STS Leeuwin II by Tallshiptragic - 1/56 - as she appeared in 2015

[kees de mol]

Nice job Anton.

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks Kees and Patrick. As for my next build, I think I'll be tackling the Batavia and testing out the kit from Hans he is about to sell. It'll be 1/75 and just under 1m in length so a nice size to work with and display easily.

 

Thought I'd show a closer view of how the shrouds attach. On the plate under the futtocks 'd' shackles attach the top eye of the shroud to he mast. I've made shackles out of brass bend to shape. The shroud is 'spliced' onto these and the bottom of the shroud attached to the turnbuckle.

[Tallshiptragic]

Further progress on stays. Forestay now also attached. This is one line which wraps around the foremast with the two ends attached to turnbuckles on deck. The two halves of the stay are then seized together.

[Jim Lad]

Very nice work, Anton.  She's really coming along.

 

John

[Tallshiptragic]

All other forestays are now attached. These are starting from the lowest above the forestay, the fore topmast stay, inner jib stay and outer jib stay. These three stays are attached to shackles at he base of the second futtocks. The upper most is the fore t'gallant stay which attaches by a shackle to the foremast cap. All four stays run down to the jib and jibboom and run through a sheave. The end of the stays then run back along the jib and jibboom and attach to fixed turnbuckles which adjust the tension of each stay. I've mimicked the turnbuckles out of various plastic rod. These are actually quite small and are covered in a plaster type of material which is soaked in grease. Then the entire unit is tarred for protection. So simple rod to diameter painted black looks the part scame wise. Amazingly even at this scale, some things are still quite small to model. Also as I'll be modelling the headsails furled... All this will be covered up as the headsails will sit on top of all this.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Tallshiptragic

[Omega1234]

Damn, she's looking good, Anton!!!

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks Patrick

 

All shrouds now attached and working on the fore mast backstays. Once these are done I'll adjust the tension of the lower shrouds then the rat lines can commence

[Tallshiptragic]

Ratlines started on the lower foremast shrouds.

[Tallshiptragic]

Ratlines now done on the port lower mast and upper top mast shrouds. Still a few to go but going well I think.

[Omega1234]

Very nice as always, Anton. The finishing line must be fast approaching.

 

Well done.

[Tallshiptragic]

Still a ways to go yet Patrick. I've ordered blocks from Syren for the running rigging which should be here by the time I return from my next couple of voyages away. Then the sails will need to be made up.

 

Another smallish update, all port ratlines on the main mast now attached

[Tallshiptragic]

All ratlines now added port and starboard

 

You may notice the shrouds on the starboard mizzen topmast don't go all the way up and stop about the height of the mizzen top. This is done on purpose. There's no real need to climb to the top on both sides on the real ship, if there is a problem with the mizzen gaff topsail or the nav light at the mizzen cap we use the port shrouds.

[Tallshiptragic]

Shunt lines now attached. As we're a training ship Al trainees and crew have to be clipped on while aloft. These I had to make up out of red and black thread. On the real ship we use a braided safety line like you would use for absailing. This is a reddish orange and black coloured line so I used red and black thread to mimick the line, I think it looks the part ok.

 

On the mizzen and main masts there is one shunt line per side which runs right up to the mast cap and ties on to a shackle with a topmast shroud. The foremast has two lines each side, one forward which runs to the top like on the main and mizzen and one aft which runs to the base of the second futtocks. This is so more trainees and crew can climb aloft quickly to man the yards - the main and mizzen is mainly for furling the gaff topsails. Though on the main mast, our trainees are encouraged to challenge themselves and climb to the very top as we have a special plaque on the cap top. I won't say what the plaque says as we don't tell our trainees either only those who make it to the top know

 

The last pic shows trainees climbing aloft being clipped onto the shunt line.

[Tallshiptragic]

Clip on loops also made up with the same line as the shunts I made up. These are used to clip on when handling staysails on the foremast and the gaff topsails on the main and mizzen.

 

Again thanks to OH&S in the workplace, the idea of if you don't want to fall off... Don't let go, doesn't cut it anymore.

[Jim Lad]

She's really looking goods, Anton.

 

Speaking of OH&S, I wanted access to the Gun Director Platform (Monkey Island to us merchant seamen) on the Vampire at the museum, which is blocked off.  I was told that OH&S had deemed it far too dangerous without supervision and full safety gear!  

 

John

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks very much John. I'm not surprised about the museum, what's really funny... When we're on the slipway - we use BAE in Henderson - we're not allowed aloft to do any rigging work even with our harnesses and shunts etc. the shipyard want us to erect scaffolding not only from the deck up but from the ground up! And to have cherry pickers! Even though as permanent crew we're more than qualified it doesn't fit in with 'working at heights' permits without them... But working at a shipyard is a whole other story.

[Tallshiptragic]

Yards dry fitted the fore course and lower topsail yards are both fixed. The bunt is attached by an iron bar and pivots on a bolt. There is a secondary attachment made up of a small length of chain which bolts via a shackle at the top of the bunt of the yard to the mast (about 2 foot of chain) in case the iron bar was to fail. The lower topsail yard also doesn't have lifts.

 

The upper topsail and t'gallant yards are both moving yards. They're attached via an iron bar to a thick leather collar (parrel) which is itself made of two parts and attached with a steel band. A halyard then can lift and lower the yards to position. These two yards have standing lifts, as in they're not a block and tackle arrangement but rather a single piece of line. When the yard is set with sail the lifts droop down without any weight in them but when the yard is lowered the lifts become taught and act a secondary precaution for keeping the yard in place.

