Modeling the 1907 U.S. Brigantine Galilee

[Terrance Egolf]

Thought that users might be interested in seeing the fidelity that the DELFTship software is capable of. This vessel, the brigantine Galilee, was built on the U.S. West Coast in 1891 and served in the South Pacific packet trade. In 1905, the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution chartered the ship as a test bed for developing instruments and methods to measure the earth’s magnetic field at sea. My grandfather served as a magnetic observer during the years 1906 and 1907. The following images show how the hull of the ship appeared in late 1907 after her modifications for the scientific expeditions. The elevated bridge supported four magnetic instruments for measuring the parameters of the geomagnetic field.

Enjoy!

Terry

• This topic was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by Terrance Egolf.
• This topic was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by Terrance Egolf.

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[Terrance Egolf]

And here is an example of the details one can model in this software. This is a combination Hyde capstan and windlass, c. 1890, that was likely carried by the ship based on contemporary photos.

I used the Clipping feature to remove the starboard bulwark so one can see under the forecastle deck.

Terry

• This reply was modified 1 month ago by Marven.

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[Maarten]

Wow. Thanks for sharing these.

That’s a level of detail I have not yet seen. Perhaps a tad overkill for stability purposes, but _very_  nice for your goals!

[Terrance Egolf]

Thanks, Maarten!

As you and I have discussed before, I have found the software to be really useful for general hull modeling—much more so than the more familiar 3D modeling software such as Solidworks, the various AutoCAD derivatives, etc., that are generally available. Adding the details to the superstructure takes more work but is doable with experience and patience.

I think you would find a market in ship modelers who want to validate old world hull plans and to create ship model structural details for 3D printing. This could be met with a middle-grade program that emphasizes hull modeling tools and de-emphasizes the stability and physics aspects. One of the biggest drawbacks of Sketchup, for example, is the fact that when you create details smaller than a certain real-world size, the CG mesh starts combining polygons and details are lost or distorted.

One feature I would like to see added to the program is the ability to insert graphics onto the surfaces of models. When I added the ship’s name and home port to the transom, I had to create each letter as an object and then position the letters as an overlay, offset from the underlying surface to avoid bleed through. Annoying, and time-consuming, but doable.

Take care!

Terry

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[Felsentreu]

Hello Maître,
beautiful work! It looks like diligence and infinite patience, the virtues of modelers.

Greetings

[bredlo]

Hi Terrance,

What a beautiful job you’ve done here. Curious if you’d be willing to share your 3D file — I’d love to explore the idea of simplifying some of the forms and trying my hand at printing it as the basis for a cast bronze sculpture. I live in Sausalito (where the actual Galilee lies in the mud) and thought it’d be wonderful to create a sculpture depicting the ship as it appeared in repose, and mount it at the actual site. Feel free to reach out if you’d be interested in sharing the files with me, I’d be happy to give you credit when it reaches the finish line.  brad@bradcornelius.com

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[Terrance Egolf]

Hello, Brad. Thank you for your kind comments.

I will be responding shortly at your personal email.

(If you can, you may want to remove your email from your post to avoid unwanted spam …!

Terry

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