Tall Ships of San Francisco Ship Models by Steve Priske - click on an album cover to see more photos.

The three masted schooner Advance was built by S. Danielson at the shipyard of the Coquille Mill & Tug Company in 1902. Owners F.P. Doe of San Francisco - Captain L.L. Ogidinssen 123 feet long and 281 gross tons. It took me about 500 hours to scratch build this museum grade example of the Advance. Today she resides at Bandon, Oregon, her primary port of call between San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. Steve Priske - Historian Shipwright Be sure to visit: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com For best viewing and to read photo captions click on View Slide Show!

The extreme clipper ship Comet was built at the New York shipyard of William Web. The Comet measured 241 feet overall and was said to be a particularly handsome ship in every way. This ship model of the Comet measures over 51 inches long, and took 1,300 hours to scratch build. Steve Priske - Historian Shipwright. Be sure to visit: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

The Western Shore was the only clipper ship built on the U.S. west coast. Launched at Coos Bay, Oregon in 1874 the Oregon Clipper as she was also known, was built by Danish shipwright John Kruse for the Simpson Brothers Lumber Company. This exact scale replica was scratch built utilizing the original ships blueprints in about 1,400 hours. Steve Priske - Maritime Historian - Model Shipwright. For more history of the Western Shore be sure to visit: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

An extreme clipper ship, the Raven was built for the East India trade. Launched on July 1st, 1851, she measured 158 feet in length, and weighed 711 tons. This exact scale replica was built for the Pasadena Maritime Museum. She measures 41 inches from tip of bow sprite to tip of spanker boom. It took me about 1,300 hours scratch build this plank on bulkhead clipper ship model. Steve Priske - Historian Shipwright. Be sure to visit: : www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

The Tropic Bird was one of the most attractive tall ships built on the Pacific. Built in 1882 by Danish Shipwright John Kruse at Coos Bay, Oregon, she was owned by A. Crawford of San Francisco. Rigged as a three masted Barkentine, the Tropic Bird’s primary run was from the bay area to Tahiti. This album contains photos of two models of the Tropic Bird built for the descendants of John Kruse. Steve Priske - Historian Shipwright. Be sure to visit: : www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

The Puako c.1902 was one of a handful of nearly identical tall ships, all built to carry raw sugar from Hawaii to the C&H processors at Crockett, near San Francisco. This model was built from the shipyard blueprints of the KoKo Head, an identical sister ship to the Puako. It took me about 1,400 hours to scratch build this 4 foot long museum grade replica. Steve Priske - Historian Shipwright. Be sure to visit my other site: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

The four masted schooner Alumna was built by the Simpson Brothers Lumber Company at their Coos Bay, Oregon shipyard. The ship was named to celebrate the graduation of Captain Asa Meade Simpson’s daughter from an east coast finishing school. This ship model was built from vintage photos and blueprints provided me by the descendants of Capt. Simpson. The model measures about 4 feet long, has furled sails and is mounted to a Myrtle wood base. Steve Priske - Historian Shipwright. Be sure to visit my other web site: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

Chehalis, a four masted barkentine, was the first ship of her rig built in Washington State. She was built for Captain Asa M. Simpson at his Hoquiam, shipyard located on Gray’s harbor, launched in 1891. This exact scale replica was scratch built utilizing the original ships blueprints, as well as consulting many vintage photos of the Chehalis made available by the grandson of Capt. Simpson. It took me a approximately 900 hours to construct this 41 inch long ship model - Steve Priske - Historian & Shipwright. For more history of the Chehalis be sure to visit: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

This album contains photos of the Boston whaling ship Minnesota of New Bedford, launched in 1851. This scale model replica is accurate in every way and the ship features real copper plated hull. It took me about 1,400 hours to scratch build this 3 foot long ship of sail. Steve Priske - Model Shipwright - Historian. Be sure to visit: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

