Anchors (as well as Howard Chapelle in The Constellation Question) really seemed to close the chapter on the controversy, it seems to rise back up of it's own accord - most recently in Geoffrey Footner's book, USS Constellation: From Frigate to Sloop.  The rebuttals, of course, continue by Dana Wegner (of Fouled Anchors fame).  While the veracity of the claims made by those who claim the Constellation was stripped to her keel, 12 feet inserted, and then rebuilt with mainly timbers from the old frigate is beyond my pay grade to assess - I will note, however, that inserting a 12 foot keel section would require a much longer piece of inserted material - the original specifications by Humphreys specified that each scarph was to be:
 
Keel of good sound white oak in 3 pieces. The middle piece to be not less than 80 feet if to be had. Scarphs not less than 12 feet to be kept clear of the main and fore steps sided in the midships 19 inches at the stem & post 17 inches and as deep as can be had. The scarphs all to be tabled and bolted with 5 bolts 1 1/8 inch diameter. False keel 6 inches thick but not to be put on until after the floor & keelson bolts are drove and riveted.
 
Those 12 foot scarphs would necessitate a new section of keel that was at lest 36 feet in length, and that center 80 foot section would then be cut in half, resulting in two sections of only 40 feet, with but 16 feet not used in the scarphing.  Having those additional joints in a longer keel would likely seriously detract from the structural integrity!

These books are not easy reads. O'Brian likes to toss out French and Latin phrases, and make the reader look them up. But he is a concise writer, and he packs a lot into a minimum of words. He repeats nothing, so if you miss the significance of an event, however minor, early on, then you might be confused  later. He has a different style of writing too, with phrases that just seem to flow. You have to hear the late Patrick Tull's book narrations (Recorded Books, inc.) to truly feel it. O'Brian has often been called "The Jane Austin for guys". His Napoleonic Period histories, his nautical descriptions, his naval intelligence methodologies, and his medical and "natural philosopher" descriptions are spot on.  His characters are the best of any other seafaring genre. The Hornblower sailors just seems wooden compared to them.
 
Not an easy read, the Aubrey-Maturin Series, but well worth the time.

These books are not easy reads. O'Brian likes to toss out French and Latin phrases, and make the reader look them up. But he is a concise writer, and he packs a lot into a minimum of words. He repeats nothing, so if you miss the significance of an event, however minor, early on, then you might be confused  later. He has a different style of writing too, with phrases that just seem to flow. You have to hear the late Patrick Tull's book narrations (Recorded Books, inc.) to truly feel it. O'Brian has often been called "The Jane Austin for guys". His Napoleonic Period histories, his nautical descriptions, his naval intelligence methodologies, and his medical and "natural philosopher" descriptions are spot on.  His characters are the best of any other seafaring genre. The Hornblower sailors just seems wooden compared to them.
 
Not an easy read, the Aubrey-Maturin Series, but well worth the time.

The Cumberland photograph is labeled as the Cumberland at the dock. Hauntingly beautiful. Cumberland and Savannah both had 15 aside when first launched, but Cumberland had her ports reduced to 13 (depending on what you call a 'broadside port'). The National Archives sail plan, lines plan, inboard profile and gun deck plan all agree with Chapelle's plan. Chapelle says she mounted 26 32-pounders on the gun deck when relaunched in 1856. She then somehow ended up mounting 22 9-inch Dahlgrens in 1862, during the 'The-War-Of-Yankee-Agression' as they say in Charleston, when she fought CSS Virginia. When she swapped her batteries out I don't know. In Jan '61, the Savannah had a mixture of long 32's and 8-inch shell guns on her main deck, 22 total.
 
As far as I know, there are no plans of the Savannah as altered, so I can't be sure if she was similarly altered with respect to the gunport placement. Chapelle doesn't even mention the conversion of the Savannah.

Thanks Jerry! Awesome pictures!
 
If you magnify the famous Portsmouth Navy Yard 1860 Cumberland photograph, you will see that she had what looks like four large bollards across her stern at the level of the cap rail. These pieces, whatever they were, must certainly have prevented the placement of a wide port directly across her stern for the after 10" pivot gun, she having only ports for it on her quarters and broadside.
 
The photo also shows that the Cumberland had quarter galleries too, although they are hard to see, but the one small remaining window in her starboard gallery gives it away. The Cumberland's gun-deck plan also shows the presence of galleries, although Chapelle omits them.

