Endurance by clearway - OcCre - 1/70 scale - kitbash

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  That's cool copper work on the prow, and great detail how you mounted the prop astern.  And what will show best of all on the ship is the 3-D stanchions with metal railing - what a great upgrade!  I've already ordered and received similar stanchions from Cornwall, and will find suitable brass wire locally - and am pondering whether to solder the railings (then bend the sections prior to placement on the ship) or feed wire through the stanchion locations.  The Endurance had white painted railings, but I'd be tempted to leave them brass and acquire a patina over time ... can't decide really.

 

  'Saw on Hake's build where he omitted the wooden housing over the steering mechanism so he could model the actual works.  (He did a good job of it.) 'Guess they enclosed it prior to the Polar expedition to avoid ice accumulation in that critical area.  They did remove the housing once stranded in the ice to use, and salvaged a bunch of other stuff as well.  Reading the book 'Endurance', I found it hard to put down since the story was so compelling.  My thoughts are (when I ever get to my own build) is to do the actual mechanism like Hake did, then put the housing over it - but removable for show.  For sure, anyone with this Ochre kit in their stash will benefit greatly from both fine build on the forum right now.

[clearway]

Thanks Johnny- i am building the railings in sections which can be removed for painting -the three at the front finish half way through the ball joint with the side pieces bent to shape to interlock when finished. I used superglue once i was happy with the dry fit. I am just going to model the steering without deckhouse as not enough info.

 

Keith

[Portsoy]

Hi Keith,

 

really enjoying following along your fantastic build of both the “Terror” and the “Endurance”.

 

Do you know if the Endurance was covered with copper plating on the lower hull or was it removed for the Antarctic? You can see evidence of copper sheets around the sternpost in the drydock photo posted earlier.

 

Also  do you happen to know what is a good size for the propeller for the kit please? I am assuming that nothing is supplied with the kit?

 

Waiting for the next installment of your brilliant build.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

16 hours ago, Portsoy said:

Hi Keith,

 

really enjoying following along your fantastic build of both the “Terror” and the “Endurance”.

 

Do you know if the Endurance was covered with copper plating on the lower hull or was it removed for the Antarctic? You can see evidence of copper sheets around the sternpost in the drydock photo posted earlier.

 

Also  do you happen to know what is a good size for the propeller for the kit please? I am assuming that nothing is supplied with the kit?

 

Waiting for the next installment of your brilliant build.

  I'm learning more about the Endurance all the time - hence I'll wait until present builds are finished (and look for more info in the interim) before thinking about starting this project.  I didn't know that she had a few plates at the bow (presumably to lessen ice wear on the keel), and she may well have had some at the stern.  There are pictures of Polaris (before being modified into Endurance) that show the rear railing with three rails (versus the two that were on the Endurance - and the top rail being wood !).  Polaris had a much smaller rear cabin and a photo shows no channels.  Initial conversion to Endurance shows the enlarged rear cabin, channels for the deadeyes, the new name on the stern - and the ship above the waterline is still white ... but the kennels have not yet been built and there is no enclosure over the steering mechanism.  I surmise that there was more work done subsequently to that photo (perhaps in South America while fitting for the expedition).  That additional work included the kennels and steering shed - as well as painting the hull black above the waterline (rub rail excepted).  My guess is that a black hull would be far more visible in the arctic than a white one - especially if there was anticipation that the ship would have ice all around, and scouting parties would need to see the ship from afar.

 

  So there are 'several' versions of the ship that can be modeled ...  as Polaris (pre-conversion - and there are photos to go by), as a 'phase 1' conversion to Endurance per a few of the photos I've seen - and the hull would still be white then, or as the ship was finally modified just prior to setting out for the Antarctic (with a black hull and white 'pinstripe').  One could model it stuck on the ice, when the steering house was removed to be used for the first encampment - as well as stripped of some other stuff, and three of the lifeboats named and further modified.  Check out the considerations surrounding the present build of the Glory of the Sea - and how there are separate time periods with their own modifications to choose from.  The builder obviously had to make a choice among the many options.  Same goes for the Thermopylae, that went from China tea clipper (maximum sail for speed and 'token' cannons as required for insurance) to Australian wool trade (where studding sails were discarded and mast height lessened since top speed wasn't essential, and a smaller crew kept her competitive with steamers - she also got re-painted green that covered the previously distinctive yellow rub rail) to working the Northwest timber trade where she was painted white and converted to a barque, to being outfitted as a trainer for the Portuguese Navy, to being used as a coal 'hulk' ... and ultimately sank as a Naval training target.  ALL these were the same ship in a variety of forms, so whatever ship one wants to model - deciding what time period to represent will affect how one outfits and rigs the vessel.  The search for knowledge is half the fun, as I see it.

