| Apparently Alex Jordan
bought a whole museum to acquire its collection of ships. There are over 200
of them around the walls of a hall in a display entitled Heritage of the Sea. |  |
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Most are sailing ships and are of a significant size as models go. They are
also incredibly detailed. Only a few have names. The names are not seen as
important in the display. |
| Most models are of
English or American built ships, many of them armed, and many being 2 or
even 3 deckers, making them significant ships of the line. |  |
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The majority are fully rigged and most have unfurled sails. The wood is also
beautifully finished. |
| Some of the models are
the actual ship builders' models and this one states it is the rigging model
from which the builders would know how to rig the full sized ship. |  |
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Around all the models are other nautical objects and charts, such as the
telescopes and clock seen here. |
| Some are models of
explorers' ships and ice breakers. There are also many shells and carvings
of a nautical flavour. |  |
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Most are not coloured but rely on the natural colours of the materials used
to make them. This particularly large model (almost five feet long) is
unusual in its use of paint. |
| Besides the familiar
globes showing the earth, there are some globes showing the position of
stars such as this one along with a compass and other instruments behind. |  |
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These ivory horns intricately engraved with ships and birds and faces among
other things are just a few of the hundreds of items on display. One could
easily spend several hours on this one part of tour 2. |
| There are other boats
besides the sailing ships, such as this ceremonial canoe of eastern origin. |  |
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And there are several river craft like the Delta Queen typical of the boats
which once paddled up and down the US's major inland rivers. |
| There are a number of
major warship models from the second world war. This battleship model was
probably a dockyard model. Many ships had these made and they often remained
with the ship. 64 was the USS Wisconsin, one of the last battleships of
the Iowa class built in 1943. |  |
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Both of these models are probably 15 ft long. There is nothing to say what
this one is. |
| One of the odder models
is of a Russian submarine with this cutaway section showing the missiles
ready for action. |  |
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Turbinia was an experimental turbine-driven ship which was twice as fast as
any ship in service. It was designed by Charles Parsons and could do 35
knots in 1900. Nowadays most boats are powered by turbines. |
| This is a model of the
famous Liberty ships mass produced by the US during the second world war.
Hundreds of these were built. |  |
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There are not many modern ships or simple freighters. This is another
shipyard model. |
| One could not have a
collection of this size and quality without including a model of the ill
fated Titanic. But this is a huge model over 15 ft long. |  |
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The bizarre bit of the whole exhibition is the huge centrepiece which
virtually fills the centre of the hall. This shows an unnaturally large
three/four storey high whale with a rowboat in its open (totally
unrealistic) jaws battling with a giant octopus. I'm not sure I understand
its purpose or place in the exhibition. But then I was looking at a
collection of ships - perhaps I was supposed to be seeing something else.... |
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