Miniature Barquentine

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I am now about to start rigging this miniature of the Norwegian barquentine Barden. Quite a pretty looking little ship that has been very theraputic for me after the long, hard slog with the Amarna!

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I have now fitted and rigged the mainsail & gaff topsail, plus the spanker. The lower mast shrouds & ratlines have also been fitted to main & mizzen masts. The next task is to fit & rig the mizzen gaff topsail and complete the backstays. Then the shrouds & ratlines on the upper sections of all three masts, followed by jibs & staysails. The final task will be to fit & rig the 5 square sails on the foremast, together with the standing & running rigging. The display case has already been completed and the sea has been made, but not yet painted.

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Bob

Can I please interrupt your thread, with a question?

Have you heard of a barque called "Alice A Leigh"…?

A friend of mine is related to the famous engineer…..Daniel Adamson and is doing an in depth family tree and thinks the ship was named in honour of his daughter?

Thank you……Bob

Nice model btw!

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Bob,

Yes. Built at Whitehaven in 1889. I obtained the plans some time ago from the Mystic Seaport Maritime Museum. A very fine looking painted port four masted barque with a 'midship bridge deck. double topsails, double t'gallants and royals on fore, main & mizzen, with the usual fore-and-afters on the jigger. Here is a link to some images and details:

**LINK**

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thanks Bob

The description mentions a four masted ship…..I can only see three?

Any info on the origin of the name?

The friend in question is in contact with a relative in New Zealand and they actually have the ships bell!

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

It wasn't a four-masted ship, it was a four-masted barque! The fore, main and mizzen masts each had six square sails on them . The fourth mast (jigger) only carried a fore-and-aft spanker and a gaff topsail. It is visible behind the mizzen mast, but carrying less sail, it is not as obvious. A four-masted ship would have square sails on all four masts.

The wreck is still visible in New Zealand!    No idea of the origin of the name!

 

Bob

Edited By Bob Wilson on 07/08/2012 13:06:16

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Here is a link to a painting of the ship that shows the fourth mast a lot clearer:

**LINK**

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thanks a lot Bob

My pal is now asking about the gun ports!…….I wouldn't think they are gun ports myself?

Although Great Eastern had them!

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

No, they aren't gunports. They didn't even open – they were pure decoration and painted on!

The tradition started in Napoleonic times when merchant ships took to painting dummy gunports on the side to discourage enemy or pirate attack. In later years, many merchant shipowners carried on the tradition of painting their ships with ports.

The Alice A. Leigh was made of steel, by the way, although most people seem to have got the impression that sailing ships were always made from wood. The last big wooden sailing ship built in the UK was the Torrens completed in 1875 and even that had an iron frame with wood planking over it. After that date, they went over to iron hulls and eventually steel.    Lots of little wooden sailing ships, mainly coastal schooners, continued to be built after that though!

Glad to have been able to help.

Bob

Edited By Bob Wilson on 07/08/2012 13:25:51

[Geoff RoyleParticipant @geoffroyle15964]

Mr Wilson, Bob Abell asked about those 'gun-ports' on my behalf. I am a distant cousin of Alice A Leigh who launched the ship at Whitehaven in 1889. Until last summer I knew nothing about her connection with the ship. Through, Googling etc I have made contact with the family of one of the Alice A Leigh's captains. He was Allan Davison who sailed the ship as a hen-frigate with his wife and four children for twenty years. My contact, "Sally" lives in Australia and has amassed a great deal of historical stuff including photographs and log-books. I think this is not the place to share "Sally's" information but if you have any questions/needs would you contact me directly.

Geoff Royle

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Geoff,

Thanks. I have not been researching ALICE A. LEIGH especially, but just recalled having the plans and general history. Until recently, I have done a lot of writing on the Merchant Navy, but have more-or-less abandoned any ideas of carrying on because of a world-wide lack of interest in the subject.

Even my model shipbuilding activities are now much reduced for the same reason!

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Bob….Have you forgotten to post the completed picture of Barden?