 

  More to your point,  had the entire hull of the Endurance (Polaris) been coppered below the water line - why would any owner gone to the trouble of removing all of that?  Polaris was built for northern waters (gad, it had two feet thick sides! ... and only the Fram - used by Amundson - was stronger, per the builders) so ship worms only live so far north due to temperature extremes.  The second factor is the development of effective anti-fouling paint - and that could be an avenue of separate research.  But with a cheaper alternative than to copper an entire hull (just slap on the paint), they likely used metal only where deemed necessary for protection from ice - hence the prow and concerning the steering mechanism.  My guess.

 

Fair sailing -   Johnny

[clearway]

TY Portsoy, i havent seen any evidence for coppering on the hull , as johnny says no need to worry about worm in polar waters. she did have gudgeons on the sternpost for the rudder which might give the look of plating from an angle. the kit does come with a three bladed prop but as you have seen from pics she had a two bladed prop (i used a spare from billings boats from their mary ann kit and trimmed it to size). as johnny points out ships morph with use, the dredger you see on my profile pic was built in 1926 and was mothballed in 1993ish being scrapped in 1998 , she lost her port platform/ wooden lifeboat/davits and her starboard davits were reduced to one with a gemini inflatable replacing the wooden lifeboat, also the original steam powered crane was replaced with a diesel one (it is this condition in the pic) however as you can see she kept her coal fired steam engine til the very end! as regards endurance there is a nice pic of the ice sheathing on the bows in one of the crew photos.i will most likely not model the kennels either. another thing i notyiced is it looks like they altered the funnel guy wires to run over the railings to the bulwarks to clear the kennels (you can see the railings bent out of line with the strain).

 

Keith

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

2 hours ago, clearway said:

TY Portsoy, i havent seen any evidence for coppering on the hull , as johnny says no need to worry about worm in polar waters. she did have gudgeons on the sternpost for the rudder which might give the look of plating from an angle. the kit does come with a three bladed prop but as you have seen from pics she had a two bladed prop (i used a spare from billings boats from their mary ann kit and trimmed it to size). as johnny points out ships morph with use, the dredger you see on my profile pic was built in 1926 and was mothballed in 1993ish being scrapped in 1998 , she lost her port platform/ wooden lifeboat/davits and her starboard davits were reduced to one with a gemini inflatable replacing the wooden lifeboat, also the original steam powered crane was replaced with a diesel one (it is this condition in the pic) however as you can see she kept her coal fired steam engine til the very end! as regards endurance there is a nice pic of the ice sheathing on the bows in one of the crew photos.i will most likely not model the kennels either. another thing i notyiced is it looks like they altered the funnel guy wires to run over the railings to the bulwarks to clear the kennels (you can see the railings bent out of line with the strain).

 

Keith

   Bravo Clearway - I've managed to find the stern photo in dry dock you mentioned ...  Yup, a 2 bladed prop - and there is nice detail on how the rudder was hinged.  It does look like there are metal plates on the periphery of the rudder going down to the level off the prop.  There's no indication on what material was used (same with that on the leading edge of the keel), but perhaps it might have been painted steel - which would hold-up better than copper for the presumed purpose of reducing ice damage to the wood at those locations ... just a guess.  The photo has excellent detail for the steering mechanism, and chain is wrapped around the horizontal drum.  There is other good stuff, like the relative planking width (among other tidbits).  Too bad there isn't ONE source or reference having all the known photos of Endurance together.

 

   There are a lot of old photos that have been the 'public domain' for some time - yet many museums, institutions and individuals are now claiming 'copyright' on the same photos ... I suppose 'just because they can try'.  And there are sometimes multiple 'entities' claiming 'copyright' to the same photo.  'Gets me, since under the old laws copyrights had to be renewed at intervals and there was an absolute limit to the number of times this could be done.  Once expired, material went into the public domain - and there are a lot of photos the were used for postcards in the early 20th century that never had a copyright in the first place, ergo they were public domain from the start.  But the Disney lobby feared that their oldest movies nearing the limits could be openly copied and sold as public domain.  This is aside from the fact that their images are registered 'trademarks' (look closely at Micky or Goofy and you'll see a little 'TM' somewhere), and those can be indefinitely renewed and can protect from 'copycat' images - even if original art.

