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SMML Convention 2000

From the Quincy Patriot Ledger 8 May, 2000
Headline: Model Shipbuilders meet from all over the world by L.E. Campenella

Only by their E-mail did she know them. Nevertheless, Caroline Carter of Hereford, England found her way to the USS Salem in Quincy over the weekend for the inaugural Ship Modeler's Mailing List Convention to meet fellow ship modelers she had only corresponded with electronically.

"It's nice to put faces with names," said Carter, 40, surrounded by 42 models of internationally famous marine craft in the Salem's ship model exhibit compartment below the main deck.

Carter and ship modelers from Australia, Canada, England, Scotland and the United States met Friday and Saturday for a conference of model ship enthusiasts who subscribe to an Internet newsletter based in Australia. They shared techniques and historical facts and fiction about the sea and its vessels - information they normally exchange online.

"It was a wonderful opportunity that presented itself to meet people from all over the world," said USS Salem model collection curator and convention coordinator John H. Frohock.

Carter, whose love of ships developed when she was a girl, manufactures detailed accessories that are used to put the finishing touches on ship models.

"We're a maritime machine," Carter said jokingly. The parts range from bulkhead hatches to capstans to lockers to give the models an authentic and historically accurate depiction of the real thing.

Carter on a three-week stay in America, has already visited Battleship Cove and the USS Massachusetts in Fall River and the USS Constitution in Charlestown. She said she admires the United States' dedication to preserving its maritime history.

"In England, the only one we have is the Victory," she said. Captained by British naval hero Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, the crew of the Victory defeated Napoleon Bonaparte in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Many of the conventioneers were former Navy men, like John Snyder, 55, of Sacramento, Calif., who even wore his Navy uniform from 30 years ago when he was a young sailor traveling the world.

Others rekindled an old love for model building.

A.J. Owens, 40, of Roslindale began building ship models last year after taking pictures of the real ships, including the USS Missouri, aboard which the Japanes surrendered at the end of World War II.

"I hadn't built a model in more than 20 years," Owens said. When he was younger, Owens said, he built models of cars using store-bought plastic kits. Twenty years later, he found he had a lot to learn.

Unlike the typical kit model, which is made of plastic, many model ships are resin-based and must be assembled using an epoxy cement. And many are designed by the model builders themselves.

In the small world of ship modeling, Owens knew Carter in cyberspace, having purchased many of her products. Owens also bought tweezers, scalpels and razor blades to use with the parts.

He said his next purchase would probably be a large magnifying glass to view the parts at 10 or 12 times their size.

"There's a lot of detail. You could go insane with all the detail," Owens said. "It takes a lot of patience."

His love of ships has captured the imagination of his 7-year-old daughter, Mary. Father and daughter have been visiting ship sites to get ideas for future modeling projects.

"It's a good way to hook younger kids into their heritage, and it's fun.