True to scale models of sailing ships are prized collectors items. A beautiful model made of rosewood, mahogany or teak displayed in a corporate office foyer, a museum, or library of a great mansion can also be a history lesson for the viewer.

Ships under sail have, through the years, played an important role in the history of the world. Ancient Egyptians learnt how to assemble planks of wood in to a watertight hull, sealing the seams with pitch. Later some Egyptian ships, in addition to being propelled by oarsmen, had a primitive square sail attached to an A frame. It is thought that Phoenician ships were similar.

Some sailing ships were built for war and some for trade. The Xebec, with its three masts, was used for centuries in the Mediterranean as a merchant ship because of its speed and shallow draft. It was also the vessel of choice for pirates for attacking heavily laden slow merchant ships. Oars could also be used when the wind failed, or in addition to the sails when fleeing the authorities!

The San Felipe, launched in 1690, was built by the king of Spain.- decidedly as a warship, with hundreds of cannons. Her ornamentation did make her more beautiful than other ships of her time.

H.M.S. Victory was launched in 1765, and of course, its well known that she took part in the Battle of Trafalgar under the English flag her powerful cannons could fire half a ton of iron shot more than a mile. Her final resting place was Portsmouth, England.

The USS Constitution, launched in 1797, was built in Boston from timbers cut from more that 1500 trees, felled from Maine to Georgia. Her cannons were cast in Rhode Island. She won every battle and earned her nickname of Old Ironsides, when a sailor saw a cannonball bounce off her hull. In the Boston harbor, she is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world and is still part of the U.S. Navy ship roster.

Then there were the sailing ships that were built for trade. The Harvey was built in Mary land in 1847. and by the turn of the century, working out of Galveston, Texas, she was making regular voyages to Jaffa, which at the time was still under the Ottoman Empire. Her main cargo was hemp, which was used to make rope for the rigging of sailing ships.

The Cutty Sark was another sailing ship built for trade. She was built in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869. She was used for the China Tea trade until 1873, followed by twenty years of passage between England and Australia. After 1895, she served under the Portuguese flag for twenty five years. She now belongs to the Thames Nautical Training College and is dry-docked at Greenwich, England.

In early American marine activities, the tug boats were also under sail. The Seguin is a good example - she was used for towing sailing ships up and down the Kennebec River, and for towing cargo barges along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Virginia.

Models made to scale involve many hours of the craftsmans time. Extensive research is required and original plans are studied. Fine details add to the authenticity and the pleasure of owning a beautiful model.