 

  So the laws were changed so that a copyright holder has absolute rights for life (plus so many years for the estate) ... yet if the holder is a corporation, then as long as the corporation 'lives' (files tax returns) the copyright now holds effectively in perpetuity.  OK, so one better have a license to sell any old movie.  But as a result of re-writing the copyright laws, all kinds of entities and individuals are slapping copyrights on anything they happen to have. Different prints of the same old postcard will have different postmarks, scratches, stains (or whatnot) - and many claim that their 'version' is thus unique and copyrightable.  Sadly, they overlook that once in the public domain - something can no longer be copyrighted.

 

  So the question revolves around whether a photo was published in a book or on a postcard or in a newspaper that was either not copyrighted or that the copyrights expired on.  Photographs that were never published at all, but are in private collections may well be fair game for claiming protection nonetheless.  Not affected is the 'fair use' doctrine - that if one buys or legally acquires a book or publication, one has the right to use it for personal reasons (including copying, enlarging, modifying, etc.) ... but not to reproduce for sale or distribution.   Yet the original item can be sold to someone else, effecting a transfer of the single copy license.  Fine lines, for sure - and anybody can sue anyone for anything. (Doesn't mean they will prevail.)

 

  Sorry to have gone into this 'rabbit hole', and Old Johnny is hauling himself out with blocks and tackle.

[HakeZou]

Johnny, Getty Images seems to have a pretty complete set of Frank Hurley's photos, which is why I link to them so frequently in my build log. Although this link suggests there are 163, be aware that most are Hurley's, some are of the replica Endurance used in the film with Kenneth Branagh as Shackleton, and some are only indirectly related to the expedition. The National Library of Australia preserves almost 11,000 of Hurley's photos from throughout his career, but I haven't had the patience to browse the whole collection and find the photos of the Endurance expedition. As far as copyright, Hurley's photos are protected for 70 years after his death, so they don't enter the public domain until 2032.

 

Portsoy, I haven't found many great photos of the hull below the waterline. However, this one appears to show wood planks without copper plates. This photo of the Endurance in a London drydock suggests that there was something reinforcing the stempost, maybe it was copper or some other metal?

[clearway]

thankyou johnny and hakezou, these info exchanges are one of the main benefits of being in these forums.

 

Merry Christmas everyone wherever you are

 

Keith

[Cathead]

Just stumbled across your log, though I've been following Hakezou's for a while now. Like many others, the Shackleton story has long fascinated me and seeing a decent kit of the Endurance is inspiring. Great work so far and another good tutorial in how to improve the kit.

[clearway]

wow been a while since i worked on Endurance (HMS Terror and 1/35 armour sidetracking me again)! The railings have had a coat of white paint and have started on the hatchway on the ritz roof. On the plans of Polaris i bought from the N.M.M. there was a skylight on the roof, but on one of Frank Hurley's photos you see a crew member heading into the hatch, and it looks like they planked over the skylight and installed the accommodation hatch in its place. Just used some scrap ply offcuts to form the shell which will be planked over.

 

Take care all

 

Keith

Edited June 28, 2022 by clearway
missed info

[clearway]

A little more progress with the hatch on the roof of the ritz.

 

 

take care

keith

[HakeZou]

It's great to see you back at your Endurance, Keith!

 

Those white railings look really sharp! I'm glad to see you revising that hatch, especially since that's one of the places where OcCre's plans don't align with what we know of the real ship. As I revisit the photos, I think that there was a skylight there, but not a hatch (here's a useful photo from the shipyard in London). If there were a hatch, there'd be stairs or a ladder dropping down into the saloon of the Ritz and I don't recall seeing that in any of the photos. I think that the hatch that OcCre positioned there was actually on the quarterdeck, after the skylight over the officer's mess...but I'm having a hard time confirming that with photos today.

 

I hadn't noticed before that you removed the catwalks from the bridge deck piece. I would be curious to hear your plans for installing them? (Especially when you plan to install them...there's a whole lot of awkwardness yet to come in that area!)

 

On a side note, I've just started building the HMS Terror...still reading through your buildlog and others, but I'm grateful to have yours as inspiration!

[clearway]

Thanks Hakezou, i am basing my thoughts on the below photo. The funnel is in the background and the boom on the foreside of the mainmast is behind the crewman also note the pinrails on the shrouds. Good luck with Terror but witha little foresight alterations are easier! Also see daniel D and keithS build logs.

