Plates from Pâris Souvenirs de Marine Perfect Holiday Gift

Souvenirs de Marine by François-Edmond Pâris

One of Most Sought-after Source Books for Model Ship Builders and maritime history enthusiasts alike

Selected Plates from Souvenirs de Marine brings together 130 ship plans from Pâris's historic work.

Selected Plates from Souvenirs de Marine

Vice-Admiral François-Edmond Pâris was a French naval officer who is well known in his home country for his significant contributions to naval engineering during the transition from sail to steam and his leadership of the Musée national de la Marine, but now is mainly remembered outside of France for his detailed books on the subject of naval architecture.
Ship model builders and maritime history enthusiasts alike are constantly on the lookout for copies of his books, which can range into the thousands of dollars for vintage editions.
However, we have brought together Selected plates from Souvenirs de Marine, plates from "Souvenirs de Marine. Collection de plans ou dessins de navires et de bateaux anciens ou modernes existants ou disparus avec les éléments numériques nécessaores à leur construction" (A Record of Navy:  Collection of plans or drawings of vessels and of boats ancient or modern, existing or disappeared, with the numerical elements necessary for their construction.) for just $9.99 on Amazon.
Our edition features more than 90 plates from the first two volumes of this set, and feature more than 130 ship plans from vessels ranging from ancient triremes to late 19th Century warships. Vessels from across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the U.S. are included.  The plates are indexed by plate number, type of vessel, name of vessel, and the country region of the vessel.
We've also included a biography of Vice-Admiral François-Edmond Pâris and a bibliography of his works, and an article "How to Read a Ship Plan" that explains how the lines on a two-dimensional plan picture the shape of a three-dimensional ship.
Selected Plates from Souvenirs de Marine is a sure hit with the model ship builder or maritime history enthusiast on your holiday gift list!

Free Ship Plans of French Cargo Vessel Golo

1933 French cargo vessel Golo

French cargo vessel Golo, built in 1933, would be a great ship model to document the inter-war years in European shipbuilding.
Check out our page featuring 15 highly-detailed free ship plans of Golo.

Free Ship Plans of Spanish Mine-laying Vessel

Spanish Navy Mine-laying Boat also Transported Torpedoes

Spanish name “Barcaza para Embarque y Fondeo de Minas y Transporte de Torpedoes”

Translates to “Barge for Shipment and Anchoring of Mines and Transport of Torpedoes”

Spanish Navy Mine-layer

This 1950s Spanish naval vessel was used to transport mines and torpedoes, and also worked as a mine-layer.
The smaller size of this boat would make it suitable for a larger scale ship model. The hard-chine hull would make scratch-building a model easier as well.
Check out the free ship plans for the Spanish navy mine-layer at TheModelShipwright.com

Free Ship Plans of R-boat Pirate

Award-winning R-class Sloop Pirate

Now Best Existing Example of its Type

Pinnacle of West Coast Yacht Design

R-class Sloop Pirate

For a change of pace from our ship plans, we've put up construction drawings for the R-class sloop Pirate.

Presently owned by The Center for Wooden Boats, R-boat Pirate is the best existing example of the R-class yachts.

Constructed in 1926 by Lake Union Dry Dock of Seattle, Washington, from plans by L.E. “Ted” Geary, Pirate embodies the pinnacle of yacht design and construction in the Seattle area in the early 20th century.

Photo Gallery of Historic Lumber Schooner Wawona

Once Lumber Schooners Plied the Pacific in the Scores

After Breakup of Wawona Just One Historic Lumber Schooner Exists

Documentary Photos of Schooner Wawona

Lumber Schooner Wawona

From the scores of wooden three-masted schooners built in the 19th and early 20th centuries for service in the West Coast lumber trade, the schooner Wawona was one of only two known to be preserved when she was surveyed in 1986. She was dismantled in 2009. She and the one surviving lumber schooner, C.A. Thayer (National Maritime Museum, San Francisco), were built by Hans D. Bendixsen, who was well known in his time for the superior construction of his vessels.

Wawona was designed for the Dolbeer & Carson Lumber Company of Eureka, California to transport more than 500,000 board feet of lumber per voyage from from the Pacific Northwest to ports further south on the coast. Like most ships in her day, Wawona’s hull was lofted from a carved wooden half model rather than a detailed set of engineering drawings.

