Scale: 1:48. The tank steamship ‘Oakwood’ (1903) was built by the Northumberland Shipbuilding Company, Newcastle, for Messrs J. I. Jacobs & Company. It was a classic ‘three island’ merchantman, meaning that the superstructure layout and deck fittings were mainly grouped at the bow, stern and amidships. Between these ‘islands’ there were two pairs of derricks serving four large hatches – a classic configuration for a merchant ship of the period. She was 360 feet in length, 4271 displacement tons, and her port of registry was London.

Her main claim to fame was actually her loss en route between Liverpool and Cienfuegos. On the 11 August 1915 she was 45 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale when she was captured and then sunk by the German submarine ‘U-38’. ‘Oakwood’ was just one of no less than 138 vessels, totalling almost 300,000 tons, sunk by this particular submarine during the First World War. The plaque accompanying the model, obviously added later, records the loss of the ship.

It is a beautifully made and presented model whose colours and surfaces have aged well with the passage of time. The vessel is depicted either loading or discharging cargo, as a number of hatch covers have been removed. Many of the details have been drawn onto the model, including doors, many of which are illustrated ajar. It is physically a large model, made bigger by its generously proportioned original case and display table.