Someone here went to the museum in Savannah where the model is displayed, and posted images of it before the MSW crash.  I saved them because of her similarities to Constellation in some respects,  As this most recent case, she's been very influential in my building Constellation.  I think she's 1:24 scale.
 
I found out who built her and tried to find a contact for him a while back - with no luck.  I'd love to talk to him about the ships and research sources because I found he came to the same conclusion on some things, and may have some information I missed, like this recent revelation.
 
I hope to see the model in person someday, and take my own photos of key items of interest to me - Constellation will probably be long complete by the time that happens.

Jerry, can you give any more information on that Savannah model? What was her scale and where is she displayed? Do you have any more pictures?
 
The Frigate Savannah was altered identically as the much more famous Frigate Cumberland was, hence my interest in her.
 
Interesting USS Savannah trivia: After she was altered in about 1855, the Savannah's old purser reported back aboard, only to be told that because his old frigate was now a sloop of war, his pay would be less, since he technically was no longer a frigate's purser. He sued in federal court, claiming that the ship was essentially the same vessel which, had not lost a deck, nor a level of cannon, and even though she carried fewer guns, they were heavier and made the ship more powerful. He won, and the navy had to refer to her as a frigate once again.

Jerry, can you give any more information on that Savannah model? What was her scale and where is she displayed? Do you have any more pictures?
 
The Frigate Savannah was altered identically as the much more famous Frigate Cumberland was, hence my interest in her.
 
Interesting USS Savannah trivia: After she was altered in about 1855, the Savannah's old purser reported back aboard, only to be told that because his old frigate was now a sloop of war, his pay would be less, since he technically was no longer a frigate's purser. He sued in federal court, claiming that the ship was essentially the same vessel which, had not lost a deck, nor a level of cannon, and even though she carried fewer guns, they were heavier and made the ship more powerful. He won, and the navy had to refer to her as a frigate once again.

Jerry, can you give any more information on that Savannah model? What was her scale and where is she displayed? Do you have any more pictures?
 
The Frigate Savannah was altered identically as the much more famous Frigate Cumberland was, hence my interest in her.
 
Interesting USS Savannah trivia: After she was altered in about 1855, the Savannah's old purser reported back aboard, only to be told that because his old frigate was now a sloop of war, his pay would be less, since he technically was no longer a frigate's purser. He sued in federal court, claiming that the ship was essentially the same vessel which, had not lost a deck, nor a level of cannon, and even though she carried fewer guns, they were heavier and made the ship more powerful. He won, and the navy had to refer to her as a frigate once again.

These books are not easy reads. O'Brian likes to toss out French and Latin phrases, and make the reader look them up. But he is a concise writer, and he packs a lot into a minimum of words. He repeats nothing, so if you miss the significance of an event, however minor, early on, then you might be confused  later. He has a different style of writing too, with phrases that just seem to flow. You have to hear the late Patrick Tull's book narrations (Recorded Books, inc.) to truly feel it. O'Brian has often been called "The Jane Austin for guys". His Napoleonic Period histories, his nautical descriptions, his naval intelligence methodologies, and his medical and "natural philosopher" descriptions are spot on.  His characters are the best of any other seafaring genre. The Hornblower sailors just seems wooden compared to them.
 
Not an easy read, the Aubrey-Maturin Series, but well worth the time.

These books are not easy reads. O'Brian likes to toss out French and Latin phrases, and make the reader look them up. But he is a concise writer, and he packs a lot into a minimum of words. He repeats nothing, so if you miss the significance of an event, however minor, early on, then you might be confused  later. He has a different style of writing too, with phrases that just seem to flow. You have to hear the late Patrick Tull's book narrations (Recorded Books, inc.) to truly feel it. O'Brian has often been called "The Jane Austin for guys". His Napoleonic Period histories, his nautical descriptions, his naval intelligence methodologies, and his medical and "natural philosopher" descriptions are spot on.  His characters are the best of any other seafaring genre. The Hornblower sailors just seems wooden compared to them.
 
Not an easy read, the Aubrey-Maturin Series, but well worth the time.

