Scale: 1:48. An aesthetically pleasing model that belies the utilitarian nature of the depicted vessel. Mounted on a mahogany plinth-type base and housed in a slim-pillared glass case it makes for a very elegant subject, beautifully executed.

The single-screw, short sea trader ‘Zealand’ (1936) was the 34th ship built by Barclay Curle & Company Ltd., Whiteinch, for the Leith, Hull & Hamburg Steam Packet Company (Currie Line), a partnership that had lasted for 80 years. She was specially designed for the company’s service between Leith and the Mediterranean, carrying 2500 tons of coal on her outward-bound passage. She also had six twin berths for 12 passengers, with each cabin having a distinctive colour scheme. The dining saloon featured a handsome sideboard in figured mahogany, while the smoking room was panelled in betula. The captain’s suite of bedroom and sitting room was sited on the navigating bridge. Three large hatches, served by a combination of steam winches and derricks, serviced holds that were specially ventilated for the carriage of fruit. ‘Zealand’ was torpedoed by a submarine and lost, off the coast of Palestine (Israel), on 28 June 1942.