HMS Terror by Erebus and Terror - FINISHED - Scale 1:48 - POB - as fitted for polar service in 1845

[michael mott]

Very nice metal work, will you be colouring it in the same way as the earlier parts?

 

Michael

[Erebus and Terror]

Hi Michael, 

 

Thanks for your comment; very much appreciated! To  answer your question, the rails and propeller were probably gunmetal, or red brass, so I won't be blackening them. Red brass is slightly darker and has more of a matte finish than the brass I used, but I really like the look of polished brass against the Swiss pear, so I probably won't darken it any.  It should naturally tarnish some over time, so eventually it will look fairly accurate.

 

Here is a  link to a red brass flare gun if you are interested in the real look. 

 

http://www.rubylane.com/item/700632-I-11055/WWI-Flare-Gun-Webley-Scott

[Erebus and Terror]

HMS TERROR’S CUSTOM STERN TANK

 

As I’ve documented in previous posts, HMS Terror’s stern well was to be filled with strengthening chocks when the propeller wasn’t in use. A unique feature of this design was described by Oliver Lang, the shipwright in charge of the 1845 refit, as an “iron tank placed over the chocks in which any small article of stores may be stored” (NMM ZAZ5683 [J1529]). Lang’s 1845 plan, while vague, suggests that the tank was similar to iron storage tanks used in Royal Navy ships of the era, with one major difference: the fore and aft faces of the tank had two grooves running along their length to seat it on the rails in the propeller well (see my previous post).

 

Oliver Lang's 1845 design for the storage tank (right).

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London (ZAZ5683 [J1529]).

 

Iron tanks had been used in the Royal Navy since 1813 and were used to store all manner of dry and wet goods, and were often used as ballast tanks when stores were depleted or offloaded (Pearson 1992). An example of the types of tanks used in the Franklin era can still be found in the excellently preserved Dealy Island Storehouse, constructed by Captain Kellett of HMS Resolute. The storage tanks were iron, ca. 48 inches by 48 inches in size, with lines of rivets along the middle and alternate edges of each face and around their circular openings (Jane 1982: Figure 3, Figure 6).  I copied this rivet pattern in my reconstruction of the Terror’s stern tank.

 

 

The openings of these tanks were sealed with a recessed cast iron lid between 12 and 24 inches in diameter with a wire rod handle and a cork or wooden bung inserted into a circular opening in their centre (Pearson 1992:24). Maudslay,  Sons, and Field, who were contracted to supply the engines installed in HMS Erebus and Terror (Battersby and Carney 2011:201), owned the patent to produce ship's tanks (Pearson 1992:25), and it is reasonable to assume that they built the custom stern tanks for the Franklin Expedition.  If so, the "Maudslay,  Sons, and Field" name should be stamped on the cast iron lids for the tanks, if they are ever found (e.g.  Pearson 1992:26).  

 

As can be seen above, the profile dimensions of the Terror’s stern tank are shown on Lang’s plan, as well as a general indication of the size and position of the lid and two iron rings used to raise and lower the tank into position. The plans indicate the tank had the following profile dimensions:

 

Height = 40 inches

Length (moulded) = 25 and ½ inches

 

I have estimated, based on the distance between the stern frames, that the propeller well and the tank were sided approximately 34 inches.

 

 

References:

 

Pearson, Michael

1992       From Ship to the Bush: Ship Tanks in Australia. Australasian Historical Archaeology 10: 24-29.

 

Janes, Robert R.

1982       The Preservation and Ethnohistory of a Frozen Historic Site in the Canadian Arctic. Arctic 35(3):358-385.

 

Battersby, William, and Carney, Peter

2011    Equipping HM Ships Erebus and Terror, 1845. International Journal for the History of Engineering  and Technology 81(2):192-211.

 

 

 

Sheet brass scored prior to cutting.

 

A pounce wheel was used to mark the location of the rivets. 

 

The rivets were simulated by punching the brass from the reverse side with the sharp end of a file. 

 

The central opening and wire handle of the lid were made from brass tube and wire. 

 

The outer rim of the lid was soldered into place. The central opening (right) was trimmed and soldered to a plate to form the bottom of the lid (wire still needs to be trimmed to length).

 

The completed lid soldered in place and cleaned up

(sanding is still required and the central hole needs to be drilled to remove the wire rod). 