Her official dimensions at launch were:
Length: 156.0 feet
Beam: 36.0 feet
Depth: 12.3 feet
Gross Tonnage: 468.42
Net Tonnage: 413.94
Wawona was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

Our photo gallery offers documentary photos of Wawona taken during a survey for the Historic American Engineering Record.

Free Ship Plans of Italian Barque Erasmo

Early 20th Century Sailing Ship Erasmo

Demonstrates Pinnacle of sailing design

With Steel Hull and Four-masted Barque Rigging

Built in Genoa, Italy in 1903, the four-masted, steel-hulled barque Erasmo (Erasmus) sailed from Europe to Australia and to America.
We have massive downloadable ship plans of her as well as quite a bit of info on our page about her.
By the end of the 18th Century, the term ‘barque’ referred to a specific sail plan of three or more masts with fore-aft sails on the aft-most mast and square sails on the others. Barques could nearly match the speed of ship-rigged clippers, and surpassed the performance of schooners and barkentines. They could operate with smaller crews than a full-rigged ship as well, making them more economical to operate.

Photo Gallery of Fishing Schooner Lettie G. Howard

Photos of Lettie G. Howard

Offer Insight to Model Ship Builders

Details abound in documentary photography of historic fishing schooner

Starboard bow view, Lettie G. Howard

Readers of our site have asked for photos in addition to the Lettie G. Howard Plans we used to illustrate our page The Hull: Heart of a Ship, so, we are now offering them in high resolution.
Our Lettie G. Howard Photo Gallery of the last existing clipper-bowed inshore Fredonia model fishing schooner come from the 1989 Historic American Engineering Record survey, which was completed when she was de-masted and undergoing restoration, but still offer the ship model builder tremendous detail. HAER documents historically significant engineering, industrial, and maritime works in the U.S. The project is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. The drawings and photos from those survey are maintained by the Library of Congress.

Midwest Model Products’

Chesapeake Bay Flattie

A great first ship model kit!

Midwest Products Chesapeake Bay Flattie

Because of their shallow draft, flat-bottomed work boats called “flatties,” were popular around the turn of the century along the Chesapeake Bay from Virginia to North Carolina.
The simple lines of these boats that made them ideal for locals to build from locally-available lumber also make this an ideal ship model kit or a person with no prior wood ship model building experience. The kit comes with die-cut and pre-cut parts, as well as fittings, rigging line, sail material, and a well-done set of instructions and building plans.
Follow along as we document the step-by-step ship model kit construction with plenty of photos on our Midwest Flattie Kit Build pages.

 

Free Ship Plans Chapman's Galley of 16 Pairs of Oars

Fredrik Henrik af Chapman

Galley of 16 Pairs of Oars

A smaller oar-powered vessel suitable for a ship model

Chapman's Galley of 16 Pairs of Oars

Thinking of building an oar-powered ship model, but don't relish making a gazillion pairs of oars?

Fredrik Henrik af Chapman’s Architectura Navalis Mercatoria offers this Galley of 16 Pairs of Oars, with two men on every oar, rigged with Lateen sails. Her length stem to stern is 114′ 6″; Beam is  17’0″; Draft is 6’3″.

Check out the free ship plans of Chapman's Galley of 16 Pairs of Oars on TheModelShipwright.com

Full-size Patterns to Scratchbuild a Revenue Cutter

Downloadable Patterns for 19th Century Revenue Cutter
And Instructions on Creating a Solid Hull Ship Model

19th Century Revenue Cutter

On our page Creating a Solid Hull Ship Model we have full size patterns for a 1/72 scale model of the 51 Ton revenue cutter illustrated in Howard I. Chapelle’s The History of American Sailing Ships.
We offer illustrated step-by-step instructions for using the patterns to cut the rough hull from a single block of basswood.
Finished model will be about 16 inches in length, and is a great starter project for scratch-built ship modeling.

