Civilian Maritime projects .

One of my clients, who runs a big ship repair yard, has a nice oyster dredge model in his conference room on Alameda Island.

Model the Alma starting with a cigar box.

Speaking of that fair City, for years one of the Lurlines sat just down the Embarcadero from me. Either the Mariposa or the Monterey.

Another neglected subject-USCG. There used to be a Tree Class buoy tender down there as well, believe she was name Fir.

Hey "G" ;

   You are right of course . If Memory serves me right it was the Mariposa . T.B. 

The Buoy Tender . Now there's an interesting vessel . I lived on a converted version of one at Bethel Island . If you know the area that's up in the SanJoaquin/Sacramento river Delta .

 I used to spend some time at the Rio Vista R.V. Park on the Sacramento right across the river , from the U.S.C.G. Rio Vista station .They trained rescue swimmers right in the river . It was always a great show for the R.V.ers. That was after I became an old married man to wife number two .  

 My oil Spill vessels operated out of Crockett , under Contract to formerly Clean Bay , now Clean Seas I believe .  I was also involved in bringing the Hornet back to life as a Museum in Alameda . Miss the old girl ? I do .

     There used to be a facility near Rio Vista that was supposed to be a P.T. Boat Museum .I don't think that ever happened though . It was across the river and about a hundreds down river from the C.G.Station.     T.B.

Don't neglect working ships on the East Coast. You tugboat enthusiasts might consider the coal burning tug BALTIMORE. Launched in 1906 by the Skinner Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. of Baltimore, Md. This tug operated for many years as a diesel propulsion vessel. Sinking in 1980 and laid underwater until raised and rescued the following year by the Baltimorte Museum of Industry. Converted back to coal burning, this working tug serves as a moving museum for antique loving ship lovers.

Happy New Year and Happy Modeling.   Crackers  

If you lust after civil kits, in my mind the best release in recent past is the Revell (G) kit of the Colombo Express in 1:700.  It is a big container ship, and is a really nice kit.  There is a PE set available for it.  My only critique is that the decals for the containers were all Hapag Lloyd.  But, I found plenty of logos for other containers on the internet and made a set on inkjet paper.

Don;

    A friend of mine copied a page from the paper ship I have of the " Conti Belgica ' and set them for 1/700 . Now I have the container names for eighteen companies . Just have to buy the ship !  T.B.

Correction- I called the Fir a "Tree" class cutter, she is a "Hollyhock" class.

Now see , Crackers !

 That would make a gorgeous model .You could build it in H.O. scale ( 1/87 ) and have a ball with the details . There are many more . Papermodels concentrate a great deal on civilian craft . You could use the  Cornerstone/Walthers Tug in H.O. as a base for her

     That said my last Schreiber catalogue has at least Twelve liners from the late -great days of " Atlantic Crossing " ships Including the Normandie .

     On of the neatest was a tug called " Two Friends " Or the  "Filibustering Tug " .She was part of Henry Flaglers ops . because she burned the harder cleaner coal , she was all white with grey details .

     She can be built full hull if that's what you want , But you can waterline her or have the bottom removeable as well . That's why I miss Papermodels International .As brokers they had an unbelievable selection of ships .Can you picture a 1/250 version of the Lutzow or the Prinz Eugen ?

    So that way , I can build a lot in plastic just using the paper parts for patterns and lots of .010 and .020 sheet plastic . 1/250 and 1/275 and 1/350 are available as well as some larger .      T.B.

Yeah " G "

   My boat ( if you want to call her that ) was a lengthened " Bush " class . Lotsa room there .

The mention of bucket dredges brings into play the "Yuba" bucket liners used in the gold fields.  One up in NE Oregon that is a state park.  There is a wood model of it in the office there, but not real accurate.  If you have see "Gold Rush" over the past couple of seasons, Beets has one in operation and another coming online, already got a million in gold with it halfway through the season.  While not strictly maritime, they are still floaty things and would be different.

Since you mention Kalakala...

My favorite ferry started life as a typical San Francisco Bay ferry.  After ten years there, she burned to the waterline.  The Black Ball Line on Puget Sound brought her up here to Puget Sound and built that cool superstructure, getting her back in service in 1935.  She went back and forth between Seattle and Bremerton from 1935 until 1965.  It was a huge treat for me to make a trip on the Kalakala.  She was originally silver (known as the Silver Slug), but later painted white.  After being taken out of service as a ferry she went up to Alaska to be parked and used as a fish packing plant.  She was brought back to Seattle afew years ago and sat, waiting to become a wonderful tourist attraction.  Ghosts owned her until she was scrapped last year.

The photo above is a postcard my mother sent to her folks when she was dating my father in Bremerton, in 1952.

btw, the name "Kalakala" was a made-up word that they pretended was from the Chinook Indian language.  It was a great tale.

Speaking of fish packing plants, Fred, didn't you have pics of a Liberty doing the same.

Oh WoW ! !

 I had been saddened by not having a photo or picture of her . She was mentioned in a book on the " Art Deco " movement . I still remember waiting till she cam to Bremerton to ride the Ferries . I knew what days and times she ran .I just couldn't get enough of her .

     That said , I remember this above all else .The Seattle to Bremerton Ride was on some of the cleanest ferries I had ever ridden .Like new compared to the Staten Island ferry I rode once .

     Being called the " Silver Slug " was to me Derogatory at best , Insulting at worst . Sure she had her flaws . Being all metal in the upperworks made her noisier and creakier than the wood ones .That was part of her charm .

      That and the fact look how old she was ! Wouldn't you say that from 1935 to 1965 was amazing ? I would .That shows how tough things were built back in the day . I will always remember ALL the Puget Sound ferries with fondness and something akin to a love for the  machines .    T.B.