What is a Chinese Junk

Junks have sailed throughout South-East Asia and India for over two thousand years.  There are many designs and sizes.  Some have been used as warships, some as merchants carrying both cargo and passengers, and some as pleasure craft.  They have traveled rivers, coastal waters, inland waterways and the open oceans.  Some were very large, larger than any of the European sailing vessels, with many masts.  And some were quite small with only a single mast.  Some were for carrying cargo, some for ocean voyages, some for pleasure and some have been used as live-aboard vessels for their owners.

Modern Day Junk under sail showing battens

The single unifying characteristic is their rigging.  This always involves fully battened sails.  Battens are horizontal members typically made of bamboo.  In principle, this rigging could provide both shape and strength.  However, due to materials available and current technologies, the batten rigging provided neither of these characteristics.  Instead, the battens make the sails easily adjustable to varying wind conditions and provide resistance to large tears.  Even though they are comparatively heavy due to the battens, the sails provide performance which is similar to Arab, Polynesian or even western contemporary sail plans.  This rigging makes a junk fast and more easily handled with a small crew.

                Old Photo of Chinese Junk running "goose-winged" from South China Morning Post



The sail is made up of four primary parts - the boom at the bottom of the sail, the yard at the top of the sail (similar to a gaff), the battens between the yard and the boom, and the sheet or sail itself.  The sail can be raised and lowered from the deck by use of a pulley at the top of the mast attached to the yard.  The battens are attached sequentially to each other and to the yard.  This allows the sail to be managed from the deck.  Additionally, there is no standing rigging needed to hold the mast in place.





13th Century Junk showing flat bottom and stern mounted rudder

The hull of a junk has several interesting and innovative features.  Its relatively flat bottom and nearly rectangular shape offers a large cargo capacity and shallow draft.  This allows navigation on river systems.  This is a significant advantage over European sail designs.  Ocean going junks typically have a more rounded cross section with a high freeboard to provide more stability under heavier seas.  AThe cargo area is constructed of multiple decks with water proof compartments.  This is an innovative feature that provides structural strength to the hull, offers safety improvements when the hull is "holed", and protects both cargo and passengers.  The use of "dagger boards" and stern mounted rudder were common by 800 AD, but only adopted centuries later by European shipbuilders.

                                                           17th Century woodblock print of Zheng He's Ships

The term junk is derived from the Portuguese word junco.  This is a translation of the Chinese word for boat or ship.  It has been in common English usage since the 17^th Century.

In the 15^th Century Admiral Zheng He assembled a fleet of ships for treasure expeditions to the Indian Ocean.  This fleet might be likened to the later Spanish expedition fleets to the Caribbean during the late 17^th and 18^th Centuries.  For his 1405 expedition to the Indian Ocean Admiral He too a complement of approximately 30,000 sailors and 300 ships.  The fleet consisted of large (nine-masted, 420 ft long by 180 feet wide) Treasure ships, eight-masted Horse ships carrying tribute goods and repair materials, seven-masted supply ships, six-masted Troop carriers, five-masted Fuchmuan warships for protection, eight-oared patrol boats, and water tankers.

Chinese Junk Ship Model

 

Ship Models Online carries a ship model of the three-masted ChineseJunk which was used in the Bruce Lee movie Enter the Dragon.  Additionally, we offer a Pirate Junk Model Kit from Amati Models.

                        Chinese Pirate Junk Kit Model

The Story of the Wasa - Part 2, Construction

In January, 1625 King Gustavus Adolphus had his administrator of the Royal Swedish Navy, Vice Admiral Fleming, sign a contract with the Stockholm navy yard to design and build four new warships; two small 108 ft. ships and two larger 128 foot ships to be completed within four years. They purchased raw materials from local Swedish estates as well as from Latvia, Germany, and Holland.

As the ship builders were preparing to begin construction, they sought direction from the King through Admiral Fleming for which ship to build first. Due to the recent loss of ten of his warships from extreme weather, the King proposed immediate construction of two medium sized, 120-foot ships. This created a problem for the shipwrights since they had already laid the keel for one of the smaller ships. Additionally, they had only enough timber available for one 111-foot and one 135-foot ship.

King Adolphus also needed the ship to have a second enclosed gun deck.  This was necessary due to a change in naval tactics from the objective to cripple, board and seize the enemy ship, to one of broadside volleys intended to sink the enemy vessel.  No one in Sweden at that time had built a ship with two enclosed gun decks.  Ships at that time were built by artisans with little understanding of the theoretical principles of shipbuilding.  They appear to have not prepared any specifications or even sketches prepared for the new ships.  Instead, they relied on the knowledge of experienced shipwrights.

