THE SCUTTLEBUTT The Scuttlebutt is the official newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Shipwrights – Denver, CO. Its objective is to promote, develop and further scale model shipbuilding and the study of maritime subjects, art, history and traditions. VOLUME 11, NUMBER 9                                                          SEPTEMBER, 2002

SEPTEMBER MEETING THE SEPTEMBER MEETING OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHIPWRIGHTS WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, AT 0930 HOURS, ROCKLER WOODWORKING & HARDWARE, 2553 SOUTH COLORADO BLVD., DENVER, COLORADO. SPEAKERS: JON SORENSON & JOHN McGANN TOPIC: "PLANKING " OCTOBER MEETING The October Meeting will be held on Saturday, October 19, at 0930 hours, at Rockler Woodworking & Hardware, 2553 South Colorado Blvd., Denver. ANNUAL MODEL EXHIBITION NOW HEAR THIS - SKIPPER'S NOTES We had a great meeting in August, and it appears most of the vacations are over. It was good to see Bob Gunnerson back in the fold and hope to see Bob Conover soon. I have always heard that "it" was not contagious, but maybe they were wrong. Or does it come in threes? First it was Ed Quam, and he mastered it. Then it was Bob Conover, and he is well underway to being in total control of it. Now it seems to be my turn. I was informed I have "it" in the form of prostate cancer. Decisions are being made to see which path I will follow. I want to thank both Ed and Bob for the tremendous insight they have given me. I plan to do my very best to complete my cruise as 'Skipper' and turn over a very healthy ship to the next 'boss'. If you are one of those with a healthy computer I highly recommend you check into our website…It is well worth it and it is growing fast.

Your continued additions will sure be appreciated. Tell all your email friends. Very special thanks ro Wayne Cassell who, along with Terry Godwin, have done a terrific job making this a reality. Bob Slattery just returned from a trip to Arizona. He said Denver wasn't hot enough for him. Bob has been a real boost in my efforts to locate good plans of Civil War ships. If he doesn't have them, he knows where to go with just one phone call. Thanks Bob. A reminder to all those who will be showing their skills in the upcoming show. You must have the entry forms into Mark Pankratz at the September meeting. (The deadline has been extended until the day of the meeting.) Yes, I'm guilty too. The program for the September meeting should be a real keeper. Two of the very best, John McGann and Jon Sorenson, will present the art of planking. Get your questions ready, and have lots of paper to write it all down. Believe me, they know how. Hope to see you all at Rocklers on September 21 at 9:30AM. And remember…In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday. Your Skipper, Jim Smith NEW MEMBERS RMS members are encouraged to wear their name badges to monthly meetings. New members can order name badges at Sun Signs, 4420 Tennyson St., Denver, CO 80212 (303-477-1594). UPCOMING 2002 RMS MEETING DATES Meetings are held on the third Saturday monthly at 0930 hours. Location: Rockler Woodworking & Hardware, 2553 South Colorado Blvd., Denver, Colorado. October 19 Annual Model Exhibition November 16 Kit Review December 21 Ed Quam, Jon Sorenson Rigging

LIBRARY Donations of books from members are especially welcome. The library is located in the cabinet near the RMS meeting room at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware. Members are requested to return any books that have been outstanding for a long time so that other members may enjoy them too. ANNUAL MODEL EXHIBITION UPDATE The 2002 model exhibition will be held on October 19-27. The show committee wants a lot of ships to be exhibited. Members are encouraged to exhibit as many ships as they can. Ships may be either completed or in-process. Uncased ships are okay. The uncased ships will be placed behind a rope barricade to discourage damage. An entry forms is included with this issue of the Scuttlebutt for the benefit of those who haven't yet gotten around to entering . Deadline for receipt of entry forms has been extended until September 21. Bring completed entry forms to the September RMS meeting, or send to the Show Committee Chairman, Mark Pankratz, 15667 Crystallo Drive, Parker, CO 80134 (Email: hms_dread0@yahoo.com). RMS WEBSITE The Rocky Mountain Shipwrights has a new website! The internet address is www.rkymtnshipwrights.org. Terry Godwin and Wayne Cassell are working on putting things on the web site. Items needed for the website include: (1) Photos or files (5" x 3" with a 2-3 sentence description). (2) Upcoming events from other clubs. (3) Interesting articles. (4) Websites for other clubs (5) Gallery of ships built by RMS members (6) Links to suppliers Check out YOUR new website.

