Genealogy of the Bryan and Martin Families
Alexander Martin Model Ship Gallery
Alex Martin (1883-1960) joined the United States Navy in 1899 at the age of 16 and served until his 21st birthday in 1904. Around 1931 he began building model ships, most of them entirely "from scratch", although he did purchase plans and some of the smaller parts, such as anchors, life boats, etc. He sometimes pilfered the gold chains from his wife's and daughters' jewelry to use as anchor chains, eyelets from shoes became portholes, and seeds from a plant in his yard were used to make ventilators. Alex entered his ships in several hobby shows in Dayton, Ohio, winning "Best of Show" in 1959. He had exhibited at the 1960 hobby show just a few weeks before his death. This album is a collection of newspaper articles about and photographs of the models he built. Most of them are no longer in the extended family, although a few still exist in the homes of his descendants. He gave away many of his models to his friends and acquaintances, and one even ended up in the White House when he sent it to Franklin D. Roosevelt as a present. I remember several ships for which there are no photographs, including the U.S.S. Hartford, one of his largest models at a little over 3' long, and a slave ship. This virtual album is the closest thing we have to a complete record of his work. Follow this link to read his memoirs, Hedunit: The Memoirs of an Ex-Blue Jacket, and this link to read, download, or order a print copy. The descriptions (to be added as time permits) of some of the ships in this gallery were written by Alex and included in a notebook he kept containing photographs of each model. The notes appear to be for a slideshow that he presented to various audiences.» Alexander Martin Model Ship Gallery «Prev «1 ... 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ... 58» Next» » Slide Show
Gloucester Fishing Schooner the "Bluenose"
Her rigging and sails are much simpler than those of a full-rigged ship though she is as graceful a craft as ever sailed. She was known as a fore-and-after. She was speedy enough to win an international racing cup, at the same time she is essentially a working craft, built for hard usage. She was constructed by W.J. Roue of Halifax in 1921 and is still afloat, and she holds the international trophy for speed in the fishing schooner class. She is one of a fishing fleet of the Newfoundland Banks.
A person with a hobby like mine is always fascinated by the shapely fore-and-after although he is apt to feel that a trading schooner is a bit too homely for model reproduction and that an ordinary yacht is too trivial. For him the Bluenose should be ideal. Aloft and alow she is as beautiful as any fore-and-after ever was. This model is an exact reproduction of the original reduced to a scale of 1/2" to a foot.
She captured the international speed trophy. Like all fore-and-afters the Bluenose got much of its beauty from its rigging and sails. Everyone enjoys the magnificent sight of a sailing schooner with its sails up and bellied in the wind. Sails always give a sense of action and a note of life.
A small boy's definition of wind - air that's in a hurry.
| File name | Bluenose 2.jpg |
| File Size | 605.15k |
| Dimensions | 3023 x 2430 |
| Albums | Alexander Martin Model Ship Gallery |
» Alexander Martin Model Ship Gallery «Prev «1 ... 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ... 58» Next» » Slide Show