# MEMPHIS Moss Hutchison Cargo liner 20'=1" Complete at Last



## Shipbuilder

Here it is, complete at last.

During the build, I was advised that the company name was actually Moss Hutchinson. I had seen it referred to with this spelling myself in the Ian Allen books, but Lloyds Registers all said Moss Hutchison. Anyway, I looked further into it and was eventually sent a copy of a sheet of headed notepaper from the company that clearly showed it was Moss Hutchison!

This one has taken well over 100 hours to complete - the longest time I have ever put into a model!

Bob


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## Gareth Jones

Beautiful model (as always) but whats F.R.S.A ?


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## Shipbuilder

Thanks Gareth
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Bob


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## fred henderson

That is a very fine piece of work. (Applause)(Applause)(Applause)

As Shipbuilder lives in UK, I think FRSA indicates that he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. The initials are also used for the Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors Association, but I do not think they have many UK members!


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## rothesian

Definately Moss Hutchison
great model
Alistair


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## makko

Outstanding! Well done, Bob.
Regards,
Dave


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## John Briggs

Looks great! You should be very proud!


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## Donald McGhee

This model is a great tribute to the fine ships we once knew and loved, not only when we sailed in them, but when we saw them at sea.
Sadly they are now mostly seen only in films, or as a result of the modelmakers art. Real ships, sadly missed.
Thank you for keeping them alive and sharing your skills with us.


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## Shipbuilder

Thanks for all replies & comments.
Yes, it is sad they are all gone now, and when our generation has gone, I suppose they will all be forgotten. My time at sea (May 1961 - October 1992) spanned from the old WW2 utility vessels to the most modern productions of the 90s, but I can honestly say that I was happier in the older ones. They were often hot & uncomfortable, but life seemed much simpler without the constant badgering from the office via telephone, teleprinters & satcoms. I know that if I was leaving school now, going to sea would not appeal to me at all - just don't like the looks of modern ships!
Bob


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## pete8

*Moss Hutchison*

Hi Bob, Congrats on a fine model...as always.

Just a comment re Hutchison/ Hutchinson, I cannot find any reference to the matter herein, perhaps it was a magazine I saw, but I do recall some queries buzzing around about the spelling of Savill ,as in Shaw Savill. It was said that the correct spelling is Savil ( one ell). I cannot find any evidence to support this in the various books I have. Interesting though.

Pete


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## jerome morris

Ahhhh. My kind of ship Bob. Well Done!


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## sparkie2182

A proper ship...............very well done!!


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## Shipbuilder

Thanks for all the replies. I was very happy with the way this one turned out. I got the plan from THE MOTOR SHIP, January 1948 issue!
Bob


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## 40907

Another beautiful piece of work.


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## Waterways

I recall this ship in the mid 1960s. She would dock at Harrington Dock in Liverpool. Moss Hutchison tended to dock at Harrington, Toxteth and Brunswick docks in Liverpool's south end docks.

I recall her moving from the berth in Harrington Dock, right next to Herculaneum Dock, on her own steam and unassisted through the Harrington to Herculaneum lock into the Herc. Turn around and face the open Herc river lock and run though perfectly into the river and swiftly run out to sea. It was like seeing a bus pull out from a bus stop, it was so quick and easy.

http://www.rhiw.com/y_mor/ships_photos_03/moss_hutchison/memphis.jpg


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## Shipbuilder

I am now building Moss Hutchison's white-hulled _Amarna_ of 1949.
Bob


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## A.D.FROST

Ship Gone,Company Gone,Shipyad Gone, just Memories & Models well done(Thumb)


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## R58484956

Bob I hope you are not making the "sea painter" redundant.


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## Shipbuilder

No - certainly not
This one is a private commission! Also about the maximum scale I can manage (20'=1") owing to size of work table area.
Bob


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## kypros

HI BOB superb model of moss hutchinson vessel any chance of one of my old ship KYPROS did six runs to the med in her rarely come across snaps of her in sn i took her name as my non de plume. best wishes Kypros


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## Shipbuilder

Thanks for all the comments. 
The AMARNA is my final private commission! I am not stopping making model ships, but I find it more and more hard-going building private commissions. It feels more like work than a hobby, even if I am not continually pestered with “when will it be finished?
Since deciding this, the follow-up approach has become “If you ever think of building…… I would definitely be interested!” But that would just be a private commission by another name and only ensures that I would not build the suggested model in the near future! 
There have been other problems of late, my material suppliers are drying up fast. There are now no decent toolshops where I live any more. Model shops are fast-disappearing apart from the ones that sell mainly kits and I relied on them for certain specialised materials. Internet shopping helps a bit in this respect. Last week, my bandsaw drive belt broke and I thought that I would just be able to purchase a spare. Both the supplier and manufacturer of the bandsaw (less than three years old) told me that the machine had been discontinued and they had disposed of all the spares. The next suitable-sized bandsaw (throat width) was floor standing and cost hundreds of pounds, so that was out as we hadn’t the room for one anyway. There was nothing of a medium size (305mm throat) that would stand on a bench, so I had to content myself with a small one with a 190mm throat, so I am now much restricted in size when it comes to making display cases (acrylic). 
A couple of years ago when I wore my Unimat lathe chuck out (after 37 years), it took weeks and weeks to find a replacement and that was from the USA!