Free Ship Plans Victory Ship U.S.S. Gage

U.S.S. Gage is the last of

more than 100 Attack Transports

created from the Victory Ship class

Victory Ship U.S.S. Gage

Toward of World War II, military planners requested that the U.S. Maritime Commission construct a new class of attack transport ships.Converting the recently designed Victory class ships into a troop transport, designers created the Haskell class.
Of 414 Victory ships built during the war, 117 were configured as attack transports. The U.S.S. Gage is the only remaining ship afloat in its original configuration.
We have her plans on our Victory Ship U.S.S. Gage page.

Essential tools for Model Ship Building

Start small, and build your collection

Model ship building only requires basic tools.

Model ship building, whether from kits or from scratch, does not require a vast array of exotic tools. In fact, most – if not all – of the tools you need can be found at your local hardware store.

For a review of the basic tools you need to start model ship building see our page Tools for Model Ship Building 

Free Ship Plans U.S.C.G. Cutter Mackinaw

U.S.C.G. Cutter Mackinaw

Queen of the Great Lakes

U.S.C.G. Cutter Mackinaw Queen of the Great Lakes

Built specifically for service on the Great Lakes, when Mackinaw was launched, she was the most powerful icebreaker in the world. She went on to a 62 year service career, becoming an icon to the Great Lakes mariners and residents of coastal towns that depended on her to clear a path through the lakes’ thick ice. When she was decommissioned, she became a museum ship in Mackinaw City, Michigan. Our Mackinaw plans page offers six ships plans: outboard profile and inboard profile, upper deck plans, lower deck plans, cross section plans, ships lines plans, and shell expansion plan. The Mackinaw would make a beautiful scratch-built ship model, and at a large scale, an impressive radio-controlled ship model of the "Queen of the Great Lakes.

Types of Model Ship Kits

Getting Started in Model Ship Building?

Building a kit is a good way to start before tackling scratch-building

Parts included for the Corel plank-on-bulkhead kit "Ranger."

For the beginning ship modeler, scratch-building a ship model from a plan can be a daunting challenge. A better option for a first project in most cases is to pick from the vast array of ship model kits available today.
There are a number of international, and a few U.S. ship model kit manufacturers, and they are constantly coming out with new offerings that set a ship modeler’s mind racing with possibilities. But, while model ship kit manufacturers are constantly introducing new kits, and adding more detailed models to their lineup, all model ship kits fall into three basic categories, based on hull construction technique: Solid hull; Plank-on-bulkhead; and Plank-on-frame.
For a review of these basic ship model kit types, see our page Types of Ship Model Kits

Free Ship Plans of U.S.C.G. Cutter Fir

U.S.C.G. Cutter Fir Offers Insight

Into Development of Modern Buoy Tending

Free Ship Plans offer Chance to Recreate it

U.S.C.G. Cutter Fir underway

Designed a National Historic Landmark U.S.C.G. cutter Fir is the last surviving tender built under the U.S. Lighthouse Service. She was originally used to service and maintain lighthouses in the Puget Sound and along the Washington coast.

Although built for the U.S. Lighthouse Service, she was commissioned by the the U.S. Coast Guard in 1940. She served along the coast of Washington state until decommissioning in 1991.

The U.S. Secretary of the Interior designated Fir a National Historic Landmark on April 27, 1992. Other than being refit with new engines, Fir is essentially unaltered from her configuration when she was commissioned. As such, she “represents a largely unheralded workaday-aspect of the lighthouse service, as well as the seafaring foundation from which the modern Coast Guard’s buoy tender fleet evolved.”

Free Ship Plans Liberty Ship Arthur M. Huddell

Plans Classic World War II Cargo Ship

Liberty Ship Arthur M. Huddell

One of just three Liberty Ships left

Liberty Ship Arthur M. Huddell

We have ship plans for Arthur M. Huddell, one of three remaining Liberty Ships, of which the U.S. Maritime Commission ordered more than 2,700 during World War II. She was classified as EC2-S-C1.

These standard-design, mass-produced general-purpose cargo ships were the workhorses of World War II. Libery ships were part of the U.S. Maritime Commission’s “Emergency Program” launched when the United States entered World War II. The massive ship construction plan utilized new and existing shipyards across the United States to build ships of standardized design from prefabricated parts, greatly reducing construction time.

New book on work of François-Edmond Pâris

Selected Plates from Souvenirs de Marine

New book available soon!