2003 PROGRAMS Jon Sorenson is looking for ideas and volunteers for upcoming 2003 programs at Rocky Mountain Shipwrights meetings. There are 10 slots to fill. ARTICLE REPORT War, Technology, and Experience aboard the USS Monitor , by David A. Mindell, Johns Hopkins, 2000). On March 9, 1862, the world changed. Two ironclads, the Union Monitor and the Confederate Virginia slugged it out in Hampton Roads for 4 hours and entered the folklore of naval history. The Monitor was viewed as an engineering miracle with "50 patentable inventions". This interesting little book goes behind the folklore to investigate the real Monitor with its strengths and weaknesses. Even though the "legendary" 50 patentable inventions statement was just a casual estimate by engineer Usaac Newton and was not an exact count, the Monitor was a remarkable ship. Designed by engineer John Ericsson, the Monior was a virtual submersible with its decks awash and all machinery, crew spaces and stores located below waterline. It contained a rotating turret, screw propellers, glass skylights, iron belt toprotect lower hull from shot, cylindrical anchor well to permit anchor to be raised./lowered without exposing the crew, to name just a few innovations. But despite all of these innovations, the Moniior had several major design flaws, one of which likely led to its sinking in a storm off Cape Hatteras on New Year's Eve, 1862. Ericsson was theoretical and didn't acknowledge the merits of actual experience. Ericsson, in fact, was never aboard the Monitor. The official report to the Navy Dept. by Captain Jeffers listed 4 major design flaws. (1) Control problems for the Captain in the pilot house. The Captain was located in a tiny pilot house at the bow of the ship. Communication with the rest of the ship and the turret was by

speaker tube. During the Battle of Hampton Roads, however, the speaker tube didn't function. Messages had to be relayed from the Captain to the rest of the ship by courier. This flaw was addressed in the later monitors of the Passaicclass by relocating the pilothouse atop a turret. (2) Difficulty in accurately turning the turret. The gunners in the turret couldn't see out to aim the guns. The crew made white marks on the stationary floor beneath the turret to indicate directions (port/starboard, bow/stern). Aiming instructions came from the pilothouse (by courier). (3) Single-point failure of belts that drove ventilation blowers. Water caused the drive belts to stretch and slip. Failure of a single drive belt could shut down the entire ventilation system. (4) Lack of ventilation. Perhaps the most serious desing flaw was the lack of ventilation. In the summer of 1862, temperatures exceeded 140F inside the Monitor. This caused the Monitor to be withdrawn from the line during the Peninsula Campaign to permit the crew to be above decks. The ventilation stacks also were too low, allowing leakage of water in rough seas. In later Monitors, the height of the stacks was increased and better blowers were added. Several other design flaws existed, which were not included in the report. (5) The Monior was vulnerable to boarding. Capture of the Confederate gunboat Teaser included a copy of the plans to board the Monitor. As a result, the Monitor always was withdrawn upon the approach of wooden Confederate gunboats. .

(6) The Monitor's two-piece hull, with its overhang between the deck and the lower hull was vulnerable to leaks and separation. The top piece (deck) was a flat, iron raft. The lower piece was a flat-bottomed iron cradle, which hung under the raft. The Monitor had no true keel. Later Monitors had conventional hulls with no shelf. This shelf likely was the cause of the Monitor's sinking and not the drunken sailors of Ericsson's excuse (7) The turret base was not backed (sealed). This permitted leakage. Attempts were made by the crew to seal the turret base with oakum after the Battle of Hampton Roads. Ericsson also used this as an excuse for the sinking. In fact, the oakum seal did dry and rot during the summer campaign on the Peninsula. Was the old rotten seal removed and/or replaced during Monitor's October overhaul? There's much, much more in this little book, such as two sailors being injured (concussion) by being knocked across the inside of the turret, when shots struck the turret at the points against which they were leaning. Another point is the Monitor's two Dahlgren 11-inch guns had been derated, because of the fear they would burst their breeches. As a result, the Monitor's guns were charged with only 15 pounds of powder, instead of the rated 50 pounds. This wasn't enough to pierce the Virginia's armor. This book is a must read for Civil War buffs and those interested in technology at sea..