SS Benjamin Noble by Roger Pellett - 1:96 - Great Lakes Freighter

[Roger Pellett]

I believe that the dimensions listed in your last post; 8’x8’, 8’x10’, etc. are the sizes of the hatch openings.  The individual hatch covers would of course be sized to fit these openings.  The covers had to be small enough to be handled by the deckhands in the absence of power equipment.  Benjamin Noble’s hatch covers per her builders drawings were made from 2”x 6” white pine planks laid edge to edge and fastened together with metal strapping on the underside.  My calculation is that each 9’x 2’-6” cover would have weighed about 150#, possible for two hefty men to handle.

 

You MAY have photo evidence that two narrow panels were fastened together to make a larger one, OR, maybe the “black stripe” is just the edge between two adjacent covers stacked against the bulwark.

 

Of course, you can always punt and show them tarped.

 

Roger

[Roger Pellett]

There IS evidence of wooden hatch covers much wider than those shown on the B. Noble drawing  being used on Great Lakes vessels.

 

Accounts of the Benjamin Noble’s sinking report that her hatch covers were found along the beach at Park Point.  Park Point is an inhabited sandbar that stretches along the Western tip of Lake Superior.  Being directly down wind from Noble’s sinking wreckage would have washed up there.  There is a photo easily found on the internet that is supposed to be one of these hatch covers.  The cover stands on one edge with two young ladies standing behind it.  It is prominently stenciled with the ship’s name and is considerably wider in proportion than those shown on the builders drawing. To me, the photo looks too posed and I’m not sure that someone on board would have spent time stenciling the vessel’s name on humble hatch covers. I used the dimensions from the drawings.

 

A better example is a photo in the book Steamboats & Sailors of the Great Lakes by Mark Thompson.  This photo shows two deckhands lifting one edge of a wooden hatch cover.  I would estimate it to be about 5ft wide; twice that of Benjamin Noble’s covers.

 

I would just eyeball the covers in your photo.  That’s the best that you can do.

 

Roger

[FriedClams]

Excellent progress, Roger.  Looking good!

 

Gary

[Roger Pellett]

A very strong El Niño has given us a record winter; much above average temperatures and almost no snow. As a result, the SOO locks intend to open several days earlier than planned. Noteworthy this past month was the recent announcement of the discovery of the SS Arlington sunk in 600ft of water off Lake Superior’s  Kweanee Penninsula.  Arlington, sunk in 1940 shares several similarities with Benjamin Noble.  Both were close to the same size and were designed for the pulp wood trade.  Both were built by the same yard (five years apart). Arlington was loaded down with a late season grain cargo.  Heavy seas washed off hatch bars, tarpaulins, and la least one hatch failed entirely flooding her hold.

 

Work since my last post involved assembling the hatch covers on a backing piece of 1/64” plywood and fabrication of the hatch bars.  Wooden hatches float, so hatch bars were fastened atop to restrain them.  These were pieces of 3” steel angle bolted at the ends to padeyes attached to the deck.  For the model I used 1/32” square brass wire.  At each tip, I soldered a short piece of I/16” brass tubing.  A #75 hole through the top of the tube will accept the simulated hold down bolt.  A fussy detail requiring a frustrating amount of time.

 

Roger

 

[Dr PR]

Roger,

 

Where did you get the square brass wire? Is it available commercially or did you use a draw plate?

 

It may be a "fussy detail" but this is what sets an excellent model apart from an ordinary one.

Edited March 10 by Dr PR

[wefalck]

… those to the uninitiated rather unspectacular details consume indeed a lot of time  👍

[Roger Pellett]

Square brass and copper wire is used by the jewelry people.  It is available in different sizes on Amazon.  1/32” is the smallest that I have found.  

 

Roger

[wefalck]

0.8 mm square copper wire indeed seems to be the smallest square wire commercially available.

 

A short while ago I was able to buy a miniature jewellery rolling mill. It is actually meant for enlarging wedding rings and such, but I will convert it for rolling (soft) round wire into tiny square, rectangular or half-round wire.

 

CuNi-wire is available in a wide variety of dimensions as flat wire - it is being used in heating elements. A while ago I got a good selection of old stock from ebay.

[Srodbro]

I am always blow-away by the micro-soldering skills on these forums. 
Wonderful work!

[mbp521]

Roger, I envy you and your master skills with soldering miniature pieces. 
 

-Brian

[Rick310]

Really nice!!  I like your technique for fabricating the hatch bars!!

Rick

[FriedClams]

Hello Roger.  I was cruising around the Library of Congress website and came across the two images below from the Detroit Publishing Company.  I'm sure you've seen these before, but I didn't see them in your log so . . .

 

Below each photo is a link to the high-res images.

 

Launch party - Benjamin Noble – Detroit Shipbuilding, Wyandotte, Michigan – April 28, 1909

 

Launching party, Ben. J. [sic] Noble, Wyandotte, Mich. (loc.gov)

 

 

Benjamin Noble on the ways – Detroit Shipbuilding, Wyandotte, Michigan – 1909

 

Str. Benj. J. [sic] Noble on the ways, Wyandotte, Mich. (loc.gov)

 

 

Gary

 

[wefalck]

Talking about launch parties: I always found it quite daring to be on a ship the runs down the launch-way, particularly, when it is a side-launch. The risk of capsizing is definitely there.

Edited June 14 by wefalck