U.S.S. Galena in her 1862 rig. My model is a far simpler looking affair!
The final Union ship for this batch of ACW models is under the brush and all being well will be finished today. The construction was very similar to that of the U.S.S. New Ironsides lookalike the U.S.S. New Glory but with less gun ports, one less layer of MDF for the hull and fewer masts.Once again the reduced rig will be shown which makes the build so much easier.
As my models have been ‘based upon’ rather than being true replicas I have opted to use fictional names for the entire collection. Some of these are whimsical - the Confederate ironclads O’Hara and Butler being a case in point - whilst others have a connection with the historical original that inspired the build. The links are between the two are occasionally tenuous but it all adds to the fun.
The U.S.S. Galena is in fact named after the mineral of the same name and is not just any mineral either. Galena is the state mineral (?) of Kansas, Missouri and Wisconsin. I wanted to use a name that was somehow related and came across the wonderfully named mining district of Coeur d’Alene in Northern Idaho. So, the U.S.S. Coeur d’Alene it is then.
The model is far simpler looking than its historical counterpart and sadly I am unable to replicate the pronounced tumblehome of the original. I have also dispensed with some of the more ‘fiddly’ deatils but this is in keeping with the style of the overall build for this project. Although it has been built to the same length as the U.S.S. New Glory it looks smaller alongside as it sits slightly lower, has fewer masts and I intentionally covered the main deck more with larger hatch covers. It is an optical illusion for sure but it works rather well.
I have the plans for the C.S.S. Georgia lookalike and so will be making a start on this over the next day or so - it will give me something to do whilst the paint is drying!
I think for this level of action, having cool names for ships only adds to the whole enjoyment of the game and in a sense they start to take on a character peculiar to each vessel. Well at least that's my take on things!
ReplyDeleteHello there Steve J,
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right! The really strange thing is that the more I make names up the more names I want to make up and so the period seems to move further away from historical reality and into a repurposed version of it.
I will certainly be fighting an action next week for sure and I am really looking forward to it!
All the best,
DC
Is your version of U S S Galena going to be a terrible ironclad like the original? Any special rules for what is generally considered to be by far the worst design of the early ironclads?
ReplyDeleteI'm presuming that you have no interest representing it after its refit as a rather boring wooden sloop.
Hello there Mike Hall,
ReplyDeleteMy model is very much based upon and will only look a little like her historical namesake. The main reason I built her is simply to give the USS New Glory (based on the USS New Ironsides) some company! I agree she was not a great design even allowing for some other turkeys of the period! The wooden sloop would not have ticked the box for me and besides, the entire collection can best be described as ‘based upon’ the ACW rather than being historically accurate.
For me that is a lot more fun!
All the best,
DC
Hi David -
ReplyDeleteThinking about the ship designs of the ACW, I'm bound to say that they don't score high on the aesthetics scale. Your 'based on' builds make them look a sight prettier than they were! But there is one Union ironclad that always struck me for its appearance. USS 'Lafayette'. There, perhaps, a certain functionality was sacrificed for looks (but probably not), for the thing was slow and moderately vulnerable, even by ACW riverine standards. At any rate, I simply had to have a 'Lafayette' in my riverine fleet, just for the look of the thing. It keeps its historical name, though I could substitute 'de Tocqueville' ...
I form the impression (correct me if I'm wrong) that your Union fleet is designed more as a blue water navy, rather than a brown water. Of course, with the blockade, the Confederate could hardly be anything but the latter.
Collectively, they both make a fine picture!
Cheers,
Ion.
Hi there Archduke,
ReplyDeleteThere are all manner of shapes and sizes and my ships have left off a lot of the fiddly bits! They are recognisable for what they are supposed to be which is fine by me!
For the riverine side I always rather liked the Benton and indeed, I made one in my original ACW building frenzy of years gone by.
The next phase of the build will be set firmly on the river and the ships I have built so far are primarily designed for inshore operations in estuaries etc rather than deep blue water.
The collection is a little lopsided at present but there is sufficient variety for a number of games and once the river section is built - around another dozen models - it will enable to follow a river campaign to the sea.
That is the plan anyhow!
All the best,
DC
Hi David -
ReplyDeleteI, too, made a 'USS Benton', 8 inch long, and the flag vessel of my Union fleet. This also comprises two 'Cairo Class' gunboats, as well as 'Lafayette, 'Watusi', and two monitors (one of them 'Kickapoo' - I felt I just HAD to have a monitor of that name - and the other yet to get a name). I have an idea there's an Ellet steam ram in that fleet as well.
To my riverine fleets I've added a few tenders (little tugboats, really), and a trio of mortar barges on the Union side.
My CSN comprises just two casemate ironclads, the rest being armed steamers. I'd clad them in cotton armour and add the 'walking beam' if I could figure out how!
Mine are definitely 'brown water' navies!
Cheers,
Ion
Hello there Archduke,
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking long and hard about phase two of the ACW build and to be honest I will rally struggle to get everything I want to do in twelve models! The project will be larger than originally planned but as much of what will follow will be straightforward to build it will not be too much of a problem although it will require some careful planning in respect of the MDF templates I will need to order in. I need to think carefully about this as I want to ensure that the momentum is maintained and that what is built makes rational sense in terms of the projected campaign set up. I do not expect the Benton to appear but for sure there will be some of Pook’s Turtles - I built the entire class previously, along with Benton and Essex - and possibly one of the odder looking Union types.
The main bulk will be paddle driven for the most part but I need to research this more fully before starting work in earnest.
In the meantime though, the last Confederate ship is under construction and then it is on with the Colonial gunboats for Madasahatta - perhaps with the odd surprise for good measure.
All the best,
DC