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Sloops CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=154076		 Page 1 of 4
Author:  maxim [ Wed Oct 09, 2013 10:31 am ]
Post subject:  Sloops CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
The two famous sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge, which fought in the American Civil War, are since a long time on my list of potential projects.

Now I have started with the hull of Alabama.

Image
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CSSAlabama.jpg

Alabama was built in 1862 for the Confederate States Navy by Laird in Birkenhead, UK. She captured 65 Union vessels and sunk in 1863 the gunboat USS Hatteras. On 19th of June 1864 she was sunk by the sloop USS Kearsarge.

I am using CSS Alabama Anatomy of a Confederate Raider von Andrew Bowcock as my main reference. I scaled the drawings to 1/700.

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I divided the hull in four 0.5 mm and one 0.25 mm plastic sheet. On the bow two additional 0.5 mm sheets and at the stern one 0.5 mm sheet will be used to generate the sheer.

Here the lower four 0.5 mm plates:
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and after assembly:

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After the addition of the upper deck - an additional plate - the form of the hull will be generated by sanding.
Author:  PetrolGator [ Wed Oct 09, 2013 12:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
I like this a lot. My father in law has a great-something grandfather that served on the CSS Alabama.

Will you be going full on battle diorama?
Author:  maxim [ Wed Oct 09, 2013 2:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
No, probably no diorama, but only the two ships.

I will depict Kearsarge in her 1864 fit, but I am not so sure about Alabama. At least for the rig I will not depict her in the fit during the battle, but an earlier one, for which much better references are available.
Author:  dafi [ Wed Oct 09, 2013 3:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Wonderful project!!!

Looking forward for it.

Cheers, Daniel
Author:  LE BOSCO [ Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Good luck for your project maxim
cheers
Nicolas
Author:  Stefano Salesi [ Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Love it! i'm getting day by day more interested in sailing ships and ironclads, so this is a project that i'll look with attention!

keep the good work!!!!!!!!!!
Author:  MichelB [ Fri Oct 11, 2013 1:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
You beat me to it! (languishing in modeller's block) I will follow with keen interest!
Author:  maxim [ Tue Oct 22, 2013 7:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Next is the Sloop USS Kearsarge:

Image
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_030204-N-0000X-001_This_1922_artwork_depicts_the_sinking_of_the_Confederate_ship_CSS_Alabama.jpg?uselang=de

Kearsarge was one of 11 sloops built after 1858, which should have light draft, great speed and heavy guns. The were designed as steamer with only auxiliary sailing rig (later in her career in the Dark Ages of the US Navy she was converted to a sailing ship with an auxiliary steam engine). Seven of these sloops were built in 1859 using seven (!) different designs: Mohican, Wyoming, Iroquois, Dacotah, Pawnee, Seminole and Narragansett. After the start of the American Civil war four additional ships were ordered: to the design of Iroquois Oneida and Wachusett, to the design of Wyoming Tuscarora and using the plans of Mohican Kearsarge.

Kearsarge was built in 1861-62 in Portsmouth Naval Yard and she is famous for sinking CSS Alabama on 19th of June 1864 in the Battle of Cherbourg. Kearsarge was destroyed after she run aground on Roncador Cay on 2nd of February 1894.

I am using mainly Reconstructing USS Kearsarge, 1864 by Arthur C. Roberts in Naval Research Journal (December 1999 to September 2000, thank you Jorit!) as reference:

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Here lines, which added to measure the length of the plates to make the hull:

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The drawing of the stern next was used to determine the level of the water line - not drawn on the other plan.

The hull is made of three 0,5 mm and one 0,25 mm plates. The sheer will be depicted using two 0,5 mm and one 0,25 mm plate at the stern and three 0,5 mm plates at the bow. On these a 0,64 mm plate (V groove) will be glued to depict the deck and its planking.

Here are the first three plates:

Image
Author:  maxim [ Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Here the progress with Alabama:

Image

Image

This part is still not finished.

Does someone has an idea how to make the bulwarks at the bow and stern? They are at the top c. 0,4 mm thick, the lower part can be a little bit thicker. The problem is the flare and the curve of it.
Author:  DariusP [ Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
I'm following this project maxim. Good luck!
Author:  dafi [ Tue Oct 22, 2013 3:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Wonderful work maxim!