 

Rings for raising and lowering the tank soldered in place. 

 

The tank parts after chemical blackening. The grooves were made from existing brass stock.

 

Soldering the entire tank was impossible, so a balsa form was created to glue the plates in place. 

 

Starboard side glued in place.

 

The finished tank. The seams were glued, sanded and then painted to match the metal surface. The piece was then lightly coated in dewatering oil to simulate the laquer often used on the real tanks (and to prevent future corrosion). 

 

 

Detail of the top of the tank. The bung in the lid was made with wood-filler.

 

The approximate position where the tank will sit in the well. I'm waiting for the oil to fully penetrate before I dry-fit the piece to the wood. 

 

The  tank seated on the propeller rails. When the rails are glued in place on the stern the tank can be placed in the well or on deck depending on how the model will be displayed (e.g. with propeller in place or not). 

 

A crude model of Captain Crozier provides a sense of scale.

Edited June 26, 2014 by E&T

[michael mott]

Wonderful detail, and nice brasswork.

 

Michael

[dgbot]

Great metal work.  You are doing a great job.  I cannot wiat to see the finished model.

David B

[Trussben]

Just came across you build log, and wow!! Great research and craftsmanship. I shall follow avidly from now on.

 

Ben

[Jim Lad]

Absolutely delightful work!

 

John

[mtaylor]

Impeccable research and impeccable building.  Wow!

[EdT]

E&T,

 

Fascinating research. Capping off the stack of these chocks with an iron tank - what a delightful model detail - if a bit of a strange design. They must have felt cramped on storage space. Do I assume that he tank was moved into the prop storage space when the prop was in use or was it just replaced over the installed prop? Very nice work on the tank, by the way - in fact, lovely work all around. Thank you for posting your work on this unique and interesting ship.

 

Ed

Edited June 26, 2014 by EdT

[druxey]

Nice work as usual, E&T. Should the company name in 1845 be Maudslay, Field and Sons?

[Erebus and Terror]

Michael, David B, Ben, John, Mark, Ed, and Druxey: Thank you for your very encouraging comments. Coming from modelers I admire so much, they mean a lot. 

 

Ed, I believe the tank was set on deck when the prop was in use. It was meant to sit on the chocks, and there would have been no way to support it otherwise. The screw was only to be used when the weather didn't permit the use of sails. 

 

You are absolutely correct that the tank underscores how cramped for space they were. The ship needed to be provisioned for three years. A few letters from Greenland (their last contact) survive and indicate that the decks were so full that they only had a narrow path fore and aft, and that they were very low in the water. Captain Crozier described it like this: "We have now a mean draft of 16 feet and all our provisions not yet on board. "  Apparently they even hung beef quarters from the rigging to save space below. 

 

Druxey, you are correct, the Maudslay, Sons, and Field name was in use since 1833, so the lids would have had that embossed on them. Good catch there, and I've edited my post. 

Edited June 26, 2014 by E&T

[AntonyUK]

Hi E&T.

Very impressive work going on here.

The amount of detail is in equal to the amount of resurch you put in.. In other words OUTSTANDING ...

Every little bit you do simply amasses me.

 

Nice one.

Regards Antony.

[Erebus and Terror]

Thanks Antony. She has a long way to go before she can match the quality of your Victory section!

[AntonyUK]

Hello E&T.

had a day out at Topsham today. 

Managed a few photos of there ship.

Photos are not good as exhibit is behind glass enclosure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dock she was built at. Photo of a diorama of Topsham.

 

 

Hoping these will be of some use to you. If not please message me to remove them.

 

Regards Antony.

 

[Erebus and Terror]

Antony, 

 

Thank you very much for the photos.  It's an interesting model and the builder was clearly working directly from the the original 1813 plans. The merchant roots of these vessels are clearly visible in this model - and I'm intrigued at how different the hull shape appears by 1845. 

 

This may be the only model of the Terror in her original configuration.This would have been her configuration when she bombed Baltimore during the War of 1812 (her bombs helped inspired the American national anthem). 

 

Many thanks again! This is a very welcome addition to this log. 

 

Cheers, 

E&T

Edited August 1, 2014 by E&T

[Erebus and Terror]

A VIEW FROM HMS TERROR’S LOWER DECK

 

Starboard cabin arrangement HMS Terror, 1845 (Note: cabin of Thomas Johnson open for debate).