Update: Our book on the work of François-Edmond Pâris, "Selected Plates from Souvenirs de Marine" is now available! Our book contains more than 90 plates from Souvenirs de marine. Collection de plans ou dessins de navires et de bateaux anciens ou modernes existants ou disparus avec les éléments numériques nécessaores à leur construction.

More than 130 ship plans are included ranging from ancient vessels to late 19th Century. There are warships, merchant vessels, fishing vessels, and small craft from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the U.S. The plates are indexed by plate number, illustrated vessel type, named vessel, and by country/region.

The book also includes an appendix "How to Read a Ship Plan" to help the novice understand the lines used to illustrate in two dimensions the shape of a three-dimensional ship.

The book is available now on Kindle and should be available on Amazon sites worldwide within a week.

Free Ship Plans USS San Marcos, later Spanish Navy ship Galica

USS San Marcos, Landing Ship Dock, anchored next to USS Donner.U.S. Navy Photo

Launched too late for World War II action, Casa Grande-class Landing Ship Dock USS San Marcos had long history nevertheless. After a 26-year career in the U.S. Navy, she went on to end her career as Spanish Navy ship Galica, where she served until 1988.

USS San Marcos (LSD-25) was a Casa Grande-class Landing Ship – Dock of the United States Navy, named for the Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort still standing in the United States.

An unusual subject, these free ship plans of USS San Marcos would be a great project for a ship model builder interested in either warships or cargo ships.

Free Plans of Historic Lumber Schooner Wawona

A Subject for a Historic Ship Model

Wawona one of only two lumber schooners still preserved

Lumber Schooner Wawona

Scores of wooden three-masted schooners once plied the Pacific Ocean off the U.S. West Coast, bringing lumber from the Pacific Northwest to the growing cities of California. Two of them are all that remain of this vast fleet. Built in the 1897 for Dolbeer & Carson Lumber Company of Eureka, California,   the schooner Wawona is one of the two known to be preserved. She and the other surviving lumber schooner, C.A. Thayer (National Maritime Museum, San Francisco), were built by Hans D. Bendixsen, who was well known in his time for the superior construction of his vessels.

Able to transport more than 500,000 board feet of lumber per voyage, like most ships in her day, Wawona’s hull was lofted from a carved wooden half model rather than a detailed set of engineering drawings. The free ships plans offered here are from a 1986 survey in preparation for a $2 million restoration.

Free Plans of 19th Century Italian Barquentine "Fidente"

Italian "Ship-Schooner" Fidente

From Italian archives come the plans of the “Ship-Schooner” Fidente (Trusting).

In English we would refer to her as a barquentine (alternatively barkentine), which wikipedia defines as "a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts."

I've found a few historical reference to European emigrants arriving in the U.S. aboard a "brig" named Fidente, which as sail-rig terminology can be somewhat loose depending on the person writing it, but nothing solid on her history. If you can track down any more info, please let us know via our contact page.

Even without further documentation, I think Fidente would make a handsome ship model, and would be a good subject if you're not quite ready for a full-rigged ship model.

French 20th Century Warship Le Gladiateur

Le Gladiateur 1933

For those of you who enjoy 20th Century warships, here's an interesting project for a ship model builder: A French net-laying ship, Le Gladiateur, launched in 1933. She was scuttled at Toulon  in 1942 by her own crew to avoid capture. She was salvaged the following year by Italians, then captured by Germans and commissioned into the Kriegsmarine in January 1944 as SG18. She was bombed and sunk by Allied aircraft in 1944.
Due to her relatively small size (compared to a battleship) she could be built at a larger scale and still create a ship model of manageable size. Our page on Le Gladiateur offers ships lines plans, outboard profiles, and deck plans: everything you need for scratch-building a highly-detailed ship model. We have more detailed plans available as well. For more information on those, please inquire on our Contact Page.

Even More Oar-powered Free Ship Plans

Free ship plans of oar-powered vessels are our most popular offering on TheModelShipwright.com, so we've added even more.

Paris's Athenian Trireme

Thanks to the work of French Vice-Admiral François-Edmond Pâris and Swedish naval architect Fredrik Henrik af Chapman, we have some of the best plans of oar-powered galleys and triremes available.

