At anchor in Pascagoula MS

This is the first model that I have ever built from the keel up. Although I have built models in the past they were always from a kit. This was just an idea that I had in my head. It all started with a flower bed in the front yard that we (the wife & I ) couldn't figure out what to do with. Down here on the Gulf Coast there are many homes that have little signs in thier front yards for thier names and how long they have lived at that address. So I thought, forget the sign lets build a small carrier. After all, thats our last name. I had no idea were to start this kind of project or what I was getting myself and my family & friends into. If we would have had accsess to the internet. we would have had smooth sailing, but alas we were still in the stoneage. After 14 years in the U S Navy I did have some idea of ship construction, so I began. With out plans or drawings of anykind and no idea where to even look, I wen't to Wal-mart and bought a 1:700 scale model of the USS Nimits and some graph paper. With just eyeballing the model, I sketched out what each of the hull ribs should look like at different intervals then transposed each sketch to the graph paper. Then onto 3/8" plywood. These pieces not only form the rib but also the bulkheads The keel was made of a 2"x2" and marked at the same interval for the bulkhead location. Once all the bulkheads were in place then came another problem. What to cover it with. I needed something that was light but strong and that would hold fiberglass. Working for a news paper at the time we use a thin sheet of metal to transfer the images to the paper. The metal sheets are made of aluminum alloy. So with them and a stapel gun the hull was formed.

Next 3 photos were taken after the sheet metal was attached to the wooden frame.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION 1992

FIBRGLASSING (TRAINING HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) Fiberglassing, what a job. I had done a little in the past but nothing like this. A friend of mine ( Ed ) came by and I showed him what I had done so far and the following weekend we applied the first of many coats. On the third coat some gray pigment was added to the fiberglass resin and just before it dried light cotton string was added to the hull to repersent the weld lines,.then coated one more time.

From the stern looking foreward;

Next came the shaft sleeves and rudder posts and sleeves. All the sleeves are made of 3/8" stainless steal tubing. Main shafts and rudder posts are 1/4" stainless rod. Still nothing was measured just eye balled. Once everything was placed, then it was fiberglassed in place.

The Executive Officer of the ship, Mike, is the guy that convinced me to go R/C. The news paper that I worked for was in the prosess of discarding some copy machine, From the copy machines and two 1/4" aluminum plates Mike manufactured the main engine reduction gear system using the drive chain and sprockets. Giving us a 1 to 1.5 gear ratio. Then he manufactured a monting bracket to the reduction system for a 26lb thurst troling motor (just the motor) .

Once the hull was 50 % complete it was time to start on the flight deck. The flight deck it self has been built 3 different times, the first time it was made from closet doors but after realizing they were to thick that idea was scraped. Next came idea #2. Make it out of 3/4" plywood. This idea stayed untill the sea trials when it became apparent that this deck just weighed to much and made the ship top heavy. Last idea worked, The new flight deck was laminated using 3/4"x11/2" wood strips and 3/4" fome insulation layed between two sheets of panneling. With a wieght loss of over 100lb the top heavyness was gone.

This photo was taken 21/2 years into construction.

First floot test

After the weight problem was solved and the main shaft and rudders were put in, The only thing to do was put it in the water and see if it floots.

Now that the hull and flight deck are 65% complete it's time to look for the detail parts. Another friend of the family came by with some copies of Scale Ship Modelers magazine and through them I found the manufactures of the parts and of the sizes I needed for a project like this. Most of the detail parts like the wepons system, wter tight doors,hatces,life rings, liferaft canesters, fire hoses, ect I order through The Scale Ship Yard. Longbeach Calif. Other supplyers include, The Dromedary >>> ship modeler's center, Squadron mail order ( planes and crew members)

STARBOARD SIDE FORWARD

Just some of the fittings from the Scale Ship Yard, 20mm gatling gun (C.I.W.S.) and a Sea Sparrow launcher. Behind the gatling gun is a crew member walking out to do maintenance on the gun.

A CALL TO MUSTER

Flight crews getting last minute instructions before take off. all crew members are hand painted with 119 on board. The figures I found were made of a soft plastic , whitch allowed me to cut an arm or leg off of one figure and replace it with one from another. Using a wood burner to melt the plastic back together (worked better then glue). However, now the family calles me the plastic surgeon.

4 days to go

On June 30th 1996 the completed ship was lifted into the back yard pool for final check before the commissioning.

SMALL POOL , BIG BOAT.

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