Glory of the Seas 1869 by rwiederrich - FINISHED - 1/96 - medium clipper

[ClipperFan]

1 hour ago, rwiederrich said:

The famous stern shot....

 

Rob

@rwiederrich Rob, another ultra rare scene shared with us by Michael Mjelde. To me, this is definitive proof that on McKay's clippers, his large after-house walls gradually narrow to match a ship's outward Bulwarks. This gives crew consistent working area to handle the ship. Anyone working on a Flying Fish model who hasn't yet built their large Coach House now has the benefit of incontrovertible photographic evidence to rely on. Another aspect of this impressive scene is the elegantly slim lower Stern hull, which is clearly evident by the beautiful waterline. Once again, your lovely miniature captures this aspect beautifully.

Edited June 20 by ClipperFan
additional information

[rwiederrich]

So many things fell into place....things no one could have remotely imagined...but were necessary...for this project to find true revelation and accuracy.

 

I still groan over minor oversights I still notice today.  Things that were identified after construction had finalized.  Some things were so grievous, I had to correct despite the demolition required.  Namely her forecastle....and reconstruction of her built masts.

 

Still....possibly another will come along and build their own version and correct the discrepancies that remain.

 

I kept all the plywood punchouts left over from the bulkhead framing....I got from Vlad.  In this way, I can trace out the individual bulkheads from these and have the designs for making new *bones* for another model.....IF, I were ever inclined.   Lazer cuttouts these days are so precise....there would be very little error from the parent cutout.

 

Thanks for your fine comments and contributions Rich..........NOW, it is left up to you to compile all this data and imagery into a comprehensive article to bring to publication.   (That, I think, is the harder task)

 

Rob

[ClipperFan]

@rwiederrich Rob, these comparison shots are so cool. I particularly appreciate how you're duplicating the pictures of your replica to match as closely as possible the actual vessel herself. 

As for the second article. Once I get into the story, tales pretty much write themselves. Clearing out other life's challenges will allow me to finally conclude this piece.

[rwiederrich]

Another.

 

[rwiederrich]

Another,

[rwiederrich]

Another,

[kgstakes]

Holy cow that looks great !!!   You do great modeling my friend.  I only hope to be half as good as what I've seen with my modeling.

 

Well done indeed !!

[Knocklouder]

Congratulations,  your ship looks fantastic, awesome work. 

Bob M.

[rwiederrich]

Thank you gentlemen,  for your kind words.

 

One of the items on my list, was to take comparative images....(not all are of a completed model)....but the point is, to compare the actual photographed vessel with the model.

 

It is a sure way of determining if I stayed as true to the prototype as possible.  These fine high quality images were made possible by my friend Michael Mjelde, author of several books on Glory of the Seas.  Without them, I could not have achieved the level of accuracy I was aiming for.

 

Rob 

 

[BANYAN]

Congratulations again Rob, your excellent model is a very realistic representation of Mackay's majestic vessel.  The level of detail make it difficult to discern between the real and the model sometimes.

 

cheers

 

Pat

Edited June 27 by BANYAN

[Glen McGuire]

The detailed comparison pictures are confirmation of a magnificent build coupled with true historical accuracy.  Well done, Rob. 

[rwiederrich]

23 minutes ago, Glen McGuire said:

The detailed comparison pictures are confirmation of a magnificent build coupled with true historical accuracy.  Well done, Rob. 

1/96 has proven the scale, for my attention to detail.  Any larger and I would have to replicate more accurately...the actual seizing's, material, joinery....ect.  1/96 has allowed me to hyper detail, without eliminating crucial and essential details.....plus the scale is small enough that extremely minor details can be eliminated all together.   Like your, *In a bottle* scale of 1/700 which, if the modeler is skilled enough, can yield nice detail...while permitting many finer details to be eliminated or simply suggested...without losing the faithfulness of the replication.

Historical...not to mention physical accuracy, IMHV, must be translated to your model if you want to present an accurate representation.....rather than a more artistic expression of the vessel.

I can't tell you how many corrections I  had to make during construction....when new, never before seen photographs, were presented to me via Michael Mjelde.

 

Again....thanks for your fine comments and encouragement.

 

Rob

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 7/30/2021 at 4:09 PM, rwiederrich said:

Then roll it on through and there you go...

 

Do this a couple dozen times and you will have ample tape/plates to do a lot of plating....

 

Enjoy.

Um, where would one acquire a clothes wringer these days?  Any suggestions for an alternative device to press the copper against the form you constructed?

