This beautifully detailed builder's dockyard half hull model is of the luxury steam yacht TUSCARORA. Designed by G.L. Watson and built in 1897 by Scott SB & Engineering Company Shipbuilders of Greenock, the TUSCARORA had a long time at sea with 40 years as a yacht before she moved on to 33 years of commercial and naval service.
Builder's dockyard models of luxury steam yachts of this era are very sought after, particularly those that are as detailed and in as fine a condition as this one. This model brings back a time when yachts of this type were the most luxurious accommodations and refined travel at sea.
The ship was launched on June 17th at Scotts' Cartsdyke East, Greenock shipyard. The ship was a two-masted steel-hulled yacht with a schooner rig, and was 181.4 ft long, with a beam of 26.8 ft and a molded depth of 14.5 ft, with a tonnage of 565 GRT. She was powered by a 3-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine, rated at 122 nhp, driving a single shaft and giving a speed of 12.5 knots.
TUSCARORA was initially owned by William Clark of Glasgow and she went through several owners as a yacht, listed below, before she was acquired and renovated for military service during WWII. As HMS TUSCARORA, she was based at Campbeltown in Western Scotland where she was exclusively employed in providing anti-submarine warfare training exercises for British and Allied submarines in the local waters. Her first exercise was in June 1940 with HMS H33, and her last in April 1945 was with HMS Vulpine (P79).
After the was, in 1945, TUSCARORA was returned to her owners and in the following year was converted for commercial use, sold to a Panamanian company and renamed SS ANATOLI. In 1952, the ship was re-engined, with a diesel engine replacing the old steam engine, and transferred to a Greek shipping company, being renamed MS EVGENIA. She was renamed again in 1968 as MS ALHELAL under the Saudi flag. Not long after, in the same year she foundered and sank in heavy weather on 4 November 1968 on passage between Port Sudan and Jeddah.
List of owners:
Mrs. E.B. Laidlaw 1897-1901
Mr. Walter & Mrs. O.B. Jennings 1902-1910
Ramon de la Sota 1911-1922 (Renamed the GOIZEKO IZARRA)
Godfrey H. Williams 1923 (Named reverted to TUSCARORA)
Lord Queenborough 1924-1928
W.G. MacBeth 1929-1936
John Urquhart 1937-1939
British Navy, WWII as HMS TUSCARORA
Commercial Interests in Panama, (Renamed ANATOLI)
The historical photos and article copies here are for reference purposes. The first is of the TUSCARORA in Oban Bay, Scotland. The second is TUSCARORA in Dartmouth. The third is of HMS TUSCARORA in WWII service and the fourth is of the ship as MS ANATOLI. The article references show another image of TUSCARORA, this time attending the 1920 America's Cup race off Sandy Hook with the yachts SHAMROCK IV and RESOLUTE off her bow. The last is from a reference book on steam yachts.
