Plans for old Navy ships

[Jamnett]

I took the bait and bought the re-issued Kearsarge from Revell Germany. Now, about plans...I ordered something from Taubman and sent my catalog request to the Smithsonian. I have a couple of questions. Is there a big difference between the Smithsonian and the National Archives in selection as far as period or types of ships? One reason I ask is I can't seem to navigate through the maze of subjects and categories at the Archives site. Never did figure out how to access any kind of list of ship plans there. If they don't offer anything better than the Smithsonian, I guess it doesn't matter. It's just that not being able to find the Nat'l Archives ship plans is bugging me. Oh, that was one question, and I said I had a couple of them.

Can somebody who has sourced the Archives give me some tips and tricks?

Thanks
Ron H. (Harris, not Horabin)

[JWintjes]

I took the bait and bought the re-issued Kearsarge from Revell Germany. Now, about plans...I ordered something from Taubman and sent my catalog request to the Smithsonian. I have a couple of questions. Is there a big difference between the Smithsonian and the National Archives in selection as far as period or types of ships? One reason I ask is I can't seem to navigate through the maze of subjects and categories at the Archives site. Never did figure out how to access any kind of list of ship plans there. If they don't offer anything better than the Smithsonian, I guess it doesn't matter. It's just that not being able to find the Nat'l Archives ship plans is bugging me. Oh, that was one question, and I said I had a couple of them.

Can somebody who has sourced the Archives give me some tips and tricks?

Thanks
Ron H. (Harris, not Horabin)

Ron, additionally to any plans I can very highly recommend a series of articles by A. C. Roberts, published in the Nautical Research Journal in 2000. Roberts tried to reconstruct the appearance of Kearsarge during the war and provides a number of drawings. His work seems to be thoroughly researched to me, so I'm using it as the basis for my Kearsarge (already shuddering at the thought of getting the sheer right... ).

By the way, I talked Steve into making 11inch Dahlgrens and a 30pdr Dahlgren (which is what Roberts thought the forward pivot was, and I think he has a good case) for me . These might be of interest to you as well.

Jorit

[Tracy White]

The archives is not set up to sell plans like, say, floating drydock. They hold on to the records and nothing more, for the most part. They do have the ability to replicate some records but it may be expensive and you have to arrange for it to be done, to the point of knowing what record group, box, folder, and sheet you want reproduced.

NARA is charged mainly with preserving the records. Reproduction is left to researchers for hire, which you can find listed on their site.