Anyone remember the scene in "The Far Side of the World" where JA and SM fall overboard through Surprise's  cabin windows undetected one night, and just when they think that things could not get worse, they are rescued by militant, lesbian, native women escaping their home island, who decorated their raft with dried severed male members tacked to the sides?  I don't think that happened to Lord Cochrane. Anyway, this is evidence that Mr. O'Brien occasionally smoked wacky-weed.

I read through the Aubrey-Maturin saga twice separated by about ten years.  The fact that I read through them twice probably says something about my love of these books.  I would not place them in the annals of great literature - seafaring or otherwise.  For that I suggest, in the seafaring genre, Melville or Conrad.  The books do have their place, and I believe they fill it admirably.  There are stumbling blocks, I am sure, for some.  The swashbuckling action scenes are there, but are skipped over or take a second place to the relationship between the two men and the stresses on each of them.  This quirky relationship between captain and surgeon is sometimes hard to comprehend, but I am sure there were many oddities in the connections formed by men who chose this way of life.  If you doubt that, read some of Nelson's letters to and about his colleagues.
 
I found the real value in these books to be the wonderful depth of information about the ordinary daily functioning of one of these vessels,  the Navy and the political establishment they were a part of.  While the affection between Aubrey and his crews sometimes stretched credibility, descriptions of daily life and routine are unique and priceless.  I do not know of another source as descriptive of daily shipboard routine.  I believe the inclusion all of this background to be the best part of these books - a personal opinion to be sure.  
 
Ed

JAXBOAT, USNI Press published a rather comprehensive book about that cruise a few years back called "Blakeley and the Wasp", I think, although I forget who wrote it.

David Antscherl has given me permission to post a couple photos of his lovely Comet here. The model is not finished - it is in the process of being fully rigged.
 

 

Gents you can buy the 74 Gun Series in English directly from Ancre for 116 US dollars a piece new.  Most resellers try to sell copies of used ones for much more than this. 
Chris

I started the planking of the bridge

 

 

 

 

 

Let's see what old Billy-Jim has to say about this fight. From William James's "The Naval History of Great Britain: Volume VI", page 237-8:
 
" ... On the 9th of October [1814], when off the shoals of Nantucket, she [the Frigate Endymion] fell in with the American Privateer Brig Prince de Neufchatel, of 18 guns and 120 or 130 men. It being calm, Captain [Henry] Hope detached his boats, under the orders of Lieutenant Abel Hawkins, first of the Endymion, to capture the privateer. The boats were repulsed, after sustaining the loss of Lieutenant Hawkins, one midshipman and 26 seamen and marines killed, the second lieutenant, one master's mate, and 35 seamen and marines wounded. Besides which the launch was captured, and the crew made prisoners. So determined and effective a resistance did great credit to the American  captain and his crew. On the 31st, the Endymion fell in with the 56-gun ship Saturn, Captain James Nash, bound to Halifax; and sending on board [i.e. the Saturn], with her surgeon and his servant, 28 wounded officers and men, [and he] received from the Saturn, to replace the severe loss he had sustained, one lieutenant, four midshipmen, and 33 seamen and marines."
 
Notes:
"Abel Hawkins" is one heck of a name for a frigate officer!
The heavy Frigate Saturn was a razeed 74 that had been cut down to fight the American 44's, but she retained her main deck 32-pounders.
The Endymion's log book says that the yawl was lost, not the launch.
The Saturn's 38 replacements still would have left Captain Hope shorthanded when he fought the USF President.
The Prince de Neufchatel's captain was French during this cruise, not American.

She must be Jason of 1794: note the golden fleece!

Hello ,

Thanks for the posts regarding the Privateer Marines .

I find it interesting that so far no one on the possibly only book on the subject has reference ... The book I've found recently , but unfortunately not purchased because of the price .So unfortunately I can not contribute anything substantial on the subject

MARINES OF THE Privateers - WAR OF 1812
McClellan , Edwin N. - Major , U.S. Marine Corps , Officer in Charge, Historical Section
 
Ps: Frolick thanx ! I will look for The Republic's Private Navy: The American Privateering Business as Practiced in Baltimore During the War of 1812

As for the marines, Jerome R. Garitee, in his "The Republic's Private Navy: The American Privateering Business as Practiced in Baltimore During the War of 1812" says that they were just landsmen acting as marines. Specifically on page 310, he notes:
 
"Most of the variations in [privateer] crew stations involved petty officers and the number of first class and ordinary seamen as well as marines or landsmen. Ten or fifteen marines were the rule."