The construction of the Wasa began based on a 111-foot keel and was modified to have a 135-foot keel.  It is not clear if the original 111-foot keel was elongated or if they laid a new keel.  Some evidence exists that they elongated the 111-foot keel since it had a fourth scarf instead of the traditional three scarfs.  It took nearly one and a half years after the initial launch to complete the upper deck, sterncastle, beakhead and rigging.  The sails were made of hemp and flax from France, while the rigging was entirely hemp imported from Latvia.

During the summer of 1628, a few months prior to her disastrous maiden voyage, the Wasa failed a stability test.  This test, which involved 30 men running back and forth across the upper deck, was terminated after only three traverses due to fear the ship would capsize.  The shipwrights were unable to develop any means of correcting the issue...yetthe King insisted on a launch in late July of 1628.

Read Part 3 of the Story of the Wasa – Armaments and Ornamentation.

Ship Models Online offers two Wasa tall ship models as well as models of other tall ships of the same era.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship)

The Curtiss Jenny

The Curtis Aeroplane Company under the direction of Glenn Curtiss manufactured the JN series of biplanes during the early part of the 20^th century.  These planes were originally designed as training aircraft for Army and Navy pilots.  The JN series included models J-1 through J-6 .  Several of these had very limited production and the JN-4 and JN-6 had numbered options or modifications.  The JN-4 series was particularly popular.  The “open topped” four looked like a “Y” and combined with the JN gave this series the nickname “Jenny”.

Production of the Jenny began around 1915 and continued until the mid-1920s.  Prior to America’s entry into World War I early versions of the Curtiss biplane were flying in Mexico on the trail of Pancho Villa.  As the country entered the War demand for the Jenny increased.  Nearly all of the American and Canadian pilots gained their flying experience in the JN-4.  However, she was too slow and unfit for combat service.  She is probably the most recognizable North American aircraft of the World War I era.

While in the service of the US Army Signal Corps Aviation Section and the United States Marine Corps the Jenny is credited with the first US Air Mail flight during May, 1918.  The 1918 24 cent US Air Mail Stamp included an image of the Jenny.  A single sheet of 100 of these stamps was erroneously printed with the image upside down, or inverted.  This resulted in the rarest, most valuable USPOD error of all time.

It was after the War, though, that she saw her most memorable events.  The government had thousands of excess Jenny’s that were sold to civilians at reasonable price, some as low as $50.  Many were used for stunt flying, and the aerobatic displays of the barnstorming era.  The Jenny was still in service with the US Army into 1927.  Some of them were still flying well into the 1930s.

Ship Models Online offers both a 1918 Curtiss JN-4 and a later Curtiss JN-4H (labeled JN-7H).  These are rustic desk models and represent a plane as she would have appeared after many hours of flight.  Either one will allow you to reminisce over the bygone barnstorming days.

The Story of the Wasa - Part 1

It was August, 1628.  King Gustavas Adolphus of Sweden was engaged in a war with Poland/Lithuania.  However, he was concerned about the Protestant/Catholic  Thirty Year’s War which had engulfed Germany since 1618.   He wanted to continue Sweden’s transformation from an isolated State to a dominate force in the Baltic and beyond.  He knew that a strong navy was key to accomplishing his goal.

The King believed he needed a new type of ship to carry out his plans.  His current fleet consisted primarily of smaller ships with a single gun deck.  The strategy was to disable the opposing vessel, then board and capture it.  King Gustavas Adolphus wanted to employ a new strategy using heavy artillery to sink the enemy.  To this end, he commissioned a series of ships beginning with the Wasa (or Vasa) that would have two full gun decks and be equipped with much heavier guns.

During the period between 1620 and 1627 the Swedish fleet suffered several significant setbacks and the loss of many of its ships.  As a result the King made frequent changes to the Wasa’s requirements and delivery schedule.  Although he was in Poland leading the war campaign, he would not be dissuaded from the August launch date despite the vessel failing its pre-launch stability test.   Even then the launch was more than two weeks later than the King’s demand.

On the afternoon of her maiden voyage, August 10, 1628, the Wasa sailed about .75 miles before it encounter a very slight gust.  The ship lay over on its side and began taking on water through the gun ports.  She sank to the bottom in about 100 feet of water with a loss of 53 lives.

After the failure of initial salvage attempts the Wasa was mostly forgotten for over 325 years.  She was re-discovered in the 1950s and salvaged in 1961.  Her hull was mostly intact and still floated.  She is currently on display in a dedicated museum and has become one of Sweden’s premier tourist attractions.'