 

The gangways will be located on top edges of ritz/ quaterdeck with the boat skid supporting middle (see photo in link you provided).

Take care 

Keith

 

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by clearway
missed info

[clearway]

Thanks for likes/looking in. Not spent much time in shipyard this weekend, but managed to do a little bit more with hatch on the ritz roof and a coat of paint on the galley stovepipe. Also when looking at pics in the "south with Endurance" book and stern views of wreck noticed the companion way on the poop deck has three small windows each side. Have drilled and filed those along with adding curve to roof of hatch.

Take care all

 

Keith

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

On 6/29/2022 at 3:12 PM, clearway said:

Thanks Hakezou, i am basing my thoughts on the below photo. The funnel is in the background and the boom on the foreside of the mainmast is behind the crewman also note the pinrails on the shrouds. Good luck with Terror but witha little foresight alterations are easier! Also see daniel D and keithS build logs.

 

The gangways will be located on top edges of ritz/ quaterdeck with the boat skid supporting middle (see photo in link you provided).

Take care 

Keith

 

 

  Very interesting photo ... likely among the changes made in South America before departure for Antartica.   It shows that the original installed side railings of the central cabin were removed ... and that cabin was enlarged by decking out to the gunwales AND rearward to the stern cabin to make one giant living space for the long Winter(s) ahead.

 

  Check out the ingenious build log of the Endurance (ex Polaris) in a lightbulb done not long ago, where the builder's intent was to show this "final" (so they thought) configuration of the ship deep into Polar ice.  I had not realized just how extensively re-modeled the ship was, but a careful examination of the many photographs extant (and one has to 'dig' a little to see some of them, as many institutions/individuals have got into the habit of 'copyrighting' any old photo in their possession - even though the material was already in the public domain from the passage of time alone, plus prior publication) reveals that a major re-decking (via extension) was done.

 

  So there are many 'configurations' to choose from when deciding what point in time/circumstances to represent in a model.  Aside from the original Polaris (enough photos exist), there is the 'mod 1' version of Endurance as it set sail from England ('T' shaped walkways w/railing and 2 side gangways to make a dog run with railings, kennels present but no enclosure over the steering tackle), a 'mod 2' with some further changes done upon reaching the Americas, and a 'mod 3' version of even more extensive modifications (a-la the above mentioned cabin/deck extensions) prior to finally leaving for Southern Polar waters (not sure when the steering tackle was enclosed, but certainly by 'mod 3').  Take your pick, for they all represent the ship at some point in time.

 

  When trapped on the ice, more changes were made e.g., an observation perch was constructed at the stern and accessed by a long ramp (gangway) with side safety ropes (or cables).  Once the decision was made to camp on the ice, the enclosure for the steering mechanism was moved off the ship as a ready-made cabin ( and the wood from the observation perch and access-way re-used ... with a lot of other stuff as needed) - ergo that is why you can see that area un-enclosed on the recent pictures of the ship made in its final location under water.

 

  'Problem is:  one can't just use ALL of the stuff seen in one photograph or another at the same time, since some of the configurations are mutually exclusive.  So a builder should choose one point in time/location and try to include the features documentable to that point.  Many one this site have seen the extensive build log of Rob's Glory of the Seas clipper, and just how much information came from examinations and re-examinations of both photographic and written documentation.  The LATEST revelation being that the forecastle was taller and roomier that previously thought since the forecastle deck turns out to be higher than thought - proven by comparison of multiple photographs.  So Rob is in the progress of re-building this area on the model, since he has lavished so much attention to accuracy of a particular TIME in the life of the ship.

 

  This we see that there are MANY Endurances, just as there are MANY Glory of the Seas (or Thermopylaes).  Once agin, take your pick.

 

Fair sailing !     Johnny

[clearway]

Hi Johnny- i am going with i hope version 2! I would imagine the hatch replacing the skylight would have been done in the yard (originally the ritz was paneled a la cutty sark deckhouse style which they removed/ covered over with tongue and groove planking seen on pics). Also originally the portholes/ windows were square on original build. Talk about take your pick!

 

Keith

[HakeZou]

On 6/29/2022 at 2:12 PM, clearway said:

Good eyes, Keith! I remember spending some time looking at that photo and I could never quite figure out where it actually was on the deck!

[clearway]

Thanks for likes and comments and looking in. A little more progress on the ritz hatch and started adding veneer to stern hatchway. Also cut away the mddle cross pieces on the engine room skylight as per my plans from N.M.M. (it looks like originally there were windows on the sides of the light as well because they had seats running the length of the skylight for the intended well to do clientele she was built for originally which is probably why they did the windows like they did). Also added the hawses for the anchors.

