Victoria, 1887, British Battleship, 1:250 - Page 10

**Royaloakmin** · #91 06-28-2008, 07:34 PM

Don, by this time the main capstan was steam powered, so you are right; it is an emergency backup.

**Golden Bear** · #92 06-28-2008, 10:14 PM

Well, yes, there is a slightly larger duplicate of the capstan on the next deck down. However, this still begs the question of why there is a capstan in the middle of an enclosed deck... no anchors anywhere near. My thinking is that it is there for two purposes (not porpoises): i) to help with the antique custom of raising sails (yes, historical fact... the navy kept masts with sails on steam driven ships long after they were needed simply to keep up the tradition of sailors climbing on yardarms and whatnot); 2) to raise the boats with the boom attached to the masts. Perhaps it also help with the atavistic enjoyment of watching sailors fiddle on the capstan while chanting. It just seems a peculiar spot to me as do the davits (not built yet) back by that aft skylight. I find no evidence of "treuils" on this ship so perhaps the steam driven capstan served the same purpose.

C.

**shrike** · #93 06-28-2008, 10:38 PM

If the French navy was like the army, could be the capstan was there simply pour encourager les autres. <g>

**Golden Bear** · #94 06-29-2008, 09:40 PM

Well, OK, this is it for about a week since I won't be able to build while I travel. Maybe keep eyes open for work on Liberté or :: cough:: (devastation but don't tell anyone). I took about two days to lay out and piece together the parts but they worked out. Those assemblies around the funnels are kind of hairy to put together but they all worked with a little care. The mushroom ish plaques ahead and abaft of the funnel are caps for ventilators. And for Don, since I doubt anybody else is interested, the slopey parts around the funnel base and against the bulkhead are for hammock storage. There seems to be a lot of that on this deck... more to come. I like the skylights in the middle of the deck between funnels and under a walkway (not shown yet). I'm certain that folks appreciated the light.

The first picture shows that it is important to pay attention to detail even if it is never seen. That is the conning tower there, in progress. The second shows my miserable ventilators at the back plus a couple of nifty light ports - little six sided doodads. Those last two piccies are just where I've left off for now.

C.

**Don Boose** · #95 06-30-2008, 04:58 AM

Excellent! I appreciate the explanation of the slopey parts and I like the open skylight between the funnels. Seeing the ship built, piece-by-piece, really helps me better to understand its construction -- one of the benefits of model building, including the vicarious variety.

Have a safe journey.

Don

**Royaloakmin** · #96 06-30-2008, 09:23 AM

Devastation, eh? Carl, you are such a tease.

**cpl_trim** · #97 07-02-2008, 04:57 PM

Very nice work, Carl. I'm really enjoying this thread; a good blend of history, your reflections on the design process and of course, the progress of the build itself.

**Barry** · #98 07-02-2008, 05:54 PM

Some very superior graphics showing there Carl great stuff.

**Golden Bear** · #99 07-04-2008, 11:37 AM

I'll tuck this in here since I know it will be found by the antiquarians that are interested and not bother anybody else.

Since I am on vacation and not building or printing right now I decided to start working on something new... the Liberté will wait a little while longer. I've started designing Devastation on the basis of very few drawings... none detailed... and a dozen photos. I found a bunch at a Russian magazine site that are very useful. If anybody has some from Tsushima before it became boring I would appreciate them!

I figure that this model will be about 50% accurate but again will have a very high value as a representation of the ship. It is a very simple vessel compared to what comes later but that does not mean it won't take a fair amount of work... it just means that there are fewer things for me to screw up or miss.

Here is a starter rendered image out of Rhino. I've put in the conning tower - however there is a photo on line of a nice model of the ship that does not show it. I'll have to prowl around and see if there is a resin model somewhere that can give me some more insight.

Again this model is targeted to be 1:250 but could easily scale up or down.

Carl

**member_3** · #**100** 07-04-2008, 12:53 PM

Carl, your skills (and speed) are increasing exponentially. While I do not often comment on your projects, I am a faithful reader/lurker/peeping Tom and am of the opinion that when there are no existing paper models of a ship that you design and build (and hopefully share/sell) then you have done the hobby a great service. While there may not be documentation supporting every little detail, your "guesstimates" are based on thorough research and technical knowledge and need no apologies until someone can produce evidence that contradicts your well-founded assumptions. Your past four projects capture the "feel" of the subjects and that is the most important aspect to me. The nitty-gritty details fall in the "frosting on the cake" category as long as the essence of the ship has been captured. Full speed ahead, my friend, and keep producing these illuminating, educational and entertaining design/build threads!