Read Part 2 - Construction of the Wasa.

Ship Models Online offers two Wasa tall ship models as well as other tall ship models of the same period.

San Felipe Tall Ship Model Authenticity

The San Felipe is a beautiful and elegant tall ship which is a favorite of ship modeler’s worldwide.  However, historical accuracy of her name and design are questionable.  In fact, she appears to be a cross between the Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion y de las Animas and the Real Felipe.

                                                            1690 oil painting of the Nuestra Senora de la 
                                                             Concepcion y de las Animas by Martin Amigo

Construction of the Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion y de las Animas was begun in 1682, launched in 1688, her masts were installed in 1690.  She worked mainly out of Cadiz but from 1700 to 1702 she sailed to the Caribbean to help with a Scottish conflict.  Later she was badly damaged during the War of the Spanish Succession and was broken up in Cadiz in 1705.  This seems to match the history of the San Felipe associated with today’s model ships.

Illustration of the Real Felipe of unknown origin

The Real Felipe was completed in 1732.  She was reputed to be the largest, most beautiful Spanish ship of her era.  She was severely damaged in the 1744 battle of Toulon and was never fully repaired.  She  was taken apart in 1750.  Unfortunately, no consistent contemporary drawings or illustrations of her exist.  The first illustration of the Real Felipe was made in the late 1700’s by an artist born the year she was broken up. 

                                                               Partial drawing of San Felipe model from 1950

The first illustration of a three deck San Felipe appeared in 1950.  However, this illustration is not consistent with today’s model.  A second illustration by a different artist also appeared in the 1950’s.  This drawing was made by a Spanish ship modeler.  It was originally to represent the Real Felipe 0f 1732.  Due to historical inaccuracies the drawing incorporated some of the features of Spanish ships in the early 1700s. The historical information included on many ship model sites indicates the San Felipe was launched in 1690 and sank in 1705 as a result of a battle with British warships.

Comparison of hull lines of 1950s model San Felipe with  Armada ships of 1712 and 1750

The documentation of the Spanish fleet between 1690 and 1705 does not include the San Felipe.  As shown above, the hull contour of the San Felipe model more closely matches the contours Spanish ship of the line from 1712 than those taken from the 1750 fleet.  This lends credibility to the Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion y de las Animas theory.  However, there is little evidence of three deck Spanish warships being built prior to 1700, and the 1712 drawing is for a two deck ship of the line.  There are similarities with both the Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion y de las Animas and the Real Felipe.  My interpretation is that the ship model San Felipe is actually an interpretation of the Real Felipe interposed with the history of the Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion y de las Animas. 

Modern model of the San Felipe

In any event the San Felipe is a strikingly beautiful ship model.  Check out this Quality Tall Ship Model at San Felipe Ship Model

You can also read a more detailed article about the historic authenticity of the San Felipe at San Felipe Historic Autenticity

The story of the Bluenose

The Bluenose was a 34 meter (112 ft) fishing and racing schooner built in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in 1921.  Bluenose was a common nickname for Nova Scotians whose nose was frequently discolored due to the harsh winter conditions.  Known as the “Queen of the North Atlantic” the Bluenose was primarily a working fishing vessel until her wreck in 1946.

Though she was intended primarily as a fishing vessel the design was significantly modified to meet racing requirements.  The wood for the vessel came primarily from Nova Scotia but the masts were from imported Oregon pine.  Bluenose had a waterline of 112 feet, a 126 foot foremast, 10,000 square foot of sail, and carried a crew of 20.

All of the Lunenburg fishing schooners were equipped with eight dories and used the dory trawl method to catch fish.  This method involved deploying a long line, as much as 1.5 miles in length, with hooks placed on three foot long dropper lines that were spaced every 10 feet along the main line.  Buoys were attached to support the long line and act as markers. 

The International Fisherman’s Trophy was awarded to the fastest fishing schooner working the North Atlantic deep sea fishing industry.  The race was held intermittently from 1920 until the last race in 1938.  Entrants must have worked at least one season fishing to qualify for the race.  Bluenose won the 1921 and 1922 races.  The 1923 race against the American challenger Henry S. Ford was ruled a tie.  The controversy over this ruling resulted in cancellation of the races for the next eight years.  Bluenose lost the 1930 Sir Thomas Lipton International Fishing Challenge Cup.  Bluenose won the next International Fisherman’s Trophy again.

In 1936 due to changes in the fishing industry Bluenose was refitted with diesel engines and had her sailing gear removed and stored.  She was refitted for racing in 1938 but lost the trophy when her topmast snapped.  This was the last race for North Atlantic fishing schooners.

