Glory of the Seas

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Glory of the Seas

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ECS-02/06/08-We heard from Roger Attila a while go and he sent along a picture of a shipmodel he just built, the Glory of the Seas. We liked it so much that we asked Roger to send along some more pictures and we built this Web page for the rest of the maritime world to enjoy. Roger has been in touch with the noted maritime historian and authority on the Glory of the Seas, Michael Jay Mjelde, a friend of mine and to others in the McKay Clan, and we are delighted to run the following running correspondence.

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Dear Roger,

My wife picked up your package from our post office box yesterday. I appreciated your sending photos of your model of the Glory of the Seas as well as the copy of your book Mayflower Grove 1901-1945. I can see that both are 'labors of love.'

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You have caught the primary details of the general layout of the model, some of which have been missed by other model-makers. I can appreciate the hours of time which went into the model, not only in constructing the hull and deck furniture but also with the spars and rigging. I have an incomplete model of Glory, 1/8 inch equals a foot, which is generally complete to the lower masts, which has been in the same state for over 25 years. I commend you for what you have accopmplished.

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Besides returning a signed photograph of your model of Glory, I am including a Xerox of the scuttles on the forward end of the top of the wheelhouse of Benj. F. Packard so that you can add these details. This image appears on page 117 in Paul Morris' book A Portrait of a Ship, published 20 years ago by Paul and is typical for ships of that period. Roger Bragdon explained their purpose on page 91 of his book The Henry B. Hyde, Down-easter, published by him in 1998.

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Schooner Cora B. Cressey

ECS-Roger makes these wood pictures from the ship timbers of these old schooners, and even some of the following items from Old Ironsides, the U.S.S. Constitution.

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Schooner Cora B. Cressey

ECS-This note refers to the old schooners Hesper and Luther Little that were removed from the Wiscasset mud flats along the coast highway in Maine following a hurricane some years back.

Ahoy Don - They did save the best parts of those schooners, which are stored in a big barn now. Most of the timbers went to the landfill area. When the crane was taking them out of the water I was able to get a few timbers. I have one hull cut, from which I will build the schooner "Hesper". I also have some orginal timbers from the USS Constitution "Old Ironsides" in Boston, from which I have made a gavel and sounding block. Roger

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Wiscasset Schooners Hesper

& Luther Little

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Michael Jay Mjelde

I wasn't sure whether you were aware that I published a second book, Clipper Ship Captain, Daniel McLaughlin and the Glory of the Seas, which was an amplification of the period 1876-1884, when McLaughlin commanded Glory, so I have included a copy of a 'flyer' which was distributed several years ago in conjunction with the distribution of this book besided the reprint of my earlier book. Clipper Ship Captain contains detailed plans of Glory that I drew in 1979 and revised in the early-1990s (I failed to show the wheelhouse scuttles on my plans.

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I am currently writing a second sequel to the history of Glory of the Seas which covers the period 1906-1926. This will even include materials relating to the archaeological work that has been done on the wreck site since 1996. Please let me know whether you have further questions about the ship.

Sincerely,

Michael Jay Mjelde

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Dear Don:

Great to hear from you. You are to be commended for having your web page. I've enjoyed corresponding with Roger. He really appreciates those years when Glory of the Seas was in service.

I'm currently working on sequel No. 2 in the saga of Glory. I've also been writing a series of stories on several different sailing ships for The Sea Chest, quarterly publication of the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society. Next year, they will be publishing stories on Donald McKay's medium clipper Helen Morris, the Bath ship St. Paul and the Norwegian bark Ganges. I've also got a manuscript, The San Francisco Waterfront in 1872, which is being considered for publication by the Friends of the San Francisco Maritime Museum Library. Last year this manuscript was the recipient of the Karl Kortum Endowment Award, awarded every two years by the Friends of the library. I've been keeping 'busy.'

Keep up the good work with your web site. You are an encouragement to many people.

Best wishes,

Mike
Michael Jay Mjelde

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Ahoy Don, Just a few notes on my model pictures. This is all scratched built from pictures of the book "Glory of the Seas". The picture of me and the ship with the old ships timber, I found on the beach in New Harbor, Maine which her hull is made from. Please credit all photos to Corinne Wheellock. Her photo studio is located in Windsor, Maine. Thank you, Roger Anttila

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