Kevin

good morning everyone and Happy New year in another forum, i joined a group maritime build with a 3 month build time, and it starts today, however i had forgotten about it otherwise the U552 would have been entered as i had nothing new to build and my new years resolution (no new kits) i have been allowed to enter this, an unstarted section of the SD14 bought in 2016 Sometimes known as the replacement for the famous "Liberty" ship, the 14,000 ton SD14 general cargo ships are found under many different names and flags in most of the world's ports and all of the high seas. The designation "SD14" denotes "Shelter Deck 14,000 tons". The shelter deck is the second or tween deck in the cargo spaces and, when the ship is loaded down to her plimsoll line, she displaces 14,000 tons. By the mid 1960s, there remained some 700 Liberty and other war-built cargo ships still trading. Even the youngest were 20 years old and the question of a replacement was exercising the minds of ship owners and builders around the world. the emergence of bulk carriers and container ships pointed to the end of the "shelter Deck" design which had been used with little alteration since the turn of the century. Many felt that this design was no obsolete and that the future lay with containerisation. It was, therefore, something of a surprise when ship builders all over the world unveiled their plans for the "liberty Ship Replacement", almost all of which offered a two-deck vessel of 14,000/15,000 tons deadweight. Doubtless this choice was influenced by the requirements of potential customers. Most of the war-built vessels were, by this time, being operated by Greek ship owners of limited resources to whom these new designs, for a type of vessel with which they were fully experienced and priced at about £1 million with cheap credit facilities, were very attractive. A total of 30 designs were put forward as the "Liberty Ship Replacement" in the early months of 1966. Of these, the most successful was the SD14, developed by the Sunderland shipbuilders, Austin and Pickersgill. The first SD14 keel was laid on 8th. June 1967. Unusually, this was not at Austin and Pickersgill's own yard, but nearby at that of another Sunderland shipbuilder, Bartram's, who were building the ship under licence. The first ship, named Mimis N. Papalios, was launched on 1st. December 1967. She was also very nearly the first SD14 to be completed. However, Austin and Pickersgill managed to make up the leeway in their own building programme to hand over the first completed SD14, the Nicola, on 14th. February 1968, the Mimis N. Papalios following the next day. Between 1968 and 1988, a total of 211 SD14s were completed and it is interesting to note that, by 1990, only 10 had been scrapped for commercial reasons, a further three going to the breaker's yard after marine accidents. Of the dozen vessels reported as sunk, at least two fell victim to missile attack during the Iran/Iraq conflict. Like the original Liberty ships, which many thought would be scrapped as soon as the war was over, the SD14 was not ascribed a very long life by some early critics. Nevertheless, these ships are still in demand in the charter market, with average daily rates of $5,200 for a one-year time contract, and in the second hand market with prices ranging from $2.5m for an early seventies ship to $5.75m. for a newer example. One guide to the success of the SD14 is to look at the movement of the 211 ships through the second-hand market. Most of the ships now sailing are with only their second owner, a few remaining with their original purchaser. The oldest SD14 in service is the Wave Crest, the vessel which, as the Mimis N. Papalios, missed by one day the distinction of being the first completed ship of her type. The Model In 1978, while attached to Manchester Docks, George Robinson, a retired Merchant Navy captain, hit on the idea of providing the port fire brigade with an easy-to-build model of the SD14. In this way, the trainee firemen could easily and quickly become familiar with the layout of the ship. So, originated a 2-foot long, 1:70 scale model kit of the Forward section of the SD14. This first attempt met with such success that kits if the Midships and After sections followed in 1979, the complete model measuring an imposing 7 feet in length. Professional and international recognition followed in 1982 when the model won the "Shipwrights Model Competition" at the Guildhall in London. Quite apart from sheer size, the kit is remarkable, for it is, in fact, put together in much the same way as the original was in Sunderland. Space here permits no more than a brief glimpse of what awaits the builder of this miniature leviathan. The instructions, which, for the complete kit, run to about 60 pages, first explain that the model will be built by the dry dock method rather than on the slipway - the difference is clarified. You then proceed to lay the shell bottom plates of the Forward section to form the double bottom, between the outer surface of the hull and the inner surface of the holds. On the original, the space in between in used for water ballast, necessary to keep the propellor submerged when there is no cargo and to maintain an even keel. This last expression, in such common and, I suspect , often unwitting, usage, is precisely defined. The building progresses aft as the cargo holds are each constructed with transverse watertight bulkheads, hold pillars and centre line plates. There are even properly runged ladders on which to descend to the bowels of the vessel. In the After section, as well as a cargo hold, there is the engine room together with the propellor shaft tunnel and, by lifting up the after deck house, access is provided to the steering gear flat and the rudder stock. In the bridge superstructure, containing the crew's accommodation, every cabin is accounted for. The crew's mess room, galley and smoke room are each separately delineated as are the linen locker, baggage room and officers' smoke room to mention but a few. The model also incorporates the correct ventilation trunk ways, the significance of which for cargo handling is explained. In the course of construction, the instructions are supplemented by sections which explain the actual fabrication of the original, so that, as you work through the model, you learn about the SD14, how it was assembled and how it works.The operation of such components as MacGregor hatch covers, the keelson and camber in the original are fully expounded and you can then reproduce these to scale. Step-by-step diagrams illustrate the sequence of construction. It is perhaps worth remembering that ships are machines, the largest ever built by man. So it is fascinating to see how this great machine works and to reproduce it in miniature at the same time. The correct nautical terms are used and explained, showing how each part of the ship functions and how the whole design draws on centuries of experience to produce the modern ocean-going vessel. If, like me, you have wondered what exactly is a "Tween Deck" and what is its purpose, you need wonder no more. All is revealed after which you can actually build one. The kit is printed on 184 A3 sheets of top quality manilla card, there being approximately 4,500 pieces, and the modeller can choose to paint the model with an authentic colour scheme or one of his own choice. The three sections can be fixed together or left dismantled and the aft superstructure can be removed to give a glimpse of the various deck levels inside the hull. naturally, all the cargo hatches open to show the holds. . The model can be made either for display or, with suitable waterproofing (see "Cutting Remarks" no. 3), can be sailed, there being space for R/C gear. Although the original SD14 models were all sold out about 10 years ago, Marcle Models, under licence from George Robinson, reissues the SD14 kit. The complete kit, weighing over 17 lbs, is supplied in 6 cartons, complete with a tool kit and costs £280 including worldwide surface mail. The three sections, Forward, Midships and After, are each available separately at £105 each. Should you decide to have a go, this, the "Non plus ultra of card (and perhaps any other type of) modelling, should keep you busy for about a year. Christopher Cooke and Thomas Pleiner, with acknowledgements to George Robinson, John Lingwood and Ships Monthly. Article first appeared in "Cutting Remarks" No. 4, September 1992.