After sitting out World War II at a Lunenburg dock Bluenose converted to a coastal freighter with diesel engines.  She sailed to the Caribbean carrying various cargo between the islands.  In January, 1946 she was wrecked beyond repair on a coral reef.

Canadians have celebrated the Bluenose with two commemorative stamps, a Nova Scotia license plate and her image on the Canadian dime.  She has been inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.  A Canadian National Railways vehicle and passenger ferry bears the name M/V Bluenose

The Bluenose II, a replica of the Bluenose, was built using the original plas in 1963 at Lunenburg.  Initially this replica was used as for pleasure and promotion of the Oland Brewery Schooner Lager beer brand.  The Oland family sold the Bluenose II to Nova Scotia for the price of ten Canadian dimes.  Today she lives at the Lunenburg Foundry wharf and tours Nova Scotia ports.

Ship Models Online offers three different Quality Schooner Models of the Bluenose II, One is 30" in length, the second is 39" in length and has a painted rather than naturally finished hull, and the third is 100" in length  also with a painted hull.

Lady Washington

The Lady Washington berthed at the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport in Grays Harbor, WA is but one of four wooden sailing ships bearing the same name. 

The USS Lady Washington was commissioned by General George Washington and was named after his wife, Martha.  She was the first US military ship to be named in honor of a woman or even for a person who was still alive.  She was a row galley in the Continental Navy, built in Boston in 1776.  Row galleys allowed movements of the ship which were not dependent upon the wind.  After an unsuccessful attach on several British warships, the Washington rowed out of danger and was never heard from again.

In 1787 a 90-ton brig named Lady Washington set sail from Boston Harbor as part of the Columbia Expedition.  Captained by Robert Gray, for whom Grays Harbor is named, she sailed around Cape Horn and participated in trading along the Pacific Northwest coast.  In the 1790s she became the first American vessel to reach Japan.  Eventually, the Washington foundered in the Philippines and was lost near the island of Luzon.

An updated replica of the 90-ton brig was built in 1989 in Aberdeen, WA as part of the Washington State Centennial.  While she is moored in Grays Harbor, the Lady Washington regularly cruises up and down the Pacific coast on historical, educational tours.  She is “Washington State’s Tall Ship Ambassador” and State Ship.  She has appeared in numerous TV shows, such as the miniseries Blackbeard.  Additionally, she was featured as the HMS Interceptor in the film Pirates of the Caribbean:  The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Lady Washington on Commencement Bay

Lady Washington at Port of Edmonds, WA

Lady Washington on Morro Bay, CA

Lady Washington ship model

Hemingway's fishing boat Pilar

Ernest (Papa) Hemingway was a world traveler, a fighter/brawler, a hunter, a scientific researcher, a world class fisherman, and of course an amazing author.  The Pilar, his beloved fishing boat, was one of his most prized possession.

Ernest and Pauline Hemingway in 1927

Hemingway acquired the 38” Pilar from the Brooklyn, New York based Wheeler Shipbuilding company in 1934 for $7,494.  He picked up the Pilar in Miami and along with a friend and a Wheeler representative, mad athe initial "shake down" cruise to a marina near his home in Key West, Florida where he took final delivery.  Under Hemingway’s instructions Wheeler had modified her to add dual engines, a livewell, and a special roller on the transom to aid in hauling large fish (tuna and sailfish in particular) onto the boat.  At a later date the boat was equipped with a flying bridge.  The name Pilar  was Hemingway’s nickname for his second wife, Pauline, and the name of a key character in his Spanish Civil War novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls.  The yacht was the inspiration for naming Playa Pilar (Pilar Beach) on Cuba's Caya Guilermo.

Hemingway aboard the Pilar

In addition to fishing Hemingway found other uses for the Pilar, among them scientific research and submarine hunting.  Starting in 1935 he spent three summers fishing near Bimini.  During this time he developed a technique to prevent sharks from attacking and dismembering his catch.  This method involved continuous retrieval of the Tuna (the previous method was to prolong the fight in order to tire the Tuna), and use of a Thompson sub-machine gun to “discourage” the sharks!  Much to his dismay the injured sharks’ blood simply attracted more sharks

Hemingway and Mike Strater with "apple cored" Marlin

Hemingway was fond of Cuba.  During the 1940s he purchased a second home there   While on his first trip to Cuba with Pilar in 1939 he was joined by a pair of noted ichthyologists.  They were determining whether white, blue, black and striped marlin were different species or just color variants.  As a result of this study North American Marlin variants were reclassified.

