The Ship Model Forum

I find that I really get a kick out of making a sea base for ships. There are a number of ways to evoke interplay between ship and water for we humble modelers (I speak not for my betters) but it's of great help to look at photos of warships moving through water (I'll never forget "Victory at Sea" 60 years back). On this forum there are diagrams on how waves work relative to ships and general ideas on how things should look. A place to start for a modeler without real water or a real ship.

Recently I did an undistinguished rendition of Flyhawk's 1/700 Derfflinger. I spent some serious time looking aids to creating a decent water base. I was really taken by the photo below from Gary Staff's "German Battlecruisers". Here is the text and photo:

“SMS von der Tannn trials. The four propellers create a powerful suction ahead of themselves, manifested as the low water halfway along the hull.” (Staff p. 4) Staff notes that at the time von der Tann was the world's fastest dreadnought.



Obviously it would be nice to have a picture from above, but from what I can ascertain the photo is of a capital ship going full speed ahead through calm water. I had never seen a photo showing quite the same effect. As Jutland was fought at times at very high speed and (I stand correction) in uncertain weather but not high seas, I thought this might work.

Regardless I got interested in the subject and found a couple of very neat sources available on YouTube. Both deal with hull design testing. Both are from Germany. One examines how a large container ship with an 11 meter draft creates wave depending upon speed. No doubt larger than a WWI battle cruiser, but a large ship nevertheless. The difference in waver patterns between relative to speed is very interesting. The entire film is 7:00 minutes or so.

Check: "DSEC_Model Test_Postpanamax Containership" .

Below is one pic from the film:


The second is a variation on the same theme but illustrates the "hull speed" of a ship - what the wave will look like when the ship is going at it's maximum speed (or perhaps why the hull/wave shapes the top speed). Check "Hull Speed tank run of an AOE 6" . The pic below is from the short film.



Several others on the same theme. Neat stuff I think.

Eric

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A model boat is much cheaper than a real one and will not sink with you in it.