USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest ship of any type still afloat. She was launched in 1797, and is one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. Her first duties were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the war with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates. USS Constitution is most noted for her actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom, when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships: HMS Guerriere, Java, Pictou, Cyane, and Levant.  She continued to serve as flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons, and she circled the world in the 1840s. During the American Civil War, she served as a training ship for the United States Naval Academy.

USS Constitution was retired from active service in 1881 and served as a receiving ship until being designated a museum ship in 1907. Constitution's stated mission today is to promote understanding of the Navy's role in war and peace. As a fully commissioned Navy ship, her crew of 60 officers and sailors participate in ceremonies, educational programs, and special events while keeping her open to visitors year-round and providing free tours.  

We had the opportunity to visit this famous icon of the US Navy, so we are bringing of some photos that can help modelers build a model of USS Constitution.

Columbus's letter on the first voyage is the first known document announcing the results of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus that set out in 1492 and reached the Americas. The letter was ostensibly written by Columbus himself, on February 15, 1493, aboard the caravel Niña, while still at sea, on the return leg of his voyage. A post-script was added upon his arrival in Lisbon on March 4, 1493, and it was probably from there that Columbus dispatched two copies of his letter to the Spanish court.

The letter was instrumental in spreading the news throughout Europe about Columbus's voyage. Almost immediately after Columbus's arrival in Spain, printed versions of the letter began to appear. A Spanish version of the letter (presumably addressed to Luis de Santángel), was printed in Barcelona by early April 1493, and a Latin translation (addressed to Gabriel Sanchez) was published in Rome around a month later (ca. May 1493). The Latin version was swiftly disseminated and reprinted in many other locations - Basel, Paris, Antwerp, etc. - still within the first year of his arrival.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy published new video from reconstruction works of HMS Victory. Video is describing one phase from the 20 year-long project to secure HMS Victory in her dock at Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard.  

When HMS Victory was placed into drydock in 1922 and she was supported by 22 steel cradles. In the almost 100 years that she has remained on the dock, the historic ship’s 3,500-tonne hull had been slowly collapse in on itself. To save the ship, the cradles have been replaced by new system of 134 supports to distribute the load across the hull.

The installation of new special solution has also allowed to install a walkway underneath the ship giving visitors better view on this famous ship.

After having fastened the rope around the pillar, a knight or a belaying pin, it is necessary to leave a length of rope, to coil on the deck like the real ships. For a good realistic circle of rope it is necessary to stiffen to maintain the position on the deck. We recommend white glue, fully clear after drying. Place on the wood a quantity of glue in proportion to the scale of the model and to the size of the rope, as indicated on the photo. Then with the help of a tweezers, round the rope, pressing the circles inside the glue. When all the rope is rolled up, clean the glue with a wet cloth, to remove the excess of glue. Leave it drying for half an hour and then the effect will be very realistic.

The first step before starting to assembly a model ship, is to learn as much as possible about the model, read all the literature, the plan and the instructions.The art is to know all the steps the model construction before you commence this will save you time later on, if you read the instruction book and examine with care the plans,sketches and the pictures following the numbers.

How to straighten the brass wire to obtain perfect rods

The soft brass wire is supplied in a roll and needs to be straightened for most purposes. The drawing shows how to do the job: one end of the wire in held a vise and the other is held using pliers. Pull in the direction of the arrow with just enough pressure to stretch the wire slightly but not enough to damage it.

Essex was an American whaler from Nantucket, Massachusetts, which was launched in 1799. In 1820, while at sea in the southern Pacific Ocean under the command of Captain George Pollard, she was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale. Stranded thousands of miles from the coast of South America with little food and water, the 21-man crew were forced to make for land in the ship's surviving whaleboats.

Franklin's lost expedition was a British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. A Royal Navy officer and experienced explorer, Franklin had served on three previous Arctic expeditions. His fourth and last, was meant to traverse the last unnavigated section of the Northwest Passage. After a few early fatalities, the two ships became icebound in Victoria Strait, near King William Island in the Canadian Arctic. The entire expedition, comprising 129 men including Franklin, was lost.

