A 400-Year-Old Dying Art Form
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A 400-Year-Old Dying Art Form

Many docents have donated models or contributed articles about individual ships or exhibits in the collection at Houston Maritime. As a miniature artist, I have donated many miniature models to the collection. To accompany those models, I requested to write an article about a 400-year-old dying art form and an art form for which I…

The Elissa

The Elissa

The Elissa was launched in 1877 from Aberdeen, Scotland when sailing ships were in decline but could still earn a profit in the right trades. As a three-masted, iron-hulled barque, she carries square sails on her fore andmain masts, but only fore- and aft- sails, those parallel to the keel, on her mizzen masts. Her…

Offshore Mischief

Offshore Mischief

Self-elevating Offshore Drilling Rig One of the most striking (and larger) models on display at the Houston Maritime Museum in the Energy Industry exhibit is the self-elevating offshore drilling rig “OFFSHORE MISCHIEF”. Properly referred to in the offshore industry as a mobile offshore drilling unit or “MODU”. This enormous machine is among the largest of…

The Vasa

The Vasa

Vasa is a Swedish warship built over two years (1626-1628). On her maiden voyage out of Stockholm Harbor on August 10th, 1628, the ship foundered and sank after sailing about 1,300 meters. She sat in 30 meters of water for 333 years until she was located again in 1956. She was salvaged with a largely…