Pâris's most famous work Souvenirs de Marine Conservés brings us plans for triremes from Athens and Venice as well as a Black Sea Galley. Chapman's Architectura Navalis Mercatoria brings us a Maltese galley and several others we have yet to post.

Chapman's Maltese Galley

Along with the Atlas du Génie Maritime from the archives of the French Ministry of Defense, which brings us an Ancient Trireme, a Sultan's Caique, and an Ancient Galley, and our plan of the Gokstad Viking Longship from Ancient and Modern Ships by Sir George Charles Vincent Holmes, there is a lot to choose from at TheModelShipwright.com if you are looking for free ship plans of oar-powered vessels.

Free Ship Plan: Steam Tug Hercules

Steam Tug Hercules

Recently, we've been concentrating on Oar-Powered Vessels and Sailing Vessels, so maybe it's time to come back to the 20th Century, and offer a free ship plan of a historic Motor Vessel.

Few motor vessels have more character or make a more handsome ship model than the steam-powered tug boat. As a model ship, these vessels offer a lot of appeal, especially for someone desiring a radio-controlled model. There are even working scale steam engines that can be built into a model tugboat for the ultimate in operating realism.
And what better choice for that ship model than a historic tug such as Hercules? The last remaining ocean-going steam tug on the West Coast, Hercules was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986. She was was documented as part of the Historic American Engineering Record, a program of the National Park Service. We've brought together the photos and drawings from that survey on our Hercules Plan Page and Hercules Photo Gallery.

Free Ship Plan: Algerian Xebec Two-fer

Xebec with lateen sails

Not much put more fear in the heart of a Mediterranean seafarer than the triangular sails of a Barbary corsair appearing on the horizon.
The favorite vessel of these North African pirates was the xebec, a long, narrow ship descended from the rowed galleys of the ancient world. Able to sail close to the wind with its lateen sails - or to use oars if the wind failed - and able to navigate shoal waters due to its shallow draft, the xebec was the perfect ship for a pirate. It could catch most merchant vessels, and run away from warships that could reduce its lightly-built hull to splinters with a single broadside.
We found in the French Ministry of Defense archives a highly-detailed plan of the Algerian xebec captured in 1830 and placed in service by the French Navy as Le Boberach. She was used mainly as a dispatch ship, where she had a well-documented, albeit fairly uneventful career.

Algerian xebec Le Boberach, captured by the French in 1830

Lack of exciting engagements aside, she still has the exotic lines that would make an eye-catching model for the enterprising modelshipwright looking for something beyond the typical bathtub-hulled square rigger. Thanks to the French proclivity for record keeping, we also have a great deal of information about her service, too.
As an extra treat, we threw in the plans of an 18th Century Algerian xebec documented in Fredrik Henrik af Chapman’s Architectura Navalis Mercatoria.

Free Ship Plan: Schooner Musquidobit (Lynx?)

American Schooner Plans from a French Military Archive

While searching for Medieval boats in the archives of a French library, I came across these plans for "American Schooner Musquidobit" and "Other American Schooner." 

By its lines, "Musquidobit" appears to be the Baltimore-built schooner Lynx, captured by the British and renamed when brought into the British navy. The French Ministry of Defense has a number of foreign craft documented in its archives - basically the work of spies keeping track of advances in naval architecture among France's colonial competitors.

The lower ship, just titled “Other American Schooner,” is very similar in lines, however it seems her lines are not as fine, the fullest point of beam carried further aft before she narrows to the transom. This should increase her displacement, and therefore, her cargo capacity.

I don't have time to research this further right now, so if anyone has info on these ships, feel free to contact us.

Free Ship Plan: La Couronne 17th Century French Warship

Maritime historians and model shipwrights owe a lot to French naval admiral François-Edmond Pâris. He published a number of books in the 19th Century that featured plans, drawings, and even beautiful watercolor paintings of vessels from around the world. He also documented historical ships no longer in existence, but previously recorded by others. La Couronne is an example of this.

17th Century French Warship La Couronne

Ships plans for La Couronne, a 17th Century French first rate warship come from Pâris's Souvenirs de Marine Conservés, ou Collection de plans de navires de guerre et de commerce et de bateaux divers de tous les pays tracés par les constructeurs ou marins … recueillis et publiés par l’amiral Pâris.