Cheers, DAniel
Author:  maxim [ Wed Jan 08, 2014 12:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Some progress with Kearsarge:

As mentioned in the last posting about that model, I added plates to depict the sheer:
Image

Afterwards I glued on them a 0,64 mm plate (V-Grooves), which depicts the planks:

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The gaps between the plates were closed with filler and I started to sand the hull to its form.

The next step was the bulwark. I used a piece of plastic to measure the width of gun ports of the 32-pounders:

Image

Image

I still have to sand a lot to get to a hull form, which is similar to the real ship...

Image

Image
Author:  Pieter [ Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Hi Maxim,
A nice way to get the flare and curve right for the bulwarks is to sand the hull below the bulwark to a flare and simply continue the flare upward by "planking" styrene sheet up from the hull. You can cut off excess styrne using scissors. You can blend in the sheet to the lower hull after this by careful sanding though you should strenghten the bulwarks with styrene strip before you do that. Getting a good sheer and flare easily is one of the reasons I'm using balsa for the core of my hulls as it takes filing and sanding much better than a massive layer of styrene sheet.
A good example (a bit more complicated by having to work with a rolled stem) can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=120655
Very nice work on Kearsarge BTW.

maxim wrote:
Here the progress with Alabama:

This part is still not finished.

Does someone has an idea how to make the bulwarks at the bow and stern? They are at the top c. 0,4 mm thick, the lower part can be a little bit thicker. The problem is the flare and the curve of it.
Author:  mabmanu [ Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Bonjour

J'aime beaucoup ... :thumbs_up_1:
Author:  maxim [ Thu Feb 20, 2014 4:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
@ Maarten: nice advice, unfortunately not applicable for these models. But I will try it with a later one.

I have added the forecastle to Kearsarge and continued with the bulwarks:

Image

Image

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The surfaces are not yet smooth, but now the shape of the hull is more recognisable.

I have also started the bulwarks of Alabama with a 0,5 x 0,5 mm plastic sheet. On this a 0,3 mm x 1,1 mm sheet will be glued:

Image

Here a comparison of the sloop models in their current condition:

Image
Author:  maxim [ Thu Feb 27, 2014 6:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama und USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
I have continued to work on the bulwarks of Alabama. I added on the 0.5 x 0.5 mm stripe 0.3 mm x 1.1 mm sheet leaving space for the gun ports. The problem was the bow and stern. I have used 0.4 mm sheet, which I tried to design to fit to the shape of the bulwark there. I had do sand the upper end, because they did not fit perfectly.

On the top of the bulwark I added a 0.75 x 0.75 mm stripe:

Image

Image

Alabama had gun ports at the bow for chase guns - Kearsarge had here chase gun on the forecastle:

Image

At the stern Alabama had no gun ports, because the lifting equipment for the propeller was in the way (which I have added later):

Image

Here a comparison of both ships (Kearsarge on the top, Alabama below):

Image

Afterwards I added the stuff on the deck of Alabama (skylights, toilettes, hatches etc.)

Image

The same for Kearsarge:

Image

Image

Image

The next steps were the funnels. I wanted to made them from brass tubes, but found none with a fitting diameter. I tried 0.125 mm plastic sheet, but I failed to bent it into the round shape. Therefore I have used normal 80 g paper, which worked perfectly.

Here is the funnel of Alabama:
Image

and of Kearsarge:
Image

You can see also the already added bowsprit made of 0.8 mm brass.
Author:  Stefano Salesi [ Thu Feb 27, 2014 11:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
phabuolus work!!!!!!!!!

Waiting to see more...eagerly waiting!!!!!!!!!!
Author:  MichelB [ Fri Feb 28, 2014 4:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Nice..... :thumbs_up_1:
Author:  kylewoody [ Fri Feb 28, 2014 10:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Excellent! Those are looking fantastic, kudos on the scratchbuilding. It takes a lot of skill and patience to do that. On a side note, I always found it interesting that years later (granted totally different ships) the Kearsarge met with Alabama again, only to help build her this time.

http://navsource.org/archives/01/060/016085b.jpg

Kyle
Author:  Pieter [ Sat Mar 01, 2014 8:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Sloops CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge (1/700, scratch)
Very nice...
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