Shackleton's Endurance

[Zvansom]

My wife and I were watching a program on PBS a couple days ago about Shackleton and his challenging jouurney to the Antarctic, and my wife commented on his ship, the Endurance.

 

"I want a model of that ship," she says, "Do that one next."

 

I haven't even started on my first one (supposed to arrive tomorrow, can't wait!) and she's already planning the next one! So, out of curiosity I checked the standard places for a kit, but couldn't seem to find one anywhere.

 

Does a kit for the Endurance exist? I have no doubt, if one were so inclined he could assemble the necissary information for a scratch build, but I have neither the capability nor the skill.

 

Zach

[Jim Lad]

Zach,

 

I think that a scratch build will be your only way to a model of 'Endurance'.

 

John

[Zvansom]

Hi John,

 

Thank you for the reply.

 

Is there any particular reason no kit has been produced? It seems like it's a fairly famous ship, and possibly one of the most 'modern' exploration sailing ships at just over 100 years old.

 

Zach

[Jim Lad]

I'm afraid I don't have any insights into kit manufacturers' mind, Zach, except to say that they will produce what they think will sell the most kits.

 

John

[Zvansom]

Curious.

 

Oh well. I will keep my fingers crossed that a kit manufacturer will include this as a future design.

 

Zach

[Jim Lad]

Don't rule out a scratch build entirely.  It's amazing what you can do with the help of other forum members.

 

John

[Zvansom]

Don't get me wrong, John. I certainly haven't ruled out a scratch build. I am completely astounded by the scratch builds that I have seen on this site. I am a complete novice in terms of ship modeling. I am anxiously awaiting my first kit to arrive in the mail, and I think that's an appropriate starting point. Eventually, I hope to be as talented as the members I've seen, but for now...baby steps.

 

Zach

[grsjax]

Next question would be; Does anyone know of a source of plans for Skackleton's "Endurance"?

 

Inquiring minds want to know.  I know I do.

[HMS Bellisle]

Yes, the National Maritime Museum has them, but they want a huge sum for copies (in excess of £100!).

[Zvansom]

And purhaps Mr. HMS Bellisle has hit on the reason no kit exists. If the National Meritime Museum charges that much to an individual for a copy of the plans, I can only imagine how much licensing fees would be to a company looking to mass produce a likeness of this ship. It's unfortunate that such a wonderful piece of history isn't made more available to the public. Especially considering the original ship is forever lost.

[tsurfing]

grsjax,

I do have some plans (courtesy of a museum in Norway) in PDF for the Polaris, which was the ship's name before Shackleton purchased it. They are the construction drawings that it was built from, so it is in Norwegian. Tough to figure out how to translate. 

I have a massive sheet of mast details. 106 x 29 inches.

Hull structural

elevations

deck structural

figurehead

rigging

I'm not sure how to post images or PDFs since I am new to this forum.

 

As for me, I am building a 3D model of it in Sketchup. My eyes are useless for the fine detail work involved in physical modeling so I use the monitor instead. I need help in the rigging details as some of the hardware is not shown in detail on the plans. On the mizzenmast the peak halyards are connected how? Is there a hoop around the mast with eye rings?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Has anyone used any 3D printing to make parts foe ship building? Just curious about that.

[mtaylor]

tsurfing,

 

Do a search on 3D printing.  I there's stuff in the CAD area, but off the top of my head I'm not sure.

[tsurfing]

Thanks Mark

How do you attach PDFs or images to the post?

[grsjax]

grsjax,

I do have some plans (courtesy of a museum in Norway) in PDF for the Polaris, which was the ship's name before Shackleton purchased it. They are the construction drawings that it was built from, so it is in Norwegian. Tough to figure out how to translate. 

I have a massive sheet of mast details. 106 x 29 inches.

Hull structural

elevations

deck structural

figurehead

rigging

I'm not sure how to post images or PDFs since I am new to this forum.

 

As for me, I am building a 3D model of it in Sketchup. My eyes are useless for the fine detail work involved in physical modeling so I use the monitor instead. I need help in the rigging details as some of the hardware is not shown in detail on the plans. On the mizzenmast the peak halyards are connected how? Is there a hoop around the mast with eye rings?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Has anyone used any 3D printing to make parts foe ship building? Just curious about that.

Hi  tsurfing

 

I think you can post pdf files as an attachment to a post.  Not sure how large a file can be posted but it might be worth a try.

Edited October 15, 2014 by grsjax

[mtaylor]

Thanks Mark

How do you attach PDFs or images to the post?

 

Go here: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/forum/47-questionsinstructions-on-how-to-use-and-post-to-this-forumsite-problems-or-suggestions/

 

There's lots of useful info about MSW.  There's one pinned post for attaching images to a post or PM.

[tsurfing]

Thanks for the info.

I have attached an image of the Endurance mizzenmast.

My question is what is the method of attachment at the point the shrouds meet the mast?

 

grsjax,

I have contacted the NRG about posting the PDFs in their plans section.

I will update you of that when I hear back.

The only major plan missing is the hull design itself.

There is one for a lifeboat.

Terry

[mtaylor]

Oh... you asked about 3D printing... here in Trader's and Dealers:  http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/7030-high-precision-3d-printing-services/  I can't speak to the quality as different printing methods and printers yield different results.

[tsurfing]

I will check it out.

As the technology matures it's going to be cool to see what can be done

[thibaultron]

For translations, I have had good luck with Google Translate.