The Thompson sub-machine gun wasn’t only used as a shark deterent.   Additionally, it was his only armor against German U-boats patrolling Caribbean waters.  The Pilar was equipped with with HF/DF (Huff-Duff) direction finding equipment and other communications gear to assist with the U-Boat search patrols.  Since the machine gun wouldn’t have been an adequate defense against a U-boat, it is likely Hemingway’s primary intent in carrying the gun was to obtain extra gas rations from his participation in the war effort, and to get a pass from Cuban police for driving drunk!

There is little doubt, however, that Hemingway’s primary use for the Pilar was fishing in the Miami, Havana, Bimini Triangle.  While on Pilar he caught many record breaking fish and won every tournament in the area.  He set a world marlin record by catching seven in one day.   He was the first person to successfully land a whole giant tuna that had not been ravaged by sharks.  He kept meticulous records of his fishing excursions including not only fish caught, but weather, guests, currents, etc.  Some of those records were later typed and are on display at the John F. Kennedy Museum and Library.

Starting in 1950, The Hemingway Fishing Tournament has been held in Cuba.  This four day tournament awards prizes for marlin, tuna, wahoo, and other fish caught using 50 pound line   Not surprisingly, Hemingway won the first three years.

He hosted many world famous guests on the Pilar including Fidel Castro, Ava Gardner, Archibald MacLeish, John Dos Passos, and Alan Jay Lerner’s son and daughter. 

Hemingway’s experiences aboard the Pilar influenced many of his novels including For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Old Man and the Sea, and Islands in the Stream.

Today the yacht is located in Finca Vigia, his former home, at the Museo Ernest Hemingway near Havana.  The Pilar is owned by the Cuban government and has been restored.  Its original black paint has been replaced with green.  Pilar’s sister ship is on display in Islamorada, Florida.

Ship Model of Pilar

To view additional ship model images of the Pilar click here.  You can also visit my web site at Ship Models Online

The Yacht Pen Duick

This is the story of a 130 year old yacht many owners, many names, and years of disrepair, followed by a long process of renewal.  Finally, she has experienced a long, loving relationship with the famed Taberly yachting family that has continued for more than 60 years.  

                                                                                         Line drawing of 1989 Pen Duick 

The Pen Duick was a gaff rigged cutter designed for racing by William Fife of Fairlie, Scotland.  She was built in Cork Harbour, Ireland by Gridiron & Marine Motor Works.  As built she was 49.5 feet long, 32.75 feet at the water line, had a 9.5 foot beam, and carried 160 square meters of sail. 

She was originally named Yum.  She was renamed Griselidis after being sold four years later.  After a short period she was sold again. She was named Magda in 1907, then Griselidis again in 1909.  She sat idle for four years during World War I.  By 1933 she had also been named Astair, Panurge, and Butterfly.  She was given her current name, Pen Duick,  in 1935.

Pen Duick prior to restoration

Guy Taberly had acquired the Pen Duick in 1938. During the Second World War she was decommissioned for fear of being requisitioned for the war effort. For several years she lay in disrepair on the the banks of the Loire river and in a shed at La Trinite-sur-Mer in France. In 1952 Eric Taberly became her 14th owner as a gift from his father. Her hull was rotted and she was unable to be put on the water. Eric undertook to restore her and rebuild the hull out of fiberglass using the original hull as a mold. The restoration was completed in 1958 and she was again sailing 60 years after her original launch.

Restored Pen Duick under sail

                                                                          

                                                                                         Eric Taberly in 1997

Eric continued to sail the Pen Duick and raced her in the 1962 Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race.  Although he didn't win the race, it inspired him to build several new yachts.  Those yachts were named Pen Duick II through VI.  Eric disappeared off the coast of Wales in 1998 while ferrying the Pen Duick to a gathering of William Fife designed yachts in Ireland.

Pen Duick fully restored on display

Taberly's daughter inherited the Pen Duick after Eric's death.  It seems fitting that Eric died aboard the Pen Duick 100 years after her launch iwhile returning her to Ireland.  She can now be seen as one of the main attractions at the Cité De La Voile, Lorient, Fance.  This museum is dedicated to Eric Taberly's memory and houses three of his Pen Duick yachts.

                          27" Quality Ship Model of Yacht Pen Duick with painted hull

ShipModels Online offers three quality scale ship models of the Pen Duick one 24" inches long, one 29 inches long, and one 27 inches long with a painted hull (currently out of stock).  Additionally, Ship Models Online carries a large catalog of other quality model yachts, schooners, tall ships, ocean liners, fishing boats, and canoes.