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.