La Couronne (French for “The Crown”) was commissioned into the French Navy in 1636. She was a war galleon built by the French as part of the effort by Cardinal-duc de Richelieu et de Fronsac, King Louis XIII’s chief minister, to ensure the French Navy was dominant on the seas.

Built 200 years before the 120-gun French ship of the line Montebello, in La Couronne one can really see the link between early Medieval vessels and the magnificent warships of the golden age of sail. Her massive castellated quarter decks recall the war galleys of the Mediterranean, on which bow and stern "castles" served as battle platforms from the Ancient to Medieval times.

Free Ship Plan: Sultan's Caique

Ottoman Sultan's Caique

Haven't had much time to research this oar-powered Ottoman imperial vessel, but from Wikipedia, we get:

 ... imperial caïques used by the Ottoman sultans and his suite for ceremonial and daily excursion purposes. The size and grandeur of this type, adorned with imperial armorials and floral scrolls, was a reflection of his royal power. Another feature of imperial caiques was the deck pavilion, a partition or a small kiosk for the Sultan. By reason of this feature they were also called the pavilion caïques.

Great Site for Ship Model Plans

A friend of ours in Turkey has a great website for model shipbuilders. He also offers a wide selection of  free ship plans, but where our ship plans are prototype ship plans than can be adopted to model shipbuilding, many of his plans show the ships already adapted to models. Many feature full-size patterns that can be used to cut the keel and bulkheads, and some even feature info on motor installation for radio-controlled operation. This provides a valuable shortcut if you are not familiar with completing this process with a prototype ship plan.

J M Briscoe - Clyde puffer VIC32 moored at Corpach by  Jmb at en.wikipedia

Our all-time favorite of his plans is the Lochinvar Clyde Puffer, a typical Scottish coastal vessel from the early 20th Century. These little tubs just radiate personality. They are so much a part of the U.K. maritime history that a series of novels were written about the exploits of a fictional crew, and later a BBC television series was made based on those books.

This ship is a great subject for modeling because, while the prototype is not very large, it has the very "salty" looks of much larger freighters. With a Clyde Puffer model you can build to a fairly large scale and still have a model that is easily handled.

Another factor that makes this ship a great subject for modelling is that a huge number of these were made during World War II. Classified as "VIC" Victualling Inshore Craft, after the war they were sold off for private use and some still can be found afloat. There are a vast number of images of them available through a simple internet search, so an infinite number of details can be used to make your Clyde Puffer model distinct.

Clyde Puffers also have a very simple, boxy hull shape that makes it easy to plank the hull with sheets of wood veneer, and offers an easy way to learn some of the basic skills that will be needed when it comes to planking more complex hull shapes.

Free Ship Plan: French Warship Montebello

French warship Montebello in 1850

Launched in 1812, Montebello was an Océan type ship of the line of the French Navy. Plans list her as a 120-gun ship, but many historical references refer to her as a 118-gun ship. She had an impressive 77-year career in the French navy. 

We have a massive collection of 10 high resolution plans of Montebello on our website, including lines, inboard and outboard profile, deck, rigging, mast, and sail plans. We even have accommodations plans showing how stores were shipped aboard this historic warship.

For the model shipwright looking for a massive project, the French ship-of-the-line Montebello may be just what you are looking for.

Free Ship Plan: Ancient Galley

Due to the popularity of our free ship plan pages for the Ancient Trireme and the Gokstad Viking Longship, we've added a new oar-powered vessel plan.

Free Ship Plan of an Ancient Galley

This Ancient Galley plan is from the Atlas du Génie Maritime in the archives of the French Le Ministère de la Défense. This atlas of ship plans was created in the 19th Century, and features both contemporary and ancient ships.

My guess is this galley is not truly ancient, but probably no older than the Medieval period. I haven't translated most the plan, so it may have info on it to pin down its provenance. I did get as far as the title, which roughly translates to an "Ancient Galley of 36 Banks of Oars, Five Rowers per Bank."

With its three lateen sails and sides bristling with oars, this ship offers a chance for the model shipwright to screatch-build a unique ship model that would truly be an impressive display.