Modeler’s Biography: Bob Fivehouse is a retired middle school teacher originally from New Jersey. He built ship models for the dioramas at Ellis Island in New York Harbor and the restoration of Montauk Point Lighthouse on Long Island, NY. He has also built models for the oceanographic ships of Lamont Earth Observatory for Columbia University. His models are in many private collections including the model of excursion steamer Queen Mary that is now owned by the secretary of the restoration project for that vessel. Bob generally models steamships in small scales (1:600 ~ 1:384).
Author Archives: Robert Cuscaden
Adriatic
Period Ship Sailed: 1907 – 1934
Type of Model: Scratch built with some photoetched parts
Build Time: About a year
Scale:
Description of build: The hull is carved from basswood with vellum overlays to represent the steel plating. The yellow line around the hull is painted vellum glued on. Decks are individual planks of holly. The deck houses are bass with paper overlays that have the windows cut into them. All the lifeboats are carved and painted with the davits made of brass rod. The masts are made out of skewers and the booms are of brass rod as are the deck stanchions. All the small fittings are made of wood, paper, and brass. The rails are photoetched commercially. The water is carved wood sealed with modeling paste and painted with acrylic paints. The flags are made of glassine paper.
Ship’s History: The Adriatic was completed by Harland and Wolff for the White Star Line in 1907. She was the fourth of the four giant ocean liners: Celtic, Cedric, and Baltic). The Adriatic was originally built for the Liverpool-New York service, she instead opened the new Southampton service for the White Star Line. In 1911, she went back to Liverpool service. She continued to serve until December 19, 1934, and proved among the most successful and profitable ocean liners ever built.
Campania
Period Ship Sailed: 1893 ~ 1918
Type of Model: Scratch build
Build Time: 10 months
Scale: 1:384 (~1” = 32’)
Description of build: The model is a solid waterline model constructed of wood, metal, and paper and is set in a sea of carved and painted wood in a mahogany case made by the builder.
Ship’s History: The Campania (British ~ 1893) was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. for the Cunard Line. She was the largest and fastest ship in the world whenbuult and captured the Blue Ribbon in August 1894 with a voyage from Queenstown to Sandy Hook with an average speed of 21.49 knots. She was converted into an aircraft carrier during the first World War and was accidentally sunk in a collision with HMS Revenge during a storm at Scapa Flow on November 5, 1918 in the closing days of the war.
Grecian
Period Ship Sailed: Early 20th Century
Type of Model: Scratch built – waterline model
Build Time:
Scale:
Description of build: Hull is carved from basswood. Houses are basswood cores with Bristol board overlays. Decks are scribed holly. Funnel is brass tube. Boats are carved wood. Rigging is copper wire. Ware is carved painted with acrylic colors. Flag is glassine.
Ship’s History: Built in 1900 by Harland and Hollingworth, Wilmington, DE. Passenger and cargo steamer for Boston to Philadelphia service. 263’ between perpendiculars. 290’ overall. 2,827 gross tons. Two triple expansion engines ~ 2,820 ihp. Built for the Windsor line (Boston & Philadelphia SS Co.). Sunk in collision in dense fog off Block Island with City of Chattanooga (Sanannah Line) on May 27, 1932. Four passengers were killed.
Republic
Period Ship Sailed: 1903 – 1909
Type of Model: Scratch waterline
Build Time: About 8 months
Scale: 1” = 32’
Description of build: The model has a solid basswood hull and basswood deck houses with paper overlays for the cut-out windows. The decks are holly and the funnel is brass. The masts are wood turned to a pater. The boats are carved wood and the rigging is copper wire. The rails and stairs are photoetched brass. The model was built from plans drawn by Mr. Fivehouse based on the original rigging plan supplied by the builders.
Ship’s History: The Republic was built by Marland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1903 as the Columbus for the Dominion Line service to Boston. Her main particulars were: Length = 570’ Breadth – 67.8’.
After only three voyages she was switched to the White Star Line and renamed Republic for the service from Boston and New York to the Mediterranean (usually Genoa, Italy). She was on such a voyage in 1909 when on January 23, after leaving New York, she was rammed in the port side amidship by the Italian line Florida in heavy fog just off the Nantucket lightship. Her wireless operator made the first known call for help using a radio and and number of ocean liners leaving New York. An attempt was made to tow her to shore but the next day she sank. She was the largest ship in the world to sink prior to the Titanic.
