# SS Politician, building a miniature model



## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

I completed the _Politician_ some years ago. It is no longer in my possession. Here is a short Utube production!
Bob
http://youtu.be/dbKlh_aa9r4


----------



## stein (Nov 4, 2006)

Very interesting video. Music sounds British to my uneducated ears: Elgar?


----------



## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

The "Politician" was built at the Furness Yard and one of the first vessel's to have the dreaded Duct Keel I gather, the pipework going Aft from the Engineroom went through the Shaft Tunnel but the pipework going For'ad went through the newly designed Duct Keel. As yet I have not found out if the idea of the Duct Keel was a Furness invention or filched from another shipyard's design dept. Certainly a very nice model Shipbuilder.


----------



## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

Thanks,
The _Politician_ was built with a flat hull as well - no sheer, just a slight upward tilt of the forecastle head, so it made the model very easy to build.
The music is "Abandoned" by Andrew Scott Foust. I had never heard of him actually, I just selected it from the tracks that U-Tube provide. Very fitting for the Merchant Navy of old!
Bob


----------



## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

Shipbuilder said:


> Thanks,
> The _Politician_ was built with a flat hull as well - no sheer, just a slight upward tilt of the forecastle head, so it made the model very easy to build.
> The music is "Abandoned" by Andrew Scott Foust. I had never heard of him actually, I just selected it from the tracks that U-Tube provide. Very fitting for the Merchant Navy of old!
> Bob


The reason for the Hull being built in that way was due to a saving of time, this meant that the design enabled the whole of the shell of the vessel was readily developable on the Loft Floor and the material has been prepared in the Iron Worker's Shops from Drawing's or Mould's, thus avoiding the slow process of making Template's from the Ship. This produced a saving in construction time as there was practically no furnace plates. 60 to 70% of the Shell Bottom and Sides, Tank Top, Deck Plating and Stringer's are multiple plates. Plates could be drilled in batches of up to 6 depending on Plate thickness. The first top plate is accurately marked off and this then become's the template for other multiple drillings. This type of build also reduced the cost of upkeep on actual service as it dispenses with the usual number of ribbands for fairing.


----------



## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

I wonder why they didn't carry on building them like that? Nowadays, they all seem to be flat and angular. Other more extreme types were those little coasters like _Fixity, Firmity_ etc that seemed to be composed entirely of flat plates joined at angles. (There is a picture of Fixity in the gallery!)
Bob


----------



## R58484956 (Apr 19, 2004)

Nice film Bob, music ? pass


----------



## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

A description of a Bulk Carrier was " A number of barges joined together pushed by a powerful Tug". Vessel's built of flat plate during the War like LCT's were module built at different premises and put together on the slip, when War ended they were in great demand by Scrappies as the flat plate could be used without having to go through the expense of the Furnace and rolled flat before resale.


----------



## DAVID ALCOCK (Mar 27, 2012)

my little brother dived on her 40 yers ago and brought up a bottle of the famous whiskey ,unfortunatly ready diluted with salt water !(Pint)[=P]


----------