Until a couple of years ago, I would send models to the maritime auctions in London, but the overheads got too high. To send a model to London would cost between £30 & £50. Then there was insurance and the “marketing fee” adding a further £60 to it (even if it didn’t sell). Commission deduction was 15%. Building costs for something like AMARNA is about £50 (mainly adhesives, spray paint and acrylic) and finally, the income tax is there ready and eager to take their 20 per cent of what is left! On the worst scenario, I was left with ½ pence per hour profit!
Nowadays, it is down to Ebay!

But I must stress, it is certainly not the money, I have had people abroad (mainly USA) saying that they would pay very high prices for models and even pay before I started work. I never take on anything like that on, because it would put too much of a commitment on me and there is nothing worse than getting paid first, working for a couple of months and then just seeing it go without the pleasure of getting paid for a job well done on completion.

I did stop taking commissions some time ago, but was persuaded to do the odd one as “special” cases and quickly found myself on the treadmill again. 

I really want the freedom to drift from sail to steam or motor and up and down the centuries from about 1840 to 1965 as I feel inclined.

Bob


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## howgego

*Memphis*

What happened to the model of the Memphis ?

Regards

Nicholas Howgego


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## Shipbuilder

The _Memphis_ was a private commission for someone who had sailed in her. Same with _Amarna_. I have since stopped taking private commissions and have not even built anything for over a month. I am still more than capable of making them, but private commissions are too much like hard work and building for pleasure has to be restricted becuase the house would soon fill up, as there is virtually no interest in such things these days by the vast majority of the British public, so it is difficult to get rid of them. Until recently, I built 8 or 9 a year. So far this year, I have built:
_County of Roxburgh_ - four-masted full-rigged ship.
_Sofala_ - BI Coaster.
_Amarna_ - Cargo liner.
_Mary Sinclair _- Topsail schooner.
_Barden_ - Norwegian barquentine.

But only one remains, so I may well start another soon!
Bob


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## 40907

Hi Bob. To me it is massively interesting that you mention the name "Sofala". I looked it up (in our gallery) and was pleasantly surprised at the result. My son's current vessel is a tug/supply vessel that goes by that name and is working off Beira at the moment.

IMO: 8319615, MMSI: 376617000

http://marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=376617000

I had an aortic aneurysm repaired last week and I'm feeling rather sorry for myself so I've been wandering these portals looking at stuff that cheers me up. Coming across items of your work takes the edge off every time! Thank you. I'm a fan for sure.

Ken.


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## howgego

*Memphis*



Shipbuilder said:


> The _Memphis_ was a private commission for someone who had sailed in her. Same with _Amarna_. I have since stopped taking private commissions and have not even built anything for over a month. I am still more than capable of making them, but private commissions are too much like hard work and building for pleasure has to be restricted becuase the house would soon fill up, as there is virtually no interest in such things these days by the vast majority of the British public, so it is difficult to get rid of them. Until recently, I built 8 or 9 a year. So far this year, I have built:
> _County of Roxburgh_ - four-masted full-rigged ship.
> _Sofala_ - BI Coaster.
> _Amarna_ - Cargo liner.
> _Mary Sinclair _- Topsail schooner.
> _Barden_ - Norwegian barquentine.
> 
> But only one remains, so I may well start another soon!
> Bob


 If you ever feel like building another Memphis please let me know. My Father was Captain of her for many years until he died on a voyage in Cyprus. 

Best regards 

Nicholas Howgego


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## Peter Trodden

I joined the Memphis 12.12,63. A happy ship,on a good run,with a great crew. On that trip we had 2 Deck Cadets from Cyprus (Greek) I wonder what became of them? Payed off L-Pool. 11.3.64.
ttfn.Peter.


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## Shipbuilder

Thanks for replies,
Ken, hope you are soon better again and glad you liked seeing SOFALA. Click on "Miniature Merchant Ships" below to see more.
My next model is to be the British four-masted barque PASS OF BRANDER at 32'=1". That will give it a hull length of just under 9 inches on the waterline.
Bob


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## 40907

Thanks Bob. I enjoyed the look-around.

As for getting better - I probably will survive this thing! Still married? That, I fear, may be a little more difficult to achieve! The old girl is about to throw me out!! (EEK)


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