Paddleducks
General => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: WVOUGHT on October 23, 2005, 07:38:14 PM
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Let me introduce myself. My name is William (Bill) Vought; I’m American, retired from the United Nations and have been living in Geneva, Switzerland for the past 35 years. Over the years I’ve built 18 ship models (2 kits and the rest scratch). Of these I have sold one, given away 3 (one was the C.S.S. Alabama donated to the city of Geneva, if interested see http://www.ge.ch/chancellerie/alabama/welcome.html) the rest are still with me. At this time I am attempting to repair a model of the Bounty that fell off a shelf. The problems are many since this is a model from Mauritius and at times their approach to rigging is original to say the least.
I am now looking for a new project and have found something that could be interesting, H.M.S. Volcano. This was an early armed paddle ship, 1837-1857, which in 1854 was converted into a “floating factory and fleet repair†ship. I intend to build it dockyard fashion on the starboard and fully planked on the port side. In this way I will be able to show the engines and the fully detailed work areas.
I have found limited information in “Conway’s Paddle Warships i.e. 2 cut-away plans and various written material concerning armament, class etc. what I am in need of are sheer, body and deck plans.
So the question is; does any one in this group have, or has access to information concerning 1) the ship itself or any of her class, 2) details of how a feathering paddle wheel of this date would appear and last 3) sketches or any other visual material concerning the appearance of a side lever steam engine.
Let me thank you in advance any assistance you may be able to provide
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Welcome Bill. I'm new to Paddleducks myself, but let me ask - why is the CSS Alabama of interest to the city of Geneva? She is a wonderful model, but the web site suggests that there is some kind of tie in.
Bruce
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A machine translation of the information on the web site follows
The Room of Alabama symbolizes with it only the international vocation of Geneva. The visitor of this magic place located at the c?ur of the historical building of the Town hall of Geneva wonders rightly which is the relation which links the name of a State of the south of the United States to our Republic and canton. It is necessary to refer to the American Civil War which made rage between the North and the South of the United States of America between 1861 and 1865 to include/understand the significance of it. With the exit of this fratricidal conflict, a diplomatic disagreement opposed the American government and England in connection with the war damagees caused to America by the fleet corsair of the Confederation Southerner, and particularly by warship "Alabama, built by the British. Following the Treaty of Washington of May 8, 1871, this conflict was subjected to an international arbitration which took place during the summer 1872. In September 1872, the Italian Count Frederic Sclopis, president of the Court of arbitration, expressed kind and wondered "why the Treaty of Washington, to which we owe this Court of arbitration, provided that we meet on Swiss ground to achieve our task. I quickly included/understood the reason of it. It was necessary to find with our debates a climate as favorable as possible, where a spirit of austere and serene freedom is combined with the respect of the law and order, in a country where the tradition is at the same time the criterion of the action present and the safeguard of the future ". The destiny of Geneva, city of peace, was thus sealed since the arbitration of Alabama made continuation, in this same place of the Town hall, with the signature, August 22, 1864, of the first convention of Geneva for the helps with the casualties, in the old room of reception of the seigniory of the Republic of Geneva. Nearer to us, the birth of the "international Center of humane mine clearance of Geneva", whose Confederation decided creation on November 26, 1997, was concretized in the room of Alabama. There we have the third shutter of a triptych which makes this room an incomparable place, sits of events and negotiations of international significance affirming in a bright way the rule of the law on the force. This place of memory testifies thus to the indéfectible bond between the Spirit of Geneva and the humans right. The writer Robert de Traz wrote that "peace, it is not calms flat, an unrealizable immobility. Peace, it is a ceaseless readjustment of phenomena which, by nature, are entrechoquent. Peace, it is an eternally started again development ". The room of Alabama constitutes the privileged place of this readjustment and this development. Robert Hensler, Chancellor of EtatRobert Hensler Chancellor of State
Barrie
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A machine translation of the information on the web site follows.........located at the c?ur of the historical building of the Town hall.........
Would that be 'coeur'? (heart, I think)
Anyway, welcome Bill, to the forum, unfortunately I cannot help with those questions but hopefully one of the experts can :)
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:post
Could not have said it better. If there is any further interest on this ship I have a ton of photos and information on its building. Side comment, was put in contact with the great-great grandson of the original capt. of the Alabama and in the end wound up building a second model for him. He now lives in Paris, indeed a small world