[hornet]

Zach, I don't know if it will help your quest or not, but Sir Ernest Shackleton wrote a book about his expedition. In it there are a number of photographs of the 'Endurance' both before and after she was trapped in the ice. The book is called 'South' and is an excellent recount of this amazing survival story. It was originally printed in 1919 but reprinted by Time Life in the 1980's ( I have a copy of this reprint). You may like to search your local libraries or see if it still available for sale. The photos of the hull and rigging are quite good and may help you fill in some details. Even if they don't, it is a great read.

[testazyk]

Hi Zack--

 

Not sure if this well help. I've only used this web site for pictures and they have some good ones of the Endurance.  Not sure if they have a kit but it might be work getting in touch:

 

http://www.tehnoart.eu/endurance-.html

 

Also, by all means take advantage of a suggestion by your wife (aka the Admiral) to buy a kit.  And tell her you're going to need a lot of tools too!  You may not often get blanket advance approval in the future!

 

Tom

[tsurfing]

Found that site and have been using those for reference.

Still waiting on the answer from NRG's staff on my posting of the construction plans for the Endurance/Polaris.

Copyright issues may prevent it since they came from a museum in Norway.

[tsurfing]

Found out from Chuck at NRG about these plans I was sent...

 

The general consensus is that we could NOT post those plans.   The copyright is valid and they are not original drafts.  These were drawn much later.  They are not 100 years old.  They were actually drawn in the 50's and are based on the original drafts but are not the original drafts at all.  The y were drawn as model makers plans.

 

Thanks for the opportunity though.

 

Well, that sums it up.

​The plans can't be posted.

Terry

[tsurfing]

OK, I have a question...

On the Endurance the lifeboats were kept on radial davits. The strongback or pudding spar spanned the distance between. Does anyone know how it was attached to the davits?

The closest pic I've found does not clearly define the method. Was it lashed or hung mechanically?

[Koa4225]

Would you be comfortable sharing the plans with others in the forum via e-mail for a scratch build if they can't be posted openly? 

Edited July 9, 2018 by Koa4225
Clarification.

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, Koa4225 said:

Would you be comfortable sharing the plans with others in the forum via e-mail for a scratch build if they can't be posted openly? 

That would clearly be a violation of copyright. 

[Koa4225]

Sorry!  Didn't realize that would be breaking any rules.  My sincere apologizes! 

 

tsurfing, could you tell us which museum they were obtained from in Norway? 

 

I did see the National Maritime Museum in the UK has three drawings available as Mr. HMS Bellisle noted; Mid-ships section plan, Longitudinal section plan and Body plan all dated 1912.  They can be found at the link below.  I've got a request in to see if they have any others which have not been digitized and added to their online archives yet and am awaiting a response.  For the three prints it's 94.38 British Pounds (plus shipping).  You get a print from a high quality scan of the same size and scale of the original drawing. 

 

I also contacted bluejacket asking if they had ever considered the Endurance for a kit.  They said they did a survey a few years ago of 3,000 modelers.  Endurance was on the list, "but did not prove to be a popular choice".  Perhaps if we all ask they will change their mind! 

 

I'll post again when I hear back from the National Maritime Museum. 

 

https://prints.rmg.co.uk/collections/ship-plans

[Koa4225]

I heard back from the National Maritime Museum in the UK.  They have a total of 8 drawings from the Endurance.  They are all of Polaris before she was converted for the expedition.  I've asked for pricing of those not availabe on the website; I'll repost when I get that back.  Drawings in red are available on the site now:

 

Endurance (1912)
Line	Plan	Scale
1	Lines (Profile & half breadth) 14013	1:32	B
2	(J9265). Body Plan, March 1914. 14012	1:32	B
3	(J9266). Longitudinal Section, as Polaris. 14011	1:48	B
4	(J9267). Midships Sections, as Polaris. 14009	1:24	B
5	Rig, Profile & Decks. 13973 (part very faint)	1:96	B
6	Decks Plans. 14007	1:48	B
7	Prop. Convers. from steam to 'Bolinder' Motor.13960	1:24	B
10	Prop. Shaft & stern gear. 14010	1:24	B

Edited July 10, 2018 by Koa4225
8 vice 10 drawings availalbe.

[Koa4225]

I just heard back on pricing.....

 

"Many thanks for your enquiry regarding ship plans we hold in the collection.

As my colleague pointed out, the plans listed in black have not been digitized and will require scanning to provide them. In terms of costs, we charge £70 + VAT for the first plan and then £50 + VAT per subsequent plan requested in the same order. This process takes 3 weeks to complete and we then provide exact scale, 300 dpi JPEGs via an FTP link via email. Plans can be used for personal use only.

If you would like to proceed with this please do let me know exactly which plans from the list, and I will email across an Order Form."

 

I won't be buying the plans at this point, but wanted to post for anyone following this now or in the future.  I've got another build I've got to finish before I even think about my next one! 

 

[Koa4225]

I went back and asked about how much it would cost to purchase the rights to the drawings from the UK National Maritime Museum.  With their prices of the drawings just for personal use and Zvansom's comment, I was curious!  I received the following response:

 

"With regards to licensing the plans for a model kit - there would be a few factors that the price of this would depend on, including the number of units you were going to produce, countries distributed to, price of the kits, if they would be sold online. But to give you a rough idea of cost, for a commercial license for the plans, it would cost £300 + VAT. Any scanning fees for digitization would be separate to this price."

 

 I'm not sure if that would be per plan, but I suspect possibly so.  I'm not sure what the margins are on model kits, but Zvansom might be correct (cost prohibitive). 

 

I also wrote the Smithsonian Museums, and while they do have ship plans, they don't have anything for Endurance.  I also checked with the Mariner's Museum in Hampton, VA, but they didn't have any on file either.  So, for anyone searching for the plans in the future, you can cross those two off of your list!

Edited July 11, 2018 by Koa4225
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