SHIPS: THE MIDDLE AGES AND NOW

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 102, 17 May 1937, Page 8

SHIPS: THE MIDDLE AGES AND NOW

Interesting Display of " Models MUSEUM EXHIBIT ' A most anterestiug exhibit is at present on view in the recently-opened now wing of -the Hawke 's Bay Museum. It is a collection of models of ships from the "middle ages down tO Ihe present time. Ws are a nation of eea-lovers. Tlie . irsistent ' ' call of the sea" is * an hereditary one which makes itself heard dn field, office and factory. Ships will always be a fascination to youiig and old. Our Empire was founded on the daring of our seamen. Models will show better than anyjthing else what these ships looked like; tre can see the decks, masts, rigging and armaments. In ixnagination we can jgo aboard and live over again journeys of discovery, sea fights, a clash with pirates, or a record trip Home with all sails eet. It is not sarprising, thercfore, that many eager persons- in alljvalks jof life feel the urge of the sea and give it material expression by ehoosing as their hobby the building of ship models. In their leisure hours ,they study old booke, documents and old contemporary paintings, so thjat their finished model will' be a true repia ea of what their particular ship preseited and to display it at museums £or the better understanding of maritime history.

Spanish GaHeon. The model of the Spanish galleon, W'hich ig built to a scale of one inch to eight feet, xepreeents a prototype of a Spanish galleon of the late 16th oentury. She was engaged on an escort to 3\>ing Philip of Spain's famous Plate fleet, which carried treasure plundered from the Incas of Peru across the Atlantic to Spain. This galleon herself was laden with golden, silver and pieeious stones from Panama and on her homeward journey from the Garlbean Sea. Sueh a treasure ship was always a coveted prize to Drake and his daring men. This model as all constructed of kauri and took over a year to build. At present Mr I. Husheer is studying old documente and paintings to reconstruct Abel Tasman 's ship, the Heenskirk, in which this explorer discovered Kew Zealand in 1612.

Privateer Swallow. This privateer distinguished herself in the English-American War. Privatfiers were iitted out by merchants and granted letters of maTque by the Admiralty. This commission made the shap a sort of private warship, wliose purpose it was to distress the enemy's coiiimerce. The proceeds were divided into five paris — four goihg to the merchants who fitted out the rover, and one to th'e Crown. If a privateer were canght without the proper papers aboard, the crew were treated as pirates and hung on to the yard aria. Since speed and seaworthiness and •apture of prizes counted for so much in those days, every elfort was made to design and build .the best possible ship, and this fact led up to the fast elippers being bnilt in America and England. ^

Clipper Ship: Cutty Sark. Clippers derive their name from the word to clip, a term used in the old aport of falconry which means "to move .swiftly." Thie vessel's bow and stern had a great xake; their greatest beam was axnidship instead of forward. These elippers were very fast vesscls. London to Melbourae in sixty days was quite a cbmmOn occurrence. The Cutty Sark was a very beautiful vessel and as fast as most of her peers. She has the distinction of being the only one still afioat. In 1921 she came into Portuguese hands and rigged as a barquentine. She was repurehased by Englishmen, and they have grounds for hope that she may be rigged again as formerly and that she may show to u generation which has almost forgotten the sailiug ship what a clipper can. do under full press of canvas. Old as she Is, she wouid certainly run away froui the fiuest of modern racing yachts.

R.M.S. Strathmore. The Peniusular and Orientai Co. '« latesi liner, Strathmore, is a good exauiple of a modern ni&il and passenger ship. She was built and engiued by Vickers Armstrong, Ltd., Barrow-in-THirness, Lancashire, and was iaunched on April 4, 1935, by Her Iioyal Highuess the Duchess of Yorlt \dow Queen Eiizabeth). The Strathmore 's over-all lengtll is 1565 feet, breadth 84ft., draught 30ft. and of 23,428 gross tonnage. ■ She has a »peed of 20 knots. On her maiden voyage to Bombay the Strathmore captured the blue riband of the passage frojn Mediterranean ports to India, 10 days from Marseilles to India — a retiorrt. She is practically fire-proof; all her woodwyrk has been treated by a special proeess immune to fire. She has also a double bottom and her hui] is divided into 11 traverse bulkheads, mtrefore as ssfe a ship as science can ocsign. She has eight decks for the aceOmmoaation of passengers, of which she ean earry 1100. All are giveu thc best possible comfort and service and will always remember their East of Suez trip with the P. and O. liner. " /