American Ship Models * And How to Build Them

[aaronc]

Just given the quick scan I've done I like the book,...even if it is a bit dated. It's my 2nd one on the subject,..picked up my first a year or so back. Just curious if this guild was still active? It's stamped just inside the cover,..google didn't bring up anything related that I could see. 

[popeye2sea]

I found some info in a google search:

 

Ventura County Maritime Museum Model Guild

2731 South Victoria Ave.

Oxnard, CA 93035

 

I can not tell if they still exist or not.

 

Regards,

 

[popeye2sea]

Further update.  The museum may have changed names to the Channel Islands Maritime Museum so the model guild may be named that now.

 

Regards,

[aaronc]

Henry,...thanks for the response. Best Regards, - Aaron

[aaronc]

Yep you nailed it,..   "The Museum began as the Ventura County Maritime Museum in 1990 at Fisherman’s Wharf at Channel Islands Blvd and Victoria Avenue in Oxnard"    I copied this from the site. It also says they house the largest number of POW bone ship models in the US,...must be some museum. Thanks again. 

[Dziadeczek]

Over a period of ~ 25 years, I visited this museum probably about a dozen of times, or so. And each time I took a handful of photographs. So, today I have quite a collection of pics from there.

It is not nearly as big as, let's say, The US Navy Museum in Annapolis, but It is a very interesting little maritime museum, with an exceptionally friendly staff, mostly of volunteers, passionate individuals, who fondly greet every visitor and are willing to help him/her.

This is the museum, the next NRG conference will be held next year.

Their collection of ship models includes, among the others, about half a dozen ship models by the late Edward Marple, who was a dental technician, so he was quite handy with his dental drill and was using it quite skillfully for carving the ornamentation for his models. Among those especially interesting ones, are his Sovereign of the Seas, the Royal George and the Royal Katherine...

The museum also has quite an interesting collection of maritime paintings, among them a large format painting of the Royal Sovereign by Van de Velde the Younger. I also like very much their paintings by John Stobart.

Here is a handful of my pics from my last visit in June 2019. (Hopefully I will be able to attend the upcoming Conference and revisit their models again).

 

 

Sovereign of the Seas by Edward Marple

 

Sovereign of the Seas by Edward Marple

 

Sovereign of the Seas by Edward Marple

 

Sovereign of the Seas by Edward Marple

 

Vasa by William Siegfried

 

Xebec L'Indiscret by Unknown

 

galley La Reale de France

 

Frigate Seahorse by James Cutler

 

Royal George by Edward Marple

 

Royal George by Edward Marple

 

Royal Katherine by Edward Marple

 

John Bentham Dinsdale "English King Charles II receiving the fleet after the Battle of Solebay 1672"

 

prisoner of war bone model

 

Royal Katherine by Edward Marple

 

Mars

 

HMS Serapis

 

Charles Martin Powell "British Man-O- War with Dutch Sailing Vessels in a  Choppy Sea" 1805

 

Chinese Exhibit

 

Steam Yacht "Mayflower"

 

 

Steam Yacht "Mayflower"

 

John Stobart "Vallejo Street Wharf, San Francisco 1863"

 

Montague Dawson "The Atlantic sailing packet Daniel Webster"

 

Jonn Stobart "Clipper Ship 'Nightingale' Towing Out Past Greenwich in 1852"

 

John Stobart "Nantucket Sunrise"

 

Edward Marple's workplace (museum reconstruction)

 

E. Marple's workplace

 

E. Marple's workplace

 

E. Marple's workplace

 

HMS "Prince" Edward Marple's last model (unfinished)

 

E. Marple's workplace with unfinished HMS "Prince"

 

E. Marple's workplace & unfinished HMS 'Prince'

 

E. Marple's workplace - detail

 

Roy Cross "Robert E. Lee in New Orleans 1870s"

 

Roy Cross "Steamer Adelaide Passing Fort McHenry"

 

Roy Cross "The Devonshire"

 

 

John Wilson Carmichel  "Squadron of Frigates and Fishing Vessels in a Choppy See off Holy Island"

 

 

And the last pic here is a general view of Mr. Marple's workshop (reconstructed) again

[aaronc]

Impressive,...thanks for posting. 

[Ryland Craze]

Looks like a nice book.  I will have to look for a copy for my library.  I have edited the topic to reflect the book you are showing.

 

I am looking forward to the NRG Conference there as the pictures show that the Museum is my type of place I like to visit.

[ferretmary1]

I checked the CIMM website and it still lists the guild.  It meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM.

It didn't say whether they were suspending meetings because of the virus.  You might be able to call the museum and ask.  805-984-6260

According to the museum's site, they are still closed, but the model guild may be meeting somewhere else during the interim, or as many clubs are doing, meeting by email.

 

[aaronc]

I have a large library of my other interest,...I like books. My ship model library is just getting started. Just FYI it can be readily found online and is inexpensive. I'll post my book titles up in good fashion in the future 👍

[aaronc]

3 minutes ago, NRG OFFICE MANAGER said:

I checked the CIMM website and it still lists the guild.  It meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM.

