Scale: 1:48. A full hull exhibition-standard model of the four-masted barque ‘Moshulu’ (1904), fully rigged including sails stowed on the yards. It is complete with every fitting, both on deck as well as the rigging, and represents the ship in a miniature form.

The model was commissioned for the dual purposes of illustrating the ultimate development of the sailing ship as well as to achieve a very high standard of miniature engineering. The hull is made from a fibreglass shell on which are fitted 720 hull plates, each of which has been embossed with 300 individual simulated rivet heads. The decking has been individually laid and caulked and deckhouses, forecastle and poop are furnished internally. To give a sense of scale, several figures are included both working on deck and aloft.

All of the fittings are manufactured in metal and wood, including several sets of ‘Jarvis’ brace winches. These were a labour saving device and were operated by a crew of two to brace the yards round when tacking. This manoeuvre would have normally taken a whole watch of ten men to carry out. The masts and yards are made from aluminium, plated and riveted, and supported by simulated wire rigging laid in the orthodox seven-on-one manner.

At the time of its building, the ‘Moshulu’ was the largest barque in the world and set an enormous sail area of 45,000 square feet over a total of 34 sails. It was built in 1904 by William Hamilton & Co., Port Glasgow, Scotland, and measured 400 feet in length by 46 feet in the beam and had a tonnage of 3116 gross. It was operated by a crew of 19 and traded around the world carrying a variety of cargoes such as coal and timber. However, the ‘Moshulu’ is probably best known when under the ownership of Gustaf Erikson from 1935–1942 who employed it in the grain trade with Australia. It won the last grain race in 1939 from Australia to Queenstown, Ireland, taking 91 days carrying 4,875 tons of grain. One of Britain’s best-known travel writers, Eric Newby, served on board the ‘Moshulu’ as an apprentice and he later recorded his experiences in his now classic book ‘The Last Grain Race’.

After the war, commercial sail was no longer viable and the ‘Moshulu’ had a chequered career including capsizing, and being used as a grain store. It was eventually bought by an American consortium that restored it and it is now a restaurant and museum ship in Philadelphia.