doesn't that look stunning, congratulations

happy new year to you to, look out for a new build log tomorrow

water and salt, apply slighly damp and leave to help oxidise the plates, taking the shine off, or go the other way and polish them up with a brass cleaner

i found that applying a salt wash over the tiles helped tone down the rivets and therefore not looking so prominent, as the build progresses they tend not to look out of place anyway, if i was to do my Victory again i would go for the copper tape

good morning OC she look very nice, all your hard work is going to payoff in the long run, but 1/700 thats far to small for me to work on

lol i had heard of you Woodturning_Michael_Scarborough_in_Profile.pdf (michaelscarboroughdesign.com)

welcome to MSW

Congratulations

good afternoon everyone i may have gone over the top with the weathering, but it is water based and will tone done, im just waiting to see what it dry's like

good evening everyone thankyou for comments and likes progress has slowed down a bit, Christmas is getting in the way, another couple of weeks and it will be long out of the way work still continues on the two modules, the diesel engine is still coming together, but i certainly wont be trying that again, its all the fun of exhausts, manifolds and ventilation that needs sorting now in the other module above the battery, the wood panelling is still drying, but looks ok moved fans to the stbd side and made replacements to go in its place new manifolds temp lighting

i just had a look to see if i put mine on, they were a very thin red wood veneer

good evening everyone sticking to my only two modules on the go, i went back to the diesel room and got on with making something out of the stbd engine it never turned out as good as i had hoped (then again nothing ever does, but once weathered and in the diorama it might pass the test the pipes are 0.6mm solder, i then changed as much of the add on bits as best i could Green is Lifecolour darkgreen the engine frame is Lifecolour bluegrey

oh very nice, well done

Mark she look brilliant

(2) Kartonowy Arsenał Broni | Facebook

i doubt it was very satisfying for those on the receiving end

love the effect

good evening everyone thank you for comments and likes i wasnt happy with the room i had given Hans to work on the battery, so i removed some from the bottom of the lowest pint on the cells then adapted the tank to put the raft cradle in which was also altered to make it look a little more in scale it was another Friday afternoon on the design of this module as you can see the bulkhead behind the bunks extends way above the pressure hull i wasn't able to find where the battery hatch was, so artistic licence put it there, this wasn't just for daily maintenance but for cell changes and whole battery replacement

if i wake up i get up, normally about 0300 to 0500 come 2130 i go bed

yr welcome, an upgrade package has allowed you to the front nearer the popcorn machine i never realised that sort of thing was used in aircraft, lol its 0430 and i have learnt my new thing for the day already

thank you it dont look right to me, i will remake the raft in a thinner material, and drop it down near the cell tops, not much else i can do with out dismantling the pack itself and taking some height out, the top of the keel is slanting upwards towards the back to facilitate the way the kit was intended, but if i level that off then i would not get the pack in within the pressure hull as it would come down to low i think the raft has to change

good evening everyone thank you for comments and like i put the cells into a tank to keep them upright and stop them moving around in roughers the space at the front is a missing row, the kit dont provide enough if you put the correct amount in although i dont quite know where the hatch is, i need to get someone to inspect the battery, not much room in there, but a small semi naked armless electrician will do and i have made provision for two lights to aid him in his work he needs a raft to move up and down the cell lines, i have provided a rope for him to aid this work my photos yet again let me down

very nice, a lot of hard work for a very big hull