Scale: 1:96. A very unusual, if not unique, cased shipbuilder’s model that has been made in two halves, the top half of which sits on a horizontal sheet of textured glass symbolically indicating a waterline. This glass ‘sea’ has been sculpted on its upper surface, probably with a grinding wheel, to make a dappled effect. The plimsoll line on the starboard broadside sits precisely on the waterline. Below this waterline, the bottom half of the model’s hull is supported on two turned brass pillars, in the manner of a conventional shipbuilder’s model. Accommodation and layout details are marked on the port broadside of the model, with inscriptions such as ‘Bridge deck’, ‘Steering gear’ and ‘Carpenter’s shop’, their areas being delineated by broken lines marked on the hull.

The ‘Weybridge’ (1958) was built by Barclay Curle Ltd., Glasgow, and was a modern version of the traditional tramp steamer. It was fitted with the latest cargo-handling gear and mechanically operated hatches. The accommodation was of the very highest standards of the day, with a swimming pool for the crew, each of whom had their own cabin. A wide variety of cargoes could be carried and it was capable of high speeds for a vessel of its type. The hull of the ‘Weybridge’ was made the subject of extensive tank testing to ensure efficiency at high speeds. The knuckles at the bow and stern, which can be clearly seen on the model, were intended to improve seaworthiness.

The model, together with an accompanying book about the vessel, is on loan to the NMM by gracious permission of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.