In our search for
details to add to the model we found a photo of a small red plug
in Robert Ballard's `Discovery Of The Titanic'. We figured if
there was one, there were more and then set about the task of
tracking them down the best we could with the reference material
available to us. These were small water plugs for hoses used to
wash down the decks, etc. placed about the decks of Titanic. |
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MAKING
THE HYDRANT PLUGS
Step
1.
Having
replaced the cross braces of crane's boom with Gold
Medal Models photoetched brass parts use the discarded
X cross members to create the plugs. If you are using
the original crane booms for the cranes then fashion
the plugs from small pips cut from microrod or pulled
sprue.
If
you are using the X shaped crane boom parts for the
plugs then here is what to do to do.
Remove
the X braces from the boom supports with the tip of
your very sharp hobby knife, carefully cutting along
the inside edge of each boom structure.
Once
the row of X's are removed, cut them into individual
segments.
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Step 2.
Now take
the hobby knife and trim this X to look like the following:
You will
end up with something that looks like a microscopic
check mark with a pair of miniature legs (for balance).
The higher upper arm represents the plug body and the
shorter upper arm the angled connecting nozzle for the
hose. It looks much better than the diagram. These are
very tiny, smaller than a pin head.
We elected
to paint ours insignia red so they really stand out
on the decks even though they are small.
Dan Cherry
uses a combination brass and red for his hydrant color.
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GLUING
METHOD
As the
hydrants are very small we suggest the following procedure:
Place
a small dab of glue on the deck at the location where the plug
will go, either use the GluSquito or the tip of pulled sprue.
Then pick up the hydrant with the tip of a hobby knife or a
moistened toothpick and place on to the dab of glue. The surface
tension of the glue will pull the plug free and allow for positioning.
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HYDRANT
PLACEMENT
The
following information is based on a compilation of what was
found on Titanic's sister ship Olympic and drawing on the `'knowns'
from the Titanic. After examining both a mathematical pattern
emerged which helped us to locate the most difficult plugs.
The majority of the plugs listed have photographic support from
either the Titanic or Olympic but a few are speculative we have
clearly labeled these plugs.
Hopefully
as more plans become available, the true layout will become
fully known.
Our
list comprises plugs along the forecastle, boat deck and poop
deck. We did not bother with A-deck.
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FORECASTLE
HYDRANT PLUGS
Plug
1 (photo reference - Olympic).
Just
behind the bow anchor crane and phone box was a small
deck hatch between the main anchor chains. Just to the
port bow corner of this small hatch you will see a plug.
Check page 54 of Tom McCluskie's `Anatomy Of The Titanic'
to see the Olympic's. Thanks to Bruce Beveridge for
pointing this one out to us.
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Plug
2 (photo reference - Olympic).
Plug two sat on the deck just aft of #1 hatch behind
the port side splash guard's first stanchion and the
hatch's port/stern corner. A good photo of the Olympic's
can be found in Paul Quinn's `Titanic At Two' on page
34.
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BOAT
DECK HYDRANT PLUGS
Plug
3 (photo reference - Titanic).
PORT
The next plug found in Robert Ballard's `Discovery Of
The Titanic'. It was located on the boat deck on the
port side at the base of the bulwark just aft of the
port wing cab. It lines up with the aft end of the opening
for the crew's stairwell, between the collapsible and
bulwark, just aft of the first davit for the emergency
boats. It is also visible on the Titanic wreck mosaic
photo in the same book listed above or a clearer version
in the National Geographic's October 1987 issue.
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Plug 4 (assumed based on plug 3).
STARBOARD
We found proof that plug 7 and 8 mirrored each other
along the bulwarks so we assumed that plug 4 would mirror
plug 3. We cannot find any photographic proof for this
in either Titanic or Olympic photos. If our assumption
is correct you should place a plug on the starboard
side in the exact same location as its `twin' on the
portside. Again using the aft side of the crew's stairwell
to position the plug along the bulwark.
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Plug 5 (assumed - possible confirmation).
PORT
This plug is based on the wreck mosaic and a Ken Marschall
painting on page 45 of Robert Ballard's `Exploring The
Titanic'. This would place the plug at the base of the
bulwark sitting 2mm ahead of the forward expansion joint
and the 5th davit arm back from the bridge on the 1/350
model.
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Plug
6 (assumed).