This album contains photos of two Pirate Ship models built in 2002-3 by model shipwright Steve Priske. See captions for details of each ship. Be sure to visit: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com Steve Priske - Maritime Historian - Model Shipwright

This album will document the construction of a ship model of the British Sloop of War - HMS Snake. The HMS Snake was the first of a new class of war ships, devoid of unnecessary gilded decorations, a single or flush decker armed with 18 deadly carronades. The HMS Snake often bested ships two to three times her displacement, initiating a new class of war ship, still found today in modern HMS corvettes and USS destroyers. This model is being built from the Caldercraft kit in 1/64th scale. Ships specifics: Length 100 feet, Beam 30.5 feet, Gross Tons 382 Crew 121. The Snake class of vessels proved to be very, deadly, fast and seaworthy. Steve Priske - Historian Shipwright

The Golden Lion was a Dutch first rate ship of the line, carrying over 66 main guns on three decks. She was used in both convoy duty to Japan and she fought in the Anglo Dutch Wars. This ship model was built from the plans of the Wappen Von Hamburg, a nearly identical sister ship. The model is double plank on bulkhead, measures over 50 inches long and is on display in a Dutch restaurant in Nagasaki, Japan, where the real Golden Lion used to call. Steve Priske - Historian Shipwright. Be sure to visit: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

This album contains a collection of photos made from daguerreotype glass plate negatives. These ships are part of the US Navy fleets of the Civil War years to pre-world war 1, a fleet known as ‘The Great White Fleet’! The ships from this fleet, although made from steel and sporting modern boilers and engines, had full rigged masts, spars and sails installed as an auxiliary source of power!

The national training tall ship of Denmark. This ship model took me about 1,500 hours to construct. Steve Priske - Historian Model Shipwright. Be sure to visit: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

Baltimore Schooner c.1840. The rakish rig of the Baltimore schooner was the inspiration for the clipper ships of the 1850 and 1860’s. This scale replica was built from exotic woods, such as teak, bockpi and mahogany. The ship is mounted to an exotic Myrtle wood base designed to evoke the seas in motion. Steve Priske - Historian Shipwright. Be sure to visit: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

The sail training vessel for the nation of Japan is the Nippon Maru II, a four masted fully rigged tall ship. The ship model I was commissioned to build is on display in the Landmark Towers, China Express restaurant.

This album contains photos documenting the restoration of the 20th Century Windjammer Pamir. This model is owned by the descendants of a passenger who came to America on the Pamir c.1920’s.

This is the boat model built for the Academy Award winning film, The BodyGuard with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. I was commissioned by the art director to build an English river boat with full electronics so the model could be controlled off camera, as seen in the film. An article on how I built this model and how it was used in the film was published in Scale Ship Modeler Magazine May, 1996. Steve Priske - Model Shipwright - Be sure to visit my other web site: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

No Album Description edit

King Kamehameha of the big island of Hawaii built a huge fleet of cannon armed catamarans, which he used to conquer all the Hawaiian Islands, putting them under one ruler for the first time.

Once the Tahitian’s had established a foothold on the Hawaiian Islands c.1000 B.C., local kings came to be. To get from one village or island to another, 40 foot long twin hulled Catamarans were built. This album contains photos of two Kings’ Catamaran’s ship models, based on those seen by Captain Cook on his voyages to Hawaii c.1778.

This album contains photos of a lumber steam ship, I was commissioned to restore in 2003. Steve Priske - Maritime Historian - Model Shipwright. Be sure to visit my other web site: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

Sail San Francisco is a once every four years event. With the 2005 edition we saw the three masted Pallada of Russia and the three masted bark Cuahtemoc of Mexico clear the heavy fog and slide under the Golden Gate, eventually docking just past the Bay Bridge, pretty much where the ships in the 19th Century tied up! All photos by Steve Priske. Be sure to visit: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com

Photos by Steve Priske - Historian Shipwright. Be sure to visit my other web site: www.tallshipsofsanfrancisco.com