Posted on 09/25/2007 7:06:58 PM PDT by Stoat
This scale model of World War II German battleship Admiral Graf Spee is 9m (30ft) long and weighs 320kg (700lb).
It took creator William Terra six years to build and cost £5,000. Made from wood strips and fibreglass, the Spee can reach speeds of 15mph, thanks to its 11.2Kw engine.
It also plays music by German composer Richard Wagner through an in-built stereo, said former fire officer Mr Terra, 65, from Maine, US.
Ship Models - German Ships - Admiral Graf Spee - William Terra
| Model build by | William Terra, Maine, USA |
| Kit Manufacturer | Scratch build |
| Scale | 1:20 |
| Additional Information | The model is scratch build like a canoe using 2,54 - 10,16 cm (1 - 4 in) bass wood strips and then covered with fiberglass. Estimated weight 318 kg (700 lbs). The beam is 1,32 meter (52 in). The length is about 9,1 meter (30 foot). It can carry 2 persons. The model is powered by a 15 hp (11,2 kw) outboard engine under rear gun turret. It can sail 24 kilometer per hour (15 mph). Furthermore the model has a music system build in. While William Terra cruise the lakes of Maine he enjoy listen to Wagner. The Commander-in-Chief in the photographs below is William Terra. William Terra would like to see more models build in this scale. |
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| The Model - Status 2002 | |
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| Photographs: © John Hubbard | |
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| Photographs: © William Terra | |
| The Model - Status 2003 | |
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| Photographs: © William Terra | |
I once saw a similar model of the USS Arizona at Penns Landing in Phildelphia, except his position was more concealed than on this one.
Military History Ping :-)
Nice touch.
FUTURE HEADLINE: Jet Ski Sinks Battleship
Sure this guy's name isn't Otto?
Ach so, dat's vin ve find out dat de guns on dis boat actually shoot! Dan ist de Jet Ski kaput.
Divers recover large piece of Graf Spee (+ lots of unique Graff Spee photos)
Floating crane maneuvered near sunken World War II era German warship off Uruguay
Effort to raise battleship GRAF SPEE at mouth of Plate R. in Uruguay postponed b-c high winds.
Wow!! Stoat - this thread is superb.
El Pingo going out to the list right away.
I figured this thread was going to be about Seal and Heidi Klum.
Immediately after the scuttling in shallow water much of the ship's superstructure remained above water level, but then over the years the wreck subsided into the muddy bottom and today only the tip of the mast remains above the surface.
The first salvage from the ship was most likely carried out by Royal Navy intelligence teams which recovered the highly advanced Seetakt radar not destroyed in the scuttling. In February, 1940 the wreck was boarded by US Navy sailors from the light cruiser USS Helena.
Seems like a pretty glaring oversight on the Captain's part.
From what I read, the captain was Old School. In all seriousness, he may have thought that after scuttling his ship in neutral territory, stealing the radar was an ungentlemanly thing to do.
Seems to me if he could scuttle the ship he could set charges on the Seetakt gear. But then again, I’m not an old-school Prussian Kriegsmariner.
read later
That must have been quite impressive! If you happen to have any pictures of it, they would certainly be a welcome addition to this thread.
Nice touch.
Indeed :-)
His neighbors on the lake are probably well-versed in all of Wagner's works by now :-)
LMAO!
Or, "Battleship Sinks Jet Ski"
Those look awfully close to 30.06 rounds to me....they'd go through a belligerent, drunk punk on a Jet Ski faster than the Wehrmacht went through France.......
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