Can`t undrestand why your statistics say you`ve only posted one photo? You must have posted….dozens!

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Bob,

I didn't post a picture of the completed BARDEN, simply because there didn't seem to be any interest in it!

Yes, I have posted lots of pictures, but they all disappeared and I have no idea why. I think they went at about the time the image posting part of the forum was altered.

Anyway, here is the completed BARDEN.

I haven't been doing a great deal of ship modelling lately because I am becoming increasingly aware that my sphere of interest (Merchant ships about 1840 to about 1965) appeals to hardly anyone these days.

This picture is all squashed up and I have no idea how to post them properly any more!

Bob

 

Edited By Bob Wilson on 05/11/2012 13:04:11

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Lovely model, Bob……As always

The rigging looks excellent!

You mentioned the small picture size some time ago and I feel sure Colin posted the explanation.

It`ll take some finding now though!

How many pixels are your posted photos?……..I use 1000 px these days

Bob

Just checked……You are using 720 px

Edited By Bob Abell on 05/11/2012 13:33:15

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Yes, it is 728 x 600 – 76kb. That is as small as I can make them easily (one click). I can make them smaller by opening up in photoshop, but have very little patience for that sort of thing!

Goodness knows where all the rest of the images went though.

Bob

PS

You can look at it through this link though!

[img]http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/2915/bardenp.jpg[/img]

Edited By Bob Wilson on 05/11/2012 13:59:40

Edited By Bob Wilson on 05/11/2012 14:00:27

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Bob….Why are you making them smaller?

They need to be 1000px wide

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I am just doing what I always did! I understood that they were coming out squashed because they were too big!

Here is a bigger one.

Bob

PS

It has come out OK, so I guess that is the problem, I was making them too small – problem solved!

Edited By Bob Wilson on 05/11/2012 14:25:38

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

This is 1000 px wide

Bob

[Geoff RoyleParticipant @geoffroyle15964]

Looks like I started a blaze today. Thanks Bob W for your reply – – – when I spoke to Sally yesterday she was bursting to share her windjammer stories with me – – – we went qrt after 90 min because it was bedtime in Australia Also popped in here to say I have updated my Profile, for what its worth !

Geoff Royle G4FAS

[Dave_PParticipant @dave_p]

Hi Bob,

For various reasons I have not been active in the modelling department or on this site but always enjoy seeing your wonderful work. Barden is yet another master piece from your slipway.

Dave

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Dave,

Thanks. These days, I am not building much at all, although I usually have one on the go. General lack of interest in this type of ship and model is finally rubbing off on me as well! Times change and I think computers dominate everything these days. I continually hope for a revival – but am realistic enough to feel that it is unlikely!

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Bob, Just an idea…

Perhaps, if you made models of ships that are sailing today, you may get sales from the people who have had a memorable voyage and wish to have a quality souvenier of the experience

eg….Stavross S Niarcos…..or even a Thames Barge……or even the humble canal barge?

or…….HMS Endeavour…..HMS Pickle?……..HMS Conway…….Any good/

BTW…..If you size your pix to 1000px wide, they will enlarge when clicked on, in the posting

Just keep up the lovely quality work…..Bob

[Dave_PParticipant @dave_p]

I understand what you are saying Bob, I love to see models and pictures of ships from the great era you talk about. People seem to have forgotten or are not taught about the maritime history of this country particularly the merchant branch. I swear people think most of our goods including oil arrives by aeroplane or just arrive in trucks. I also like ships of today especially the specialist vessels. I can't say the same for those blocks of flats disguised as cruise liners though, they, I have to say leave me cold.

All the best

Dave

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

No chance of me modelling anything that is around today – they don't appeal to me at all! Sales are not exactly the problem at the moment. Only the BARDEN left on the "available" shelves. I really build them for enjoyment more than anything else. I do not take on private commissions any more.

I have always preferred the obscure and semi-obscure as subjects. ENDEAVOUR, PICKLE and CONWAY are too well-known for me!

Thanks for the tip about images.

Bob

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