Sunday, December 24, 2017

Constitution Page One


The USS Constitution will likely be my final model ship project.  She sits today in Boston Harbor, Charlestown, MA, where she is open daily for public tours.  I was honored to walk her decks with my son, Michael, on May 12th (about five months after beginning this build).





USS Constitution is a three-masted heavy frigate of the US Navy, named by President George Washington after The Constitution of The United States of America.  She is the world's oldest commissioned vessel still afloat.

Launched in 1797, one of six heavy frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed.  Constitution and her sisters were larger and more heavily armed and built than standard frigates of the period.  Her first duties with the newly formed U.S. Navy were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the war with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War.
Constitution is most noted for her actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom, when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships.  The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname of "Old Ironsides" and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping. She continued to serve as Flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons, and circled the world in the 1840's.  During the American Civil War, she served as a training ship for the U.S. Naval Academy.  

Constitution was retired from active service in 1881, and served as a receiving ship until designated a museum ship in 1907.


FINISHED




FINISHED





This photo of the actual ship's bell was created from a large brass wood screw, as seen below.


The ships bell installed directly onto the fore side of the main mast.


There are three of these Jacobs Ladders.
(one for each mast)

 
The lower yard for the main mast was the first installed.
 
The yards have all been created and now ready to be installed and rigged.


The sixteen cannonades installed in place on the aft spar deck.







Full view of the spar deck with all 22 guns installed.



















Cannonade fully rigged with block and tackle.

Note the rope coils have not been added yet.











The short carriage tackle used to haul the carriage forward into firing position.






One of the 18 cannonades  ready to be fitted onto the deck.











These "quoins" are the wooden wedges used to adjust the elevation of the cannons.
















Close up of the cannonades turned on my lathe ready for black paint.









The spar deck has 22 guns in all.  There are two long cannons, 18 cannonades, and 2 carronades.












 The ships steering wheel installed.










The upper deck (called the Spar Deck) is constructed with "cutaway" sections, which will allow partial view of the Gun Deck below.
Seen here, the fife rails surrounding the fore mast, and also the stack to the ship's stove.




The forward spar deck showing the fife rail surrounding the fore mast hole.  





















Overhead view of the entire spar deck in progress.
Aft view of the spar deck after installing the companionways with the brass canvas frames and the ships steering wheel.

Note, the unpainted masts are dry fitted at this point.

Close up of the brass canvas frames covering the companionway entrances.

These joints have been silver soldered. 
 The two binnacles located on each side of the ships steering wheel.

 The fife rails ready to be fitted to the deck.
The fife rails on the left will surround the mizzen mast.  The larger fife rails on the right will surround the main mast.

The two part gun port lids being fitted.


The Constitutions gun port lids are very unique.  As seen here, the lids are two "half lids" which are hinged at the top and bottom and having a hole in the center where the cannon muzzle extends through when closed.
Overhead view of the spar deck and showing the port side gun port lids installed.

Another deck view from above the bow area.











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6 comments:

  1. Yahoooo! It appears to have been completely restored! I don't know who is responsible, but THANK YOU more than you will ever know.

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  3. Testing comments function by Dave.

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  4. The detailed plans for this model were presented to me by the model shop crew of the USS Constitution when I visited her in Boston Harber in 2017.

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