Prince de Neufchatel by Coyote_6 – Constructo – 1/58 scale - American privateer

[Coyote_6]

@ClipperFan  thanks for weighing in here, and even more so for the interesting additional info!  It is the experts and enthusiasts here that make this site and hobby so much fun!!

Edited Monday at 03:45 AM by Coyote_6

[Keith Black]

 A great restoration, Steve. She looks really nice and ready to serve.  

[GrandpaPhil]

Very well done on the restoration of Sovereign of the Seas!

 

She looks amazing!

[ClipperFan]

17 hours ago, Coyote_6 said:

@ClipperFan  thanks for weighing in here, and even more so for the interesting additional info!  It is the experts and enthusiasts here that make this site and hobby so much fun!!

@Coyote_6 since your restored 100 year old Sovereign of the Seas model is also intended for educational duties, I felt it might be useful to see a photo of the actual ship from 1852. This is courtesy of the San Francisco library. Note: the large aft coach cabin covers nearly the entire aft poop deck. It's so large that there is a turned stanchion safety rail around the entire roof perimeter. Here's an excerpt from the June 19th, 1852, Boston Daily Atlas article written by sailor/publicist Duncan McLean. It's clear that her aft spacious trunk cabin occupied practically her entire poop deck with steerage room abaft (much larger than the tiny one on the model from 100 years ago). From our 1912 Glory of the Seas in Alaska photo we know the sides of these cabins narrowed to provide consistent working space for crew. The article's more vague when describing the bow but Rob and I have both determined that, like practically all of McKay's California Fleet clippers, Sovereign of the Seas definitely had navel hoods and an extended cutwater to which her Neptune figurehead would have been mounted. To give an idea of how her prow would really have appeared, attached is my conjectural sketch of this area. Since the JE Buttersworth Sovereign of the Seas piece in the Old State House, Boston, Mass. shows a large merman impossibly crossing the vessel's sides, I revised that position to be half a carving of a man with the lower half being a large embossed engraving over her cutwater below her navel hood. This treatment is actually feasible while the artwork while gorgeous isn't possible. The artist does correctly portray the large rear coach house though. None of this is meant to take away from your beautiful restoration. Rob and I are doing our level best to share these new discoveries in order to aid dedicated modelers in recreating more realistic replicas of Donald McKay's clippers which we've discovered were far more substantial and beautiful than most realize.

[Coyote_6]

@ClipperFan The McKay clippers are truly beautiful.  Until now my interests lay heavily on American sailing warships and privateers - but this little side project - wow!  Even in her simplified form as in this case she is a compelling subject.

 

I feel we are in an era where the "incorrect" models (McCann's Sovereign of the Seas, Davis' Lexington) are an integral part of the history of model ship building itself and are interesting of their own accord.  I have ordered a copy of McCann's book (and own a copy of Davis' as well), as these are truly fabulous models - errors be darned.

 

I noticed the second photo attached is Glory of the Seas, but I have seen McKay's design language is more evolutionary rather than revolutionary.  I would love to see a stern shot of Sovereign if you have seen one.

 

I wonder if there is enough "new" info to generate an NRG Journal article?  Fabulous stuff above - thank you!

[ClipperFan]

On 1/5/2026 at 5:36 PM, Coyote_6 said:

@ClipperFan The McKay clippers are truly beautiful.  Until now my interests lay heavily on American sailing warships and privateers - but this little side project - wow!  Even in her simplified form as in this case she is a compelling subject.

 

I feel we are in an era where the "incorrect" models (McCann's Sovereign of the Seas, Davis' Lexington) are an integral part of the history of model ship building itself and are interesting of their own accord.  I have ordered a copy of McCann's book (and own a copy of Davis' as well), as these are truly fabulous models - errors be darned.

 

I noticed the second photo attached is Glory of the Seas, but I have seen McKay's design language is more evolutionary rather than revolutionary.  I would love to see a stern shot of Sovereign if you have seen one.

 

I wonder if there is enough "new" info to generate an NRG Journal article?  Fabulous stuff above - thank you!

@Coyote_6 Steve, the only known photo of the original Sovereign of the Seas comes from the San Francisco library. If you're concerned about the slimming configuration of the large aft coach houses, I can reassure you that I've read more than one account of McKay's California Fleet clippers which confirm this fact: crew working space, roughly 5 feet on each side was given priority over internal living space. These structures were trapezoidal not rectangular as current plans erroneously indicate. Rear companions were offset to the port side just inside twin ladders to the roof. That leaves room for a central binnacle and steering arrangement. Jack Spurling did a beautiful painting in 1926 for Blue Peter magazine. It confirms the large aft coach house but appears to have a central rear companion which is incorrect compared to the photo. I have submitted two more manuscripts to the NRG editor but haven't heard back yet. I have to find out the delay. I suspect they're both too lengthy and will need to be edited for length or see if it's possible to break them down to a series of submissions. Author Michael Mjelde who's has 3 books on Glory of the Seas said he enjoyed them both. Take a look at the finished Glory of the Seas replicas by @rwiederrich and @Vladimir_Wairoa to get a true appreciation of the authentic majesty of a McKay clipper.

Edited 19 hours ago by ClipperFan
grammar correction

[Coyote_6]

@ClipperFan  No sir - I am convinced of the coach house.  I am always interested in the markings and cosmetics of the stern.  I guess if I was McKay it would have been identical in font and layout to Glory of the Seas except to replace Glory with Sovereign.

 

I have spent some time trying to ascertain if and how the Prince de Neufchatel would have had her name on the stern, or even a contemporary example that looks good.   But with so many characters to accomodate I will likely leave the hull unmarked.

 

 

But I do enjoy those kind of details 😜.