SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse 1897 by Mirabell61 - FINISHED - scale 1:144 - POF - first German four stacker of the Norddeutscher Lloyd line

[Mirabell61]

                                                          Introduction

 

 

"SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse"  (120 year old passenger expressliner)

 

Fascinated by this beautiful  22,5 knots, 197,7 m long Atlantic runner, built by Vulcan shipyard Stettin, and launched in year 1897, 120 years ago, I started exploring if there would be any build plans available for building a model of this super liner. The “Kaiser Wilhem der Grosse”, short KWdG was the first luxurious German twin screw fourstacker of the North German Lloyd for the Bremerhaven-New York route and became awarded with the blue ribband for fastest Atlantic crossings at turn of the century.

 

The ship was initialy equipped with two 3-blade counter rotating screws and later on with two 4-blade screws with blades seperately bolted to the hubs. The ship has a streamlined hull (stern underwater shape) with underwater rudder system, as we also  know from Cunard`s “greyhounds” twins (Mauretania and Lusitania) later on, built in 1906.

 

Due to the size, the models length should not exceed 1500 mm and so I chose the scale 1:144, resulting in 1380 mm overall length. Knowing that it’s a tough and ambitious scale to tackle, at least there may be some few photo-etched general parts available in 1:144, for use, if my house made build capability can not deal with.

 

Unfortunately I could not find any plan, but found some for modelists valuable historic detail information on the web. With a portion of luck I also found and bought an odd set of the card build KWdG, which is out of production at the moment, totally sold out, and perhaps may find a revival by end of this year, acc. to the editoring and Publishing company. The card version may give important (when enlarged) rating for my model and it`s fitting out at a very much later time.

 

To get along now, I am designing my own frame-plan after the gathered information, for keellaying  and kicking off the build this summer, as my “HMS Pegasus”, Swan Class is in the completion phase at the moment.

This project shall probably be my greatest challenge since I started building model ships, and I estimate that it may take between 2,5-3 years to complete as a static POF /POB scratch built model

 

Nils

 

 

Preparation phase.......

 

 

Build log part 1

 

 

 

The four funnels are situated in two groups

 

 

 

here still the originaly equipped 3-blade screws with bolted on blades. The center window outcut is not for a third propellor (like Titanic), but for preventation of fouling  the slightly overlapping prop-circles, stagered in propshaft lengths

 

 

 

this dry dock pic shows the four-blade screws (note the seperate bolted prop-blades to the hubs)

 

 

 

The card model in scale 1:250

 

 

 

This is a mini cast-model in scale 1:1250

 

 

 

starting with the frames design

 

 

 

note the different propshaft lengths, the prop circles are a bit overlapping within the centre window outcut area at the stern heel

 

 

further with frames / bulkheads plan.....

 

 

 

here a little mock up for the width of deck planking (2mm) versa figurines of only 12 mm hight in scale 1:144

 

 

 

this plastic box already contains the raw ply-wooden frame outlines (26 frames), ready for cutting out the contours. For the frames / bulkheads I am using up all my "left over" plywood 

 

 

Nils

[Omega1234]

Hi Nils

 

At last! I've been wondering when you were going to start this build log after mentioning your intention to build this super liner in one of your previous posts. Please allow me to take centre stage. I can easily spend the next 2.5 to 3 years following and enjoying your progress.

 

All the best!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[kruginmi]

Sorry Nils, but 2.5 - 3 years for a 'normal' experienced builder (actually probably more like 3 to 4).

 

You, I am betting on under 2 years to completion.

 

Mark

[amateur]

We're in for 2 -3 (to be determined) interesting years.

 

Jan

[pete48]

Looks like its going to quite the build Nils, I am betting shes going to be a beauty

 

Best Regards,

Pete

[michael mott]

Good Morning Nils I will be following along for the ride as well.

 

Michael

[Mirabell61]

Hi Nils

 

At last! I've been wondering when you were going to start this build log after mentioning your intention to build this super liner in one of your previous posts. Please allow me to take centre stage. I can easily spend the next 2.5 to 3 years following and enjoying your progress.

 

All the best!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

Hi Patrick,

yes, the decision has been made for this model, first I wanted to wait until I have the frame aligning on the slipway, but then I thought one must have confedence in the planing design work, and to push the boat out now.....

I`ve been working on the scale brass four blade, bolted on propellors and shall probably have some pics tomorrow...

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

Sorry Nils, but 2.5 - 3 years for a 'normal' experienced builder (actually probably more like 3 to 4).

 

You, I am betting on under 2 years to completion.

 

Mark

 

 Mark,

I know there will be so many detail problems to solve along the way, but that keeps my mind busy and I love seeking for solutions....

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

We're in for 2 -3 (to be determined) interesting years.

 

Jan

 

Thanks Jan,

I hope you will not be disappointed along the way...