STARBOARD
Mirroring our assumption for Plug 5 on the port side
glue another plug at the base of the 5th davit 2mm ahead
of the forward expansion joint.
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Plug
7 (photo reference - Olympic).
PORT
There was a plug along the base of the bulwark opposite
the curved bay window of the Reading & Writing room.
It can be seen in a photo of the Olympic's on page 38
of Leo Marriott's `Titanic'. You will see the base of
the guy wire attached to the deck, then just aft a bulwark
stanchion and just aft of that, the plug.
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Plug
8 (photo reference - Olympic).
STARBOARD
The location of plug 8 is a mirror of plug 7. A photo
of it being used can be found in Paul Quinn's `Titanic
At Two' on page 44. This photo confirmed the `mirrored'
placement and helped us to locate some of the more difficult
plugs that have no photographic proof.
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Plug
9 (photo reference - Olympic).
PORT
A pair of plugs are required in the area of the engineer's
promenade. Glue one at the base of the superstructure's
upper bulwark approx. 4mm (in 1/350scale) aft of the
aft expansion joint. More or less in line with the front
bulkhead of the Tank Room deckhouse.
See
the top photo on page 123 of Tom McCluskie's `Anatomy
Of The Titanic'. Using the Tank Room's bow wall as a
guide and sure enough, there's the plug! right at the
base of the stanchion just aft of the expansion joint
as predicted. This in itself validates our formula as
being useful in plug prediction.
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Plug
10 (assumed).
STARBOARD
You will need to mirror plug 9 on the starboard side
of the ship 4mm aft of the aft expansion joint.
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Plug
11 (photo reference - Titanic).
PORT
This one can be seen clearly in the Cork Examiner photograph
sitting at the base of the 7th davit back from the aft
expansion joint just outboard of that davit's belaying
bitt. See page 39 of Don Lynch's `Illustrated History'.
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Plug
12 (photo reference - Titanic).
STARBOARD
Another photo from the Cork Examiner collection shows
the starboard side where a plug can be seen sitting
at the base of the 7th davit back from the aft expansion
joint just outboard of the davit's belaying bitt. Check
page 73 of Leo Marriott's `Titanic'.
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POOP DECK HYDRANT PLUGS
Plug
13 (photo evidence - Titanic).
Using
either page 716 of National Geographic's December 1985
issue or page 39 of Don Lynch's `Illustrated History"
you will see the plug attached to the outside of the
railing kickstrip above #6 hatch. It is that dark spot
just to the starboard side of the centered winch.
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Plug
14 (photo evidence - Olympic).
STARBOARD
Bruce Beveridge
has supplied us with photographic evidence that there
was a plug located outboard and just forward of the
fairlead immediately in front of the docking bridge.
This was tucked right up against the base of the railing.
If you look at the photograph on page 21 of either Marriott's
"Titanic" or McCluskie's "Anatomy Of The Titanic" you
will see a water line that follows the base of the starboard
poop deck rail. At the farthest point aft where it stops
in front of the fairleads is where the plug is.
The
waterlines were constructed from sections of pulled
sprue and glued on the outboard sides of the gutters
(to be added) at the base of the poop deck railings.
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Plug
15 (assumed as a mirror plug to #14).
PORT
It
is our belief that there was a plug sitting on the port
side of the Poop deck by the fairlead as seen in #14
on the starboard side. We mirrored both the plug and
the waterline on each side respectively.
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PROJECTED PLUG LOCATIONS Based
on the math formula below additional
plugs MAY be located in the following locations:
Plug
A
PORT
Hypothetical plug on boat deck at bulwark in line
with the aft end of the GSC foyer deckhouse, placing
it just in front of the last davit of the forward
life boat group (i.e. 8th davit back from wing cab).
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Plug
B.
STARBOARD
A
mirror of plug A sitting at the base of the bulwark
just ahead of the 8th davit back from the starboard
wing cab.
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Plug
C.
PORT
A
plug should be located against the base of the bulwark
in line and across from the stairs at the aft end
of the Lounge's raised roof. These stairs can be seen
in the photo of Jack Odell. There appears to be an
object in this location in a photo of this area on
the Olympic but even with magnification it is hard
to distinguish . It does match, however, the location
where a plug `should' be.
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Plug
D.
STARBOARD
The
mirrored counterpart on the starboard side of Plug
C.
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Plug
E.