It didn't say whether they were suspending meetings because of the virus.  You might be able to call the museum and ask.  805-984-6260

According to the museum's site, they are still closed, but the model guild may be meeting somewhere else during the interim, or as many clubs are doing, meeting by email.

 

I bought the book online. I checked the shipping info and it came from the Simi Valley, CA..,, right where the museum and guild are located. Makes me wonder if someone simply didn't return it,....perhaps passed away..then a family member sold it with other belongings?? Who knows.  -Aaron

[ferretmary1]

Considering how stained the cover is, it could be something that they sold off to raise money for the club or they no longer had space for all of their books so they sold some off.  If you are really worried about it, contact them and tell them how you got the book and ask if they want it back.  Be prepared to go looking for another copy for yourself if they do.

[aaronc]

25 minutes ago, NRG OFFICE MANAGER said:

Considering how stained the cover is, it could be something that they sold off to raise money for the club or they no longer had space for all of their books so they sold some off.  If you are really worried about it, contact them and tell them how you got the book and ask if they want it back.  Be prepared to go looking for another copy for yourself if they do.

I'm not hiding the fact that I have it. I'd gamble members here belong to the that guild. I've got a whole 5$ in it. If they felt like I Jesse James'd it I would reimburse them via PayPal and let them do there own shopping.

Yes it's stained and could have been discarded for that reason. It actually appears to be glue..not surprising. Honest wear on a good vintage book doesn't bother me...info is still as valuable. I was only curious if the guild was still going or had long since disbanded. Glad to see it's still active.....and a museum with bone ship models to boot.

[mtaylor]

Well, I had planned on attending this conference but along came the virus.   I'm cursing it even more now after seeing those photos.  Just have to wait until next year.

[ferretmary1]

Que Carley Simon "Anticipation"  😀

[bridgman]

Some notes on the book. It was published in 1942 by W. Norton Co. with a forward by H. I. Chapelle, 

who praised Grimwood  book as an excellent  guide book for beginner modelers having much useful 

detail to make good models without to much difficulty. Drawings in the book could be use to build a 

model from as they are clear and uncluttered. Subject ranges  from brig of war"Boxer" to a model racing 

yacht, 1930s era, by various draftsman. If considering buying a copy, look for the first edition as the drawings are fold 

out and more useful.

 

Bridgman Bob

[BobG]

On 8/24/2020 at 11:43 PM, Dziadeczek said:

Here is a handful of my pics from my last visit in May 2019.

Thank you for posting the photos of these amazing models. I'm not very familiar with these great warships so if anyone can sequentially identify the names of the ships in these photos it would be great. 

[ferretmary1]

Bob - Most of the models have name plates and if you click on the picture, you can enlarge them enough to read the plate.

There are a couple without visible nameplates and someone with more expertise than I would have to name those for you.

 

Mary

[BobG]

6 minutes ago, NRG OFFICE MANAGER said:

Bob - Most of the models have name plates and if you click on the picture, you can enlarge them enough to read the plate.

Thanks very much.

[ferretmary1]

Bob - I also just noticed that after you click on the picture, it has the ship's name in the URL bar at the top of the screen!

 

Mary

[Dziadeczek]

Sorry for this omission - I corrected it plus added some more pics from one of my earlier visits...

Regards,

Thomas

[ferretmary1]

Thomas - Thank you for sharing these and for updating your post with ship names and modeler's names if known.

We hope to see you at the conference next year!

 

Mary

[BobG]

19 minutes ago, Dziadeczek said:

Sorry for this omission - I corrected it plus added some more pics from one of my earlier visits...

Fantastic models and paintings. Thanks very much! 

 

Marple's work is amazing and his carvings are stunning.

 

 

[BobG]

On 8/24/2020 at 11:43 PM, Dziadeczek said:

prisoner of war bone model

Is this model made entirely of bone?

[Seahawk1313]

Thomas- thank you for posting the pictures, very interesting- hal

[ferretmary1]

Bob - Yes they primarily are.  Here is a link to more information on these models: https://maas.museum/inside-the-collection/2010/02/15/prisoner-of-war-bone-ship-model/

[mtaylor]

Thanks for the added photos, Thomas.   I never made the connection with Marple"s work shop and the museum until now.  I have seen photos of it before somewhere but even then only one or two of the work bench. 

[aaronc]

4 hours ago, Dziadeczek said:

Sorry for this omission - I corrected it plus added some more pics from one of my earlier visits...

Regards,

Thomas

Thanks for the pics,...love the added ones as well. That Marples fella musta been something else...I've ran into his name a few times the last day or two here browsing. I'm going to spend some time later this evening doing some internet digging on him. - Aaron 

[aaronc]

I found this pretty readily. I'm sure it'a already around here somewhere but it might be new to someone. I found it to be a great read with several nice pics.

 

http://www.education.maritime-museum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/marple.pdf

[Dziadeczek]

6 hours ago, BobG said:

Is this model made entirely of bone?

As far as I know. They used beef bones from their food rations.

Except, of course, for the rigging. I was told, that some of those prisoners used their own long hair and twisted it into ropes for their models.

Hard to believe...