Buccaneers were a kind of privateer or pirate peculiar to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. Originally the name applied to the landless hunters of wild boars and cattle in the largely uninhabited areas of Tortuga and Hispaniola. The meat they caught was smoked over a slow fire in little huts the French called boucanes to make viande boucanée – jerked meat or jerky – which they sold to the corsairs that preyed on the shipping and settlements (largely Spanish) of the Caribbean. Eventually the term was applied to the corsairs and (later) privateers themselves, also known as the Brethren of the Coast. Though corsairs, also known as freebooters, were largely lawless, privateers were nominally licensed by the authorities – first the French, later the English and Dutch – to prey on the Spanish, until their depredations became so severe they were suppressed.

Story of Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes shipwreck treasure (Black Swan Project)

The Black Swan Project is the project name given by Odyssey Marine Exploration for its discovery and recovery of an estimated US$500 million worth of silver and gold coins from the ocean floor. It was the greatest shipwreck treasure ever found.

HMS Endeavour ship has been discovered, good news for model ship kit builders.

Captain Cook's famous ship Endeavour has seemingly been discovered, 230 years since it was sold, sunk and forgotten. The Endeavour is one of the most famous ships in naval history and was used by Captain James Cook to discover the East Coast of Australia in 1770.

Model ship Prins Willem by Corel – ship and replica  history. The Prins Willem was probably the largest square stern ship of the fleet of the Dutch East India Company. Fitted out at Middleburg in 1649-1650, the Prins Willem was subsequently modified for use as a warship.

French privateer a member of the Legion of Honour

Robert Surcouf was a French privateer and slave trader who operated in the Indian Ocean between 1789 and 1801, and again from 1807 to 1808. Surcouf started his career as a sailor and officer on the slave ships Aurore, Courrier d'Afrique and Navigateur. Having risen to Captain, and in spite of the prohibition of slave trading by the National Convention in 1793, he engaged in the business himself as a captain on Créole.

Sovereign of the Seas was the most extravagantly decorated warship

Sovereign of the Seas was launched on 13 October 1637. She was a 17th-century warship of the English Navy. She was ordered as a 90-gun first-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, but at launch was armed with 102 bronze guns at the insistence of the king. She was later renamed Sovereign, and then Royal Sovereign. The ship served from 1638 until 1697, when a fire burned the ship to the waterline at Chatham.

Kon-Tiki was the raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands. It was named after the Inca sun god, Viracocha, for whom "Kon-Tiki" was said to be an old name.

The Kon-Tiki expedition was funded by private loans, along with donations of equipment from the United States Army. Heyerdahl and a small team went to Peru, where, with the help of dockyard facilities provided by the Peruvian authorities, they constructed the raft out of balsa logs and other native materials in an indigenous style as recorded in illustrations by Spanish conquistadores. The trip began on April 28, 1947. Heyerdahl and five companions sailed the raft for 101 days over 6900 km (4,300 miles) across the Pacific Ocean before smashing into a reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands on August 7, 1947. The crew made successful landfall and all returned safely.

As we know the original Bluenose was a Canadian fishing and racing schooner from Nova Scotia built in 1921. The schooner became famous for winning in several International competitions. The Bluenose is considered by many to be an iconic symbol of Canada.

The Bluenose II was built in 1963 by Oland Brewery as a marketing tool for their Schooner Lager beer brand. In 1979, ownership was transferred to the government of Nova Scotia.

In 1994–95 started the ship’s first restoration but only small amount of $2.3 million allocated for the schooner have been used for restoration works. It was well known scandal.

Let´s footsteps of Admiral Christopher Columbus journey Admiral´s journal (August 3 –September 6, 1492) from Palos to Canary Islands, part 1.

Tall ship Amerigo Vespucci took its name from the famous Italian sailor and cartographer who also lent his name to the new world. Its home port is La Spezia, Italy, and it is in use as a school ship. The elegant, three-mated full rigger serves as the training vessel of the Italian Naval Academy.

HMS Victory is a 104-gun ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built between 1759 and 1765. She is the oldest naval ship still in commission and the only remaining ship of the line. She sits in dry dock in Portsmouth as a museum ship.