2004

The Titanic Commutator has provided much space to ship models, especially Titanic. In 1980 an issue was devoted exclusively and featured a wide variety of big and little Titanics built by our members, our readers were hungry for information. Many were crude by today’s standards but these were made at a time when Titanic interest was in its infancy.

After an article appeared in The New York Times featuring our 1973 Titanic convention in Riverside, Connecticut, Entex Industries contacted THS to assist in producing the ultimate Titanic kit–a little known story about its origin! Prior to this time a model kit of this historic liner was treated like poison, “disasters don’t sell” explained an advisor from the Revell Company. (How ironic that after the popularity of the Entex model which became MiniCraft, Revell has three sizes of the Titanic kit!).

It is our pleasure to present Peter Davies-Garner’s eighteen-foot scale model of the White Star liner, perhaps his epic work will motivate other modelers. Davies-Garner’s diary describes his effort and is being published in book form that THS will stock as soon as it is available.

Another fine reference volume resulting from years of research by THS member Mark Chirnside, is a biography of RMS Olympic which will also be available to our members. Part one of two excerpts from his book is in this issue.

Time and tide wait for no man as the saying goes and, sadly the sands of time in the hour glass have overtaken Harland & Wolff–once a mountain of material, money and manpower building some of the world’s finest ships. Taking a trip down Memory Lane we’ll concentrate on sites relating mainly to Olympic and Titanic’s era in part one of a series beginning in this issue.

We were delighted to receive five paintings from a relative of Titanic survivor, Marshall Drew, to add to our growing museum. His canvases shown in color in this issue will be on display for the first time at our October 15-17 Astor Gala Titanic Dinner Weekend.

Contents in this Issue

RMS Olympic, Starting a Spectacular Career, Part 1 by Mark Chirnside.

Olympic-size Row Over Tourism Plan, contributed by Jean Smiles.

Marshall Drew, A Titanic Survivor’s Legacy by Edward Kamuda.

Marshall Drew, A Titanic Survivor’s Legacy at the Titanic Museum.

THS Members in Maiden Crossing of Queen Mary 2 by Chris and Jan Dougherty.

Farewell Harland & Wolff, Part 1 by Karen Kamuda.

Titanic, Building a Quarter-Scale Model by Peter Davies-Garner.

Covers: This exquisite quarter-scale model built by Peter Davies-Garner is at Titanic – The Exhibition in Orlando, Florida. Construction time was nearly two-and-a-half years. The model is not covered since chemical reactions resulting from different materials used for the model can wreak havoc when locked inside the confined atmosphere of a glass case. Instead the replica is cleaned once a week and can breathe. Even though the museum is air-conditioned Davies-Garner asked the staff to keep an eye on any movement or warping of parts that might occur due to changes in the atmosphere. There were reports of “popping” and “groaning” noises coming from the model obviously from the wooden base settling with the heavy ship resting on it. The staff in the museum jokingly say the model is haunted.

Photos: Lee Everitt and Amy Wright