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

Looks like its going to quite the build Nils, I am betting shes going to be a beauty

 

Best Regards,

Pete

 

Thanks Pete,

 

I`ll put all I can into it

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

Good Morning Nils I will be following along for the ride as well.

 

Michael

 

 

Michael,

 

you`re always welcome, hope you shall enjoy

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

Hi Peter,

 

and many thanks, I feel very much honored that you contacted me on KWdG behalf......., I`ll send you a PM tomorrow

 

Regards,

 

Nils

[Jim Lad]

She will make a beautiful model, Nils, with the added interest of that unusual propeller configuration.

 

John

[Mirabell61]

Hi John,

 

thanks for looking in, and yes, I was`nt aware of that propeller configuration before I started studying this ship......., but it makes sense and I learnt that there were also british liners of that period with props in this configuration. Concerning the bolted on blades of the two outer screws, also the RMS Titanic and it`s White Star Line sisters bear that design

 

Nils

[popeye the sailor]

what a pleasant surprise to come in this morning and find this wonderful build log started      looking at your past builds of these fine vessels,  man.....I've got to sit in!  gonna be a beauty! 

 

nice bit of info about the props.......she does kinda mirror the Titanic in a way,  doesn't she 

[Mirabell61]

Build log part 2

 

 

I know it sounds strange to start making the propellers where the hull is not even on the slipway, but I was wondering if I could make them from brass, as they are a typical detail, in the way they were designed 118 years ago......., and as I`ve never seen such model props on the model market, it would be a pitty if I had to fit regular model brass props

 

 

 

I fell in love with these elegant stern lines, designed for speed

 

 

 

here some of the detail parts, in total there are 38 to be made single parts per prop, port- and stb. props rotate counterclockwise with appr. blade twists

 

 

 

raw hub with mounted, drilled and slotted calottes to take up the blades. The slot orientation is set with card template angle jig. The hub raw material is 8 mm squarebar, with centerline boring and M3 thread

 

 

 

blades soldered on and brushed over, the soldering per gas tourch was quite tricky

 

 

 

started to fit the resembled blade fastening bolts with distance sleeves and hexagonal dome nuts. Here six bolts (in actual would be 8 or 10, but that was to tricky for me to drill at that scale...

 

 

 

The actual props had a diam. of 6800 mm, resulting in 47,2 mm model scale 1:144

 

 

 

without bolts....

 

 

 

with bolts

 

 

 

the first prop took me 2 days to make, the second 1,5 day (learncurve)

 

 

 

here original design drawing with 3-blade hub

 

 

Nils

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Omega1234]

Hi Nils

 

Exemplary metal work. I find it hard to even file a brass rod, and yet you're able to fashion such a beautiful and complex propellor as if it was second nature!

 

Outstanding stuff!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[druxey]

Beautifully executed, Nils! I would have been tempted to fake the bolts.

[gjdale]

I'm a little late to the party Nils, but this looks like it's going to be a real beauty. I'm in for the ride!

[Mirabell61]

what a pleasant surprise to come in this morning and find this wonderful build log started      looking at your past builds of these fine vessels,  man.....I've got to sit in!  gonna be a beauty! 

 

nice bit of info about the props.......she does kinda mirror the Titanic in a way,  doesn't she 

 

 

Popeye,

 

yes, looks like I was able to provide a smile in the morning hours.....cheers !

 

I think around the turn of the century there were`nt many foundries that could cast a large propeller (several tons bronze input weight!) in one piece, let alone precise maching afterwards. I presume also Harland & Wolff may have had the same problem in 1911, The third center prop being smaller, looks to me like as a one piece cast though

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

Hi Nils

 

Exemplary metal work. I find it hard to even file a brass rod, and yet you're able to fashion such a beautiful and complex propellor as if it was second nature!

 

Outstanding stuff!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

 

Thank you Patrick,

I would have been quite disencouraged if it were for the bin...., am more relaxed now

 

Nils

[Krelis]

nice!

[Mirabell61]

Beautifully executed, Nils! I would have been tempted to fake the bolts.

 

Thank you very much Druxey,

I`m glad you like it

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

nice!

 

 

Thanks to you Jan,

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

I'm a little late to the party Nils, but this looks like it's going to be a real beauty. I'm in for the ride!

 

 

Thank you Grant,

 

for dropping in, and enjoy the log as she goes...

 

Nils

[Jaxboat]

What an interesting subject you have chosen to model, Nils. I look forward to following your build log.

Best

Jaxboat

[Mirabell61]

What an interesting subject you have chosen to model, Nils. I look forward to following your build log.

Best

Jaxboat

 

Many thanks for joining in Jaxboat,

You`re always very welcome...

 

Nils

[michael mott]

Nils, the props are wonderful was a start!

 

Michael

[Mirabell61]

Thank you Michael,

 

was only a small sequence for the start, but very important for me that it worked out fine...

 

Nils

[pete48]

Hi Nils, Nice work on the Props , they look fantastic ( better than any store bought ) well done

 

Best Regards,

Pete