 

In late May I began a new sub-project of my build - creating an accurate plan of HMS Terror’s lower deck. I thought the project would take a few weeks at most, but creating this plan turned out to be a three month ordeal requiring minute scrutiny of multiple plans and significant research on mid-19th century deck furniture and fittings. The task was made easier by Peter Carney and William Battersby who kindly assisted me with translating some annotations on the plans.  

The difficulty in this project stems from the multiple versions of plans for HMS Terror, some of which are heavily annotated. There are three versions of just the Terror’s lower deck plans, including: 1) the initial 1813 lower deck plan (ZAZ5616), 2)  the 1839 plan which shows both HMS Terror and Erebus, and 3) the 1836 plan, which was modified extensively in 1845 (ZAZ5676). In addition, critical information was gleaned from the 1839 midships section plan (ZAZ5678).

I began by tracing the 1836 plan, and spent nearly a month interpreting the faint 1845 annotations which outline changes to the position of the cabins and a system of hatches and scuttles to accommodate the new engine room in the hold. I then carefully added information on deck furniture from the 1839  plan, and structural details from the 1813 plans. Finally, I compared the new plans to the inboard profile plans I previously created to ensure the accuracy of both (this indicated that some changes were needed on the inboard profile plans). 

I also created a series of detailed elevation plans for the crew accommodations and various fittings, some of which I will post over the coming weeks. HMS Investigator plans were very useful in this regard, as they provide important details that are not shown on the Erebus and Terror plans.  Additionally, I found critical information on the appearance and construction of deck furniture from researching photos from HMS Unicorn, HMS Trincomalee, and HMS Warrior. 

Following research outlined in previous blog posts, I assume that most of HMS Terror’s 1845 fittings conformed to specifications outlined on the 1839 Terror and Erebus plans. Parry’s rationale for identically outfitting polar expeditions notwithstanding, I believe the Admiralty learned important lessons from the near- disastrous 1836 Back expedition (see a description of the damage to the ship here), and decided that critical structural improvements were necessary for all arctic bomb-discovery vessels. Thus, the 1839 plans are titled “Terror and Erebus as Fitted” because both ships were meant to be outfitted to precisely the same standards. These new systems proved themselves in the highly successful antarctic expedition, and by the time they sailed north in 1845, further improvements meant that both ships represented the state of the art in nautical science. 

While the project took far longer than anticipated, I greatly enjoyed producing these plans, as they provide insights into what the long winters in the ice were like for Crozier and his crew, nearly 170 years ago.  Indeed, the ability to put a name to a specific cabin was a moving revelation; for example, Lieutenant Irving's description  of the “dreadful puffings and screamings” of the locomotive engine (Bell 1881: 117) takes on new meaning when one realizes his cabin was almost directly above it! 

References:

Bell, Benjamin

1881 Lieut. John Irving, R.N. of H.M.S. "Terror" in Sir John Franklin's Last Expedition to the Arctic Regions: A Memorial Sketch With Letters. D. Douglas, Edinburgh.

 

Lower Deck, HMS Terror, 1845 (note the presence of the large central sail bin on Terror, needed

to accommodate the creation of the engine room in the orlop deck and hold).

 

Port cabin arrangement, HMS Terror, 1845 (Note: cabin of John Lane open for debate).

 

Captain's cabin, HMS Terror, 1845, facing aft (note the panels covering the central propeller well and the drawers below).

 

Lieutenant John Irving's cabin (the line is station 8), facing port (note the iron knee, bookshelves, and folding table).

Edited September 14, 2016 by E&T

[druxey]

Thanks for sharing your research and findings, E&T. Excellent sleuthing!

[dgbot]

Your eyesight and patience did the job.

David B

[EdT]

Outstanding research.  A great example for all of us.

 

Ed

[hlipplaa]

awesome ship

[Erebus and Terror]

Thank you for all of the likes and comments. They are much appreciated. 

 

And hlipplaa, I agree she was an awesome ship. One of the great exploration vessels... 

[mtaylor]

E&T,

 

While your work is inspiring and wonderful, your research is humbling.  I'm totally in awe.

[mati]

I'm always waiting for your update!