PORT
A
plug should be located forward of the 2nd davit back
from the aft expansion joint, tucked away against
the davit similar to the one seen in the Cork Examiner
photographs farther down. This is roughly the halfway
mark between the engineer's promenade plug and the
Cork Examiner plug. Possible confirmation could be
seen in the photo of the Olympic on page 102 of Illustrated
History.
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Plug
F.
STARBOARD
The
mirrored location of the Plug E estimate, sitting
just forward of the 2nd davit back from the expansion
joint.
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THE
MATH FORMULA
Once
the position of the known plugs was calculated a relationship
could be seen, in that the numbers used were divisible into
and/or multiples of each other. Based on the 1/350 model,
assuming that all deckhouses are precise, which we doubt can
be said with 100% certainty, a pattern appeared which made
placing the plugs somewhat easier. The numbers 52 and 104
(52 x 2) were seen to be repeated everywhere.
Here
is how we came across them. All dimensions based on the 1/350.
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First
the known Titanic plug was located on the port side just
aft of the wing cab. This gave us a place to start.
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The
next plug to be located was the one behind the splashguard
on the port side of the forecastle. Distance from wing cab
port plug = 104mm.
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The
next plug to be located was the aft Gym starboard plug.
Distance behind the wing cab plug = 156mm. (this is exactly
one half of 104 added to 104 (52+104=156))
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Next
plug to be found was the mirror of the Gym plug by the Reading
and Writing room again 156mm behind the wing cab plug. Knowing
that the plugs were mirrored we then placed another on the
starboard side mirroring the port's wing cab location. By
now 5 plugs were located.
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Next
plug to be found was the port Cork Ex. Distance from the
Reading & Writing Room plug was 208mm. Exactly twice
the 104mm distance from the wing cab plug to splashguard.
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Next
was the starboard Cork Ex plug, 208 mm aft of the Gym plug.
7 plugs found.
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Seeing
the pattern we then divided the 208mm distance in half to
arrive at the 104mm distance and measured 104mm aft of the
Reading and Writing plug to locate one in the engineer's
promenade in line roughly with the tank room's forward bulkhead.
This was then mirrored on the opposite side. 9 plugs located.
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We
found the 104 number to be important so we measured 104mm
forward of the Reading and Writing plug and found one that
should be located just ahead of the forward expansion joint.
We scanned the wreck mosaic and a Ken Marschall painting
and found what we think is evidence for the plug at that
location. This theoretical plug was 52mm behind the wing
cab plug, exactly one half of the 104 measurement. The plug
was mirrored on the starboard side. 11 plugs located.
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We
then measured 104mm towards stern from the Cork Ex. plug
which placed us in the middle of the well deck by the `mushroom'
vent and low rollers. We could not find a plug there but
did spot an object near there on the bulkhead/kickstrip
above #6 hatch with the classic plug profile. A scan of
the roof inside the 3rd class entrance on page 55 of Leo
Marriott's `Titanic' caused us to believe we were looking
at water lines along the ceiling slightly starboard of center
and heading out towards the bulkhead which matches perfectly
to the location of the object on the bulkhead/railing kickstrip.
In our
impression plug 12 located.
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Bruce
Beveridge then draws our attention to the forecastle plug
behind the phone box. Distance from splashguard plug = 52mm.
Once again one half of the 104mm measurement. Plug 13 located.
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Now
seeing 104 and 52 being commonly used we measured back 52mm
from the #6 hatch plug feeling that if the forecastle had
two plugs, chances were high that the poop deck would also
have two, but tucked away in a pedestrian free location.
This called for a plug equal in location to the bow side
of the docking bridge.
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Scans
of photos proved fruitless until Bruce supplied the much
needed information in an Olympic photo he had purchased.
In our estimate, plug 14 and 15 found. We assume these were
repeated on the Titanic as the area is blocked from view
by passengers along the rails in the classic Titanic poop
deck photo.
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We
then considered all plugs that were 104mm apart on our model
may have plugs sitting at the 52mm mark away from them (in
theory) but without photographic confirmation it is difficult
to say. So we do see 52 and 104mm commonly used, but we
would not be surprised if 52mm was indeed the standard dimension.
We
therefore give you at least 15 plugs that we have added with
the option of at least 6 more along the boat deck as mentioned
in the PROJECTED PLUG LOCATIONS.
We leave it up to the modeler to decide which (if any) to
add. Some of the authors of this tutorial are going to be
adding all 21.
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