August 2025 Volume 15 number 8

Summer is in full swing. Unfortunately, there is a noticeable lack of our Canadian visitors. Maine tourism news reports also say the same thing. We have trimmed our Saturday hours a bit to 9-3. Of course, we are always open to specific requests for visits at other times, like if you can only come on Sunday, let us know when and we will open for you.

NRG'S MODEL SHIP WORLD

Model Ship World is an on-line forum of over 40,000 ship modelers. Topics range from kits to scratch builds, in-process continuing stories, tips, manufacturer information, technical topics. Too many to list here. Go take a look! And yes, BlueJacket is one of the sponsors.

www.modelshipworld.com

Recently we put our new HO kits on the website, but in the past have never put our previous offerings in HO and N scale. Look for them to be added shortly.

Josh

Below - Below decks, or down from aloft. Scholars say the word was a "late bloomer" in the general language, seen in late Middle English.

Field Day - A day, or a few hours, set aside for cleaning up on deck and below. The term was undoubtedly originated by navy people, who enjoyed nothing more than scrubbing the decks and paintwork, shining the brass, etc., sometimes to get ready for an inspection.Now in fairly general use, the term appeared during or shortly after World War I.

Jig - A tackle at the end of any hauling line, as a halyard, used for several centuries to get that "extra foot" with a little help. The origin is obscure.

Pay - (1)To let a line run out. this is from Old French payer, of this meaning. (2) To fill or patch a seam with pitch, as in caulking. The term in this sense came also from Old French, peier, of the same meaning; it from Latin picare, pitch.

Information is from the book "Origins of Sea Terms" by John G. Rogers

copyright 1985 Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc. and available from BlueJacket.

From Neil D of Dundee Scotland

"Dear Nic & Co, 

Please see attached photos of my latest project, SS Karmala, a WW2 Victory ship built in Baltimore in 1945 as SS Sheepshead Bay Victory. Very few Victory ships made it into British service post war compared to Liberty ships. Two served with P&O from 1947-67, the other being SS Khyber. I picked P&O as I used to work for them and I liked the unusual stone & black colour scheme.

The kit is from Bluejacket but heavily modified. I’m so used to scratch building from styrene that I already had everything from the main deck upwards built from this, then wondered what all the wood parts were for. The only wooden parts are the hull and funnel. Additional photo etch from Blujacket’s merchant ship set and Scalelink Fretcetera was used, particularly for the mast details. The prop is brass for an R/C model to add a bit of polished detail. A most enjoyable build. 

Yours aye,

Neil D

From Neil D. of Scotland. See his finished model in the Model of the month.

"Dear Nic,

Following your last request please see pictures of my bench in the corner of my garage. In progress is your own Victory kit but via a heavily modified build process. It’s a post war British-flagged cargo ship, any reader who guesses which one of two sisters and what company deserves a prize! " 

Nic's bench - After much trimming and ajusting, the first planks are in place.

Al's bench - Al is making good progress on the West Coast Lumber schooner. Masting complete. Interesting is the Fore and Main have gaffs, but the mizzen is Marconi rigged (triangular sail.)

Unfortunately, I am fresh out of ideas this month. Please send in your shortcuts and tips.

Many of these I refer to as "inspired laziness"

Lots of our regular summer visitors have stopped by, It's so nice to see them again. They all say that summer traffic is lighter than they remember from last year.