...and it's everytime big plesure to read and look at your work

 

I can't wait when you 'll finish your drawings 

That 'll be absolutely stunning publication...

 

Keep up a good job!

 

Cheers,

Matt

 

[michael mott]

E&T your research and drawing are truly great work and an inspiration to all of us regardless of the types of vessels we are building.

 

Michael

[Erebus and Terror]

Matt, Michael, and Mark, thank you sincerely for your comments. They are a great source of motivation. Hopefully more soon!

[themadchemist]

Hum, for some reason I'm not receiving email notices of this logs updates. I just unfollowed and then reclicked follow. Maybe that will help.

 

I agree with the above. Your Research and sharing of it deserves much respect. Thanks for your efforts in sharing.

 

Thanks to Anthony also for some great pictures of the Terror's previous life.

[Erebus and Terror]

CAPTAIN CROZIER’S BED CABIN

 

Scale cross section of Crozier's personal quarters (at Station 12).

Note that the double planking and ice channels on the hull aren't shown here.

 

As part of my research on the Terror’s lower deck, I created a series of elevations of the fittings and accommodations. In my previous post, I provided  a cross section of the captain’s great cabin, which was the most spacious and lavishly appointed room on the ship. This stood in contrast to Crozier’s bed cabin which appears to have been as small and spare as the other officer cabins (in fact, it was among the smaller bed cabins on the vessel). It had just enough space for a simple bed, a washstand, and a small fixed writing table (in contrast to the larger folding writing tables in the other cabins).

 

This cross section is based on details derived from the Terror’s 1836 lower deck plans (modified in 1845), the somewhat more detailed 1839 lower deck plans, and the 1839 midships section plan. Further information was taken from images of fittings on HMS Unicorn, HMS Trincomalee, and HMS Warrior.

 

The cross section shown here provides some interesting information about how the ship was modified for polar exploration. The square-shaped hot air heating funnel can be seen just behind the bed. Heated air must have escaped from holes in the upper surface of the funnel, rising through the space between the bed and the spirketting caused by the knee, as the 1836 plans (and others) show that these beds were built flush to the deck. The “thick” waterway was fitted in 1836 and, in addition to its traditional function of protecting the beam and plank ends, worked as a sort of reverse shelf piece/deck clamp to support strain on the decks from ice pressure. The six inch thick shelf piece itself was as robust as ships of 60 to 90 guns, and its run and position is specifically noted on both the 1836 and 1839 profile plans, suggesting it was a new modification to both ships. 

 

The right-angle iron knee was a relatively standard design of the era and examples can be found on the gun deck of Seppings' HMS Unicorn. We know similar knees were retrofitted to HMS investigator and I expect the same occurred on the Terror, and the partial section on the 1836 plans shows a clamp/shelf design commonly used with iron knees (although the iron knee isn't shown until the 1845 midships section). The knee was bolted to the beam, the bolts passing through the shelf piece, the chock, the frame, and the first layer of the outside hull planking. Uniquely, its heel was supported by a massive six inch thick plank bolted to the spirketting. Again, the run of this plank was shown on both the 1836 and 1839 profile plans, suggesting it was a critical modification to both ships.  On the Investigator, both the shelf piece and the supporting plank below the chock were made from elm, but Rice (Ross 1847) indicates they were made of oak on the Franklin vessels .

 

The massive knees severely impacted the available space in the cabins, and the iron knee itself must have been a constant source of discomfort to Crozier’s sleep. In a personal letter to  his friend and former commander, James Clark Ross, Crozier admitted his misgivings about the expedition and confided his deep loneliness. As I developed these plans, I repeatedly pictured Crozier writing alone in his uncomfortable little cabin, the most probable place for him to put down a very private last letter to his best friend.

 

References:

Ross, Sir James Clark

1847 A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions, During the Years 1839-1843: Volume I. John Murray, London.

 

Edited September 7, 2014 by E&T

[druxey]

Terrific research, E&T. How did you determine the number and titles of the books Crozier had along? Just kidding.

[Erebus and Terror]

Ha ha! Thanks Druxey...To my shame, I admit I actually considered a couple of the authors (look closely at the section of Irving's cabin).

[druxey]

Oh, dear. Your disease is worse than I thought. I'm so sorry, E&T....