History
The Constellation is a three-masted ship launched in 1854 and preserved afloat in Baltimore.
Construction
The model did not fare so well. It was sailing very nicely, then gusts picked up and stayed extremely high, up to 45 mph! The ship leaned over so far the rudder came out of the water and the foremast backwinded... the ship was in irons... water poured over the decks and found where we did not seal it enough, and slowly she sank like the Titanic. The ship sank in about 20 feet of water. Divers wanted about $500 to retrieve it, plus the city permit. She sleeps with the fishes..Her sister, recently completed, has a MUCH heavier ballast, sealed decks like a sub, and a rudder that is deep and long, resolving the previous issues. Reinforced rigging and masts also were the order of the day.
Gallery
deceptively calm waters...