 

Edited August 3 by Der Alte Rentner
added photo

[Knocklouder]

Great work, you might try a sheet metal roller, a small one hand crank is about 150 Canadain  ,might work 😉 

Bob M.

[rwiederrich]

21 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Um, where would one acquire a clothes wringer these days?  Any suggestions for an alternative device to press the copper against the form you constructed?

 

I just found mine on line.   It took some searching.   
Rob

[rwiederrich]

21 hours ago, Knocklouder said:

Great work, you might try a sheet metal roller, a small one hand crank is about 150 Canadain  ,might work 😉 

Bob M.

The metal to metal rollers are not a good fit….. you need the rubber rollers to press the copper tape into the former. The metal from my experience, crushes the copper.    But if done gently it might work.  
 

Rob

[rwiederrich]

Did some more research and found from Michael Mjelde a few more images of Glory and the artwork for his Latest book project.  
 

Rob

[ClipperFan]

1 hour ago, rwiederrich said:

Did some more research and found from Michael Mjelde a few more images of Glory and the artwork for his Latest book project.  
 

Rob

@rwiederrich

thanks for sharing these images. As a fan of Donald McKay's wondrously beautiful ships, it breaks my heart to see his spectacular last clipper Glory of the Seas treated so shabbily in her later years. The image of her being towed with her masts no longer aligned as she's basically doing yeoman's work as a floating factory salmon processor is in a way just so depressing. If only her owners showed just a little more concern to maintain her muntz metal protection, she might still be with us today. The second scene is apparently when she was laid up during a shipping recession. She appears to possibly lying 2nd to the valiant Dashing Wave which is first. You can get a sense of how deep her hull is by the long, long port side gangway with a boat at the end. Still Glory of the Seas looks real proper with her rig intact. That last painting, for some reason appears to be a bit difficult to capture the accurate shades but it's nice to see it again.

[rwiederrich]

Mike told me her demise was not salt water worm and growth infiltration, but dry rot, that she obtained by being laid up in semi fresh water and she survived so long , because of her additions of deck houses , the continual rain in the Pacific North West could not stand freely on her decks and work down to her holds. So her cannery housing actually protected her. 
 

And that is not the Dashing Wave…..it’s the Packard.   

[ClipperFan]

26 minutes ago, rwiederrich said:

Mike told me her demise was not salt water worm and growth infiltration, but dry rot, that she obtained by being laid up in semi fresh water and she survived so long , because of her additions of deck houses , the continual rain in the Pacific North West could not stand freely on her decks and work down to her holds. So her cannery housing actually protected her. 
 

And that is not the Dashing Wave…..it’s the Packard.   

Rob,

Did Mike say under what circumstances she might have been saved? Dashing Wave was a guess based on the stern. I forgot Benj F Packard was out on the Pacific coast. She too had a long life and was finally decomissioned in 1927. There were hopes of turning her into a museum ship. Instead she ended her days as a pseudo pirate ship at Playland Amusement Park. Rye, NY. Sadly the 1938 Hurricane led to her ultimate demise. 

[ClipperFan]

@rwiederrich @Vladimir_Wairoa

I figured out how to use another flash photo feature on my cell phone. Here are 2 articles I found years ago but couldn't share until now.

First is "Transformation of the clipper the Glory of the Seas." This newspaper article describes Elizabeth Le Forgue as being the live model for the Grecian goddess Athena figurehead. There's a tragic story told by an old seaman who apparently sailed on the McKay clipper in her earlier years. It has to do with the figurehead's loss of an arm. Spooky tale. Rings true to me but who knows?

The second article is from The New York Times Magazine, June 3, 1923. Another sad topic about the fiery demise of Glory of the Seas. However, it also includes some of her very fast passages, including one record which remains unbroken today. These journeys belie her assignment as a medium clipper. Fascinating read.

FYI: My second long delayed submission to Nautical Research Journal was done September 30th and met the October 1st deadline. Since Vladimir's tale was far more fascinating and complex than first anticipated, I'm doing a 3rd installment exclusive to his first ever rigging job. Next year is the 175th Anniversary of the launch of Stag Hound "The Pioneer craft of the California Clipper Fleet" as so eloquently described by Cornelius McKay. Success of Stag Hound led to 18 years of some of the most phenomenal California and Australian clipper ships to ever sail the seas. I'm developing another article to cover our build process on her too.

Edited October 3 by ClipperFan
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