Salamis

Originally built as a Tea Clipper, Salamis served her time in the wool trade. It was intended that the Salamis would have the same round trips as the Thermopylae, out to Melbourne with general cargo and then across to China and home again with tea. But by 1875 steamers had got hold of the tea trade and most of the clippers were put into the Australian wool trade.

As a wool clipper. Salamis set up a wonderful record, averaging 87 days for 18 consecutive wool passages. She was sold to the Norwegians and in 1905, her 30th year, was wrecked in the South Pacific. The end of a beautiful ship.

Model: David Edwards… “Having built the Thermopylae a few years previously, I still had the drawings stored in my shed and despite the efforts of mice to turn them into an impressive piece of origami I still had enough left to produce a plug and mould. This took about 6 months and what seemed a further 6 moths to release the hull from the mould; that resin sticks.

“Fittings are mainly brass, masts and yards are ramin, birch and pine. The deck is planked on a ply sub deck. Planks are cut from 1mm plywood and bevelled on both edges giving a realistic effect when butted up to each other. Paint is Dulux house grade and rigging is kite string paint blackened. Ships boats are carved from solid mahogany and fitted out with veneers and cocktail stick oars. Deckhouses are plywood veneered to give panelled effect. Sails are off cuts of full size dingy sailcloth. Model square- riggers are fun to sail but difficult to tack, they need plenty of sea room!”

[David Edwards’s Thermopylae]     [Other models of David Edwards]    [other Square Rigged Models]

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