 

It wasn't until I placed all yards on I realised the t'gallant is about 0.5cm too long! Easily remedied luckily. At least it's not too short

Edited May 19, 2015 by Tallshiptragic

[mtaylor]

Anton,

 

I'm curious.  The shunt lines from deck to the top of the mast?  If someone fell, is there a way that would stop them? 

 

I ask because back in the DDM days, one of the admins did the Lady Washington and accidentally clipped onto a stay instead of using the shorter lines for that purpose.  He happened to fall and basically went from the top of the mainmast to the deck.  He survived but had some serious injuries.  Luckily some others where on the ratlines and managed to grab him as he went by which slowed his fall.  

[Tallshiptragic]

The shunt lines act as a safety rope and each person attaches an ASAP which is a mobile small arrest device (these are always on the shunt line and never removed by trainees) via a carabiner and lanyard to a full body harness. If you were to fall while climbing aloft the ASAP locks and you don't fall. On the yards there's a steel safety line which run just under the jackstay which you clip onto with a carabiner - trainees always have two lanyards with two carabiners so they're always attached before releasing one. On the yard there isn't an ASAP but as its horizontal the carabiner will hold you in place. When they go through their training they're told to grab onto to standing rigging if possible as another safety measure in case the harness or safety gear fail (this hasn't happened luckily) so the lanyard isn't the only thing holding onto the persons weight, though they are rated to take 300kg of weight so much more than any person onboard. I'll attach photos of the ASAP so you know what I'm talking about. We have maybe one or two trainees fall a year, though it's usually always due to a slip. Though all permanent crew are trained in rescue aloft and jump into action right away to get the trainee down. Sometimes a trainee will slip but pull themselves back up - even if they loose their footing on the shrouds and don't actually fall, trainees must return to deck and be checked out before returning aloft.

 

Luckily in 29 years Leeuwin hasn't had a major incident though with accidents around the world we've changed and adapted our safety.

 

When trainees go aloft there's also always a watch leader or boatswains mate (our volunteer crew) aloft with them and at least one permanent crew member on deck, so in case of an incident the alarm can be raised.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Tallshiptragic

[Tallshiptragic]

My blocks from Syren just arrived and they look fantastic! These are for the majority of the running rig, single, double and triple sheeve blocks. These are the 5mm size blocks which work out as 28cm in length exactly the same as those on the real ship. There are 6 larger blocks for the throat halyards of both gaffs and the halyards for the t'gallant and upper topsail which are a scale 0.9cm but plan to make these ones up.

[Omega1234]

Oh come on, Anton!!! Is there nothing that you can't do? All I can see is damn nice, beautifully made, finely detailed and realistically accurate.

 

I'm feeling very, very, very...inadequate as a modeller.

 

I guess what I'm saying in a nutshell, is, she's damn nice!

 

Cheers and all the best

 

Patrick

[captainbob]

Thanks very much John. I'm not surprised about the museum, what's really funny... When we're on the slipway - we use BAE in Henderson - we're not allowed aloft to do any rigging work even with our harnesses and shunts etc. the shipyard want us to erect scaffolding not only from the deck up but from the ground up! And to have cherry pickers! Even though as permanent crew we're more than qualified it doesn't fit in with 'working at heights' permits without them... But working at a shipyard is a whole other story.

Probably has to do with the shipyards insurance.

 

Bob

[Tallshiptragic]

Probably has to do with the shipyards insurance.

 

Bob

Actually it's the unions. But I'll leave it at that, starts to get very complicated.

[captainbob]

Yes, I remember a repair job I was sent on.  I figured out a wire was in the wrong place.  It took 15 min. to get the union man to do a 30 sec. job.

 

Bob

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks very much Patrick for your comments. I still think I'm quite a novice compared to some of the master modelers on here as their work is superb to say the least, but I'm happy with how my Leeuwin is turning out

[Tallshiptragic]

Yep that sounds very familiar Bob. From what I have seen, I'm surprised any ships get built at all in Australia anymore. The red tape and paperwork needed when it comes to permits which only cover one job, one area for a fee, then have to go through it all over again.

 

It's definitely an eye opener being exposed to these shipyards but I couldn't work there myself. With a hospitality background My brain is wired to time restrictions and always under time pressure, so I know I couldn't cooe! Haha I'd just get too bored

[mtaylor]

Thanks for the explanation, Anton.  Ah.. unions, insurance companies and politics... Yuck!!!!!! 

[*Hans*]

Thanks for the explanation, Anton.  Ah.. unions, insurance companies and politics... Yuck!!!!!! 

 

All the same - all over the world. Here in NL you have to make a special safety scaffolding even working at 2 meters hight.

[Tallshiptragic]

Dropped the pick in the abrolhos islands and went ashore yesterday on East Wallaby Island. This is the island described as 'high island' in the Batavia story and where Wiebbie Hayes and his soldiers found a fresh water spring. The pic attached shows Leeuwin at anchor from the 'high' point of East Wallaby Island.

 

While you can't make it out in the picture, directly behind Leeuwin is Beacon island, the site of the massacre of the Batavia.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Tallshiptragic

[Tallshiptragic]

Beacon island from the Leeuwin as we sailed through the middle channel. Beacon island is known in the Batavia story as Traitors island, opposite is Long Island or seal island from the Batavia story.