Battlefleet Models 1/700 SS Pearl metamorphosis..?

[Stefano Salesi]

as everyone of your build, chapeaux

[Guest]

Really nice model...
very nostalgic!

It is amazing to think that some of these ships were in service until 70�s.

This is the <<MARIA>> in Bilbao. She looks like a sister ship of the ss"Felicity"!


This ships was the british flag �Robin� builded by Orchad House Yard from Blackwall (Thames river) for R.Thomson in1890, with the following particulars

Length: 43,50 mts.

Breadth: 6,98 �

Depth: 3,58 �

GRT: 365,58 T

The max. speed was of 9 knots with a consume 5 tons of coal per day. She was a typical bulckcarrier dedicated mainly to the coal trade.
The crew were 12 persons.
I think she had capacity for 600 or 700 Tons of coal in the 3 holds.

In 1900 this ship was sold to spanish owners in Asturias (a minery region) and was renamed as <<Maria>>. She was sailing 74 years more!!!

During the IWW she was trading with France, avoiding the german submarines many times. During the Spanish Civil War she remained moored in Aviles.

In 1966 the coal to burn in the boilers was changed by Fuel Oil. The routes were through Cantabrico between Gijon, Aviles, Santander, Bilbao and Pasajes and sometimes arriving to Vigo. This trips were 1 or 2 days long.

In 1974 she was sold to the breakers but afortunatly a british society saved her and was moored in London (the city where she was builded) as museum.
She still sails and today the <<Maria>> ex-Robin is the oldest merchant ship of the world in service.

[JIM BAUMANN]

Thank you all for your kind words- I enjoyed the build -- nice and stressfree!

SS Robin did indeed serve for a long time under the Spanish flag

A FULL ( ad very detailed!) History of the vessel can be read here

http://www.ssrobin.com/heritage_back_in_time.php

The trust will be displaying the vessel on a specially constructed pontoon ...see below

http://www.ssrobin.com/floating_museum.php


Cheers

Jim Baumann