 

 

Take care all.

 

Keith

 

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in folks. Work continues on the poop deck companionway and the engine room skylight is complete though not fastened in place yet.

Take care all

 

Keith

[Lubber Line]

I love what you’ve done to make the model more historically accurate. I have the kit and some of the things you have chosen to alter were things I was contemplating. I don’t have access to the plans so I must ask: did Endurance have any scuppers on the main deck or freeing ports at the lower edge of the bulwarks? The design of bulwarks on the kit don’t seem to be accurate, as the lack of scuppers would have caused the main deck to fill up with water unless it could drain away freely. 

 

Also a minor quibble with the kit: they show the ship flying the white ensign of the Royal Navy. Endurance was privately owned by Shackleton and registered in London; she would have flown the red ensign.

[clearway]

Thanks Lubber, there would indeed have been scuppers, there are some good shots of her hull when painted white which show a lot of good detail, regards the flag ... interesting viewpoint and yes should indeed be the red duster, though he did offer Endurance to the navy for the war effort but they said no proceed with the mission.

 

Keith

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in, bad weather again today so had some ship time- as a break from HMS Terror did a little work on Endurance with the lower masts /bowsprit cut to length and the access ladders for the bridge above "the ritz" built which will be painted before being fastened in place. I have also lowered the hatch cover on the ritz roof as it had too much wood tween the window and top.

take care all

Keith

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by clearway

[clearway]

Wow the evenings are really closing in now- pitch black outside by 7pm today. Nice weather today but decided to have a rest from D.I.Y. work. I dug some brass strip out of my bits n pieces pile and made the rudder gudgeons- needed these done before more detail work was done to outside of hull. According to plans i bought from N.M.M. they should be 12mm apart (these are completely missing from occre plans/ fittings). Also made a start on the foremast with the masthead squared off and the bibs/ trestletrees added- again according to the plans the mast doubling should be around 30mm.

Take care all

 

Keith

Edited October 16, 2022 by clearway
typo

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in everyone. work continues with the rudder pintles  and masts  and the ritz ladders painted and glued in place.

Take care

Keith

 

[clearway]

thanks for looking in- back with Endurance and the pinrails for the foremast are fastened onto the bulwarks, also started on the well deck mounted skylights. The topmasts have also been tapered- first the usual gradual taper- then for the last 20mm or so tapered at a more acute angle then the mast cap added (used photos from the book "south with endurance" for reference).

Take care all

 

Keith

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in and the likes everyone- talk about difference in weather- last weekend southerly winds and temperatures reaching 20celcius, then torrential rain on and off for a few days and this weekend cold northerly winds with snow forecast on the Cumbrian fells!

 

Back with Endurance and started on the chainplates/ deadeyes. Have added a channel for the foremast shrouds as it looks like from certain photos it looks likely though maybe not as wide, but no way were they above the capping rail. So far the chainplates for the shrouds have been drilled/ glued into the hull with the smaller ones for the back stays still to be glued in place. The chainplates are made from annealed iron wire looped and wrapped around the deadeye. 

Take care all

 

Keith

[HakeZou]

She continues to look better and better! I think that your decision to build the forechannels is well supported by the photographic evidence. I think that this photo is probably the clearest for seeing them. They do look pretty narrow, but they are definitely there below the capping rail.

[clearway]

Thanks Hake- that is one picture that i had missed- had to make thechannels that wide to accomodate the thicker deadeyes (any narrower and they would have been impossible to rig).

 

Keith

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in- been a while since i updated Endurance- the skylights on the foredeck are finished and have sourced an alternate windlass from Billings obtained via cornwall models boats (not 100% accurate but looks better than supplied version). Also added a coat of white to the funnel and engine room vents though still need to add some eyes for the funnel stays, and not sure i am going to use the supplied vents (likely use either billings or caldercraft to replace them). The hatch atop of the ritz was also altered to lower its profile a little.

Thanks for the likes and comments so far- always appreciated.

 

Keith

[clearway]

Thanks for the likes and looking in, decided to have a try at the steering gear- as with Terror the 10 spoke ships wheel is from Caldercraft. So far have made the foremost bracket and rearmost though might btry to refine the latter a little more- two more brackets are needed- one just behind the foremost and one astride the rudder head.

I think the wooden barrel for the steering chains needs thinned too.

 

Take care all

 

Keith