Her wreckage has been located in about 270’ of water. She was purported to have had gold on board worth 1.6 billion dollars by today’s (2023) value. The has not yet been recovered but more about the Republic can be found at Treasure of the RMS Republic
Ralph Buckwalter
Modeler’s Biography: Ralph Buckwalter has been a member of the Rocky Mountain Shipwrights since 1992 and has competed in the Manitowoc Maritime Museum model show and competition for approximately 15 years. Ralph is a retired Mechanical Engineer.
Atlantic Luxury Yacht
Period Ship Sailed: 1903 – 1982
Type of Model: Scratch built using the bread and butter lift method
Build Time: One year
Scale: 3”/32’
Description of build: The plans for the model were from Bluejacket’s kit of the Atlantic. The hull is popular, the rigging is black for the standing rigging and tan for the running rigging. The sails are hand made from a light muslin material.
Ship’s History: The Atlantic was a luxury yacht built for the millionaire Wilson Marshall. Marshall raced her under the auspices of the New York Yacht club. She was the largest private yacht of her day with an overall length of 227’ 8” displacing 303 tonnes. She was launched in 1903 and scrapped in 1982. She set a record for the transatlantic race in 1905 sailing 3,006 miles in 4 hours, 1 minute, and 19 seconds which lasted until 1988. She served in both World War 1, in the US Navy and World War 2 in the Coast Guard.
Fergus
Period Ship Sailed: Civil war
Type of Model: Scratch-built based on the builders’ plans from the US National Museum, Smithsonian Institution in June 1959.
Build Time: Under construction
Scale: 3”/32’
Description of build: This is a multiple lift construction “Bread and Butter” for the hull. The hull is —wood and the deck furniture is basswood. This vessel with steam and sail power. The steam drives side paddle wheels which are articulating, which means the paddles rotate as the wheel rotates, which improves the efficiency and speed. The vessel is 217.5 feet long, 23 feet wide with a very shallow draft of 4 feet.
Ship’s History: Fergus, aka Presto, was built by Alex Stephens and Sons in Glascow Scotland on the river Clyde and launched on August 1, 1803. She had an all-steel riveted hull. She sailed from Glasgow to the U.S. due to the limited amount of coal for her boilers for such a long trip. Her narrow hull and shallow draft and steam and sail power made a perfect vessel to run the blockades of the North. However, on her second run went aground on Sullivan’s Island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor and was destroyed by shell fire from the Union Fort on Morris Island.
L’Hermione
Modeler’s Name: Ralph Buckwalter
Period Ship Sailed: 1773 – 2014
Type of Model: Wooden plank on bulwark kit
Build Time: 13 months
Scale:
Description of build: This model is based on plans used in the reconstruction of a full-sized replica which was completed in 2014 in the same Rochefort Arsenal as the original. This replica visited the United States during a world tour.
Ship’s History: L’Hermione transported he Marquis de Lafayette to join the American revolution on March 21, 1780. She was built at the Rochefort Arsenal in 1778. L’Hermione was a French 32-gun light Frigate, 214.5 feet long, rated at 1,200 tons, and carried over 16,335 sq. ft. of sails on three masts. She carried 32 cannons, twenty-six 12-pounders, and six 6-pounders. L’Hermione was involved in two battles in Chesapeake Bay and at the Battle of Yorktown. She left American waters on February 2, 1782, returning to France.
Paper Models
Modeler’s Name: Jay Phillips
Type of Model: Paper
Description of build: Simplified for easy construction. Few parts. Scissors, glue, and tape construction. Models downloaded from the Internet.
- H.L. Hunley: Confederate Submarine, 1864 CE
- U-96 “Das Boot”: WWII German U-Boat. 1942 CE
- Xebec (zee-beck): A favorite of Mediterranean pirates. 1650 CE
- Depet m Kemet: Ship of Egypt. Ancient Egyptian cargo ship. 18th Dynasty; circa 1500 BCE. Scale 1:75. Length 66 feet
- Fide Ship: Cog cargo ship, first use of a stern rudder, 1225 CE
- USS Independence LCS-2: Littoral Combat Ship. 1:300 scale. 2010 CE
- ORU Folding Kayak, Bay Model: Length 12 feet. 1:10 scale. Present day.