#743 M.V. Southland Star

M.V. Southland Star transiting Cook Strait in a gale

Notes

The Southland Star was the first of two new buildings by Bremer Vulkan for Blue Star Line in 1967 for the Australia & New Zealand service.

• Built: BremerVulkan Schiffbau & Machinenfabrik, Vegesack, Germany
• ON: 309938
• Dimensions: 168.36 x 22.33 x 8.941/9.961 metres
• Tonnage: Gross :11300 Net: 6626
• Propulsion: 9-Cyl 2 S.C.S.A M.A.N. K9Z86/160E oil engine by the shipbuilder, 20700 BHP at 118 rpm
• Type: Refrigerated Cargo Liner with St�lcken heavy derricks
• Launched: 10/01/1967 (Yard No. 929) as Southland Star for Blue Star Line Ltd.
• Completed: 5/19671975:Blue Star Ship Management Ltd. appointed managers
• Converted: 1977 to a containership by her shipbuilders
• Sold: 1993 arriving 19/8/1993 in Chittagong Roads, Bangladesh for breaking up
• Beached: 29.9.1993 at Fouzderhat Beach, Chittagong.
• Sister ships: New Zealand Star, Wellington Star

Southland Star transiting Cook Strait in a gale

This one is for my Dad: inspired by a picture he took from the top of the funnel on passage from Wellington to Christchurch NZ back in the 1970s. While he was busy taking photographs, the auxiliary boiler flashed up on an automatic cycle, blocking him with a screen of hot exhaust fumes from the funnel top access hatch. He got down eventually and (allegedly) vowed never be so stupid in the future.

Build

I’ve wanted to build a model of one of the ships he served on for a long time, but commercial shipping is a very poorly served kit market. But that may have been a good thing, as it forced/allowed me to develop this experiment in “compressed perspective.” 100% scratch except the figure, which is a putty mod of a 1:150 architectural figure. I guess it may even qualify as a “box diorama”?

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Some of the main paints used…

Credits and References

• this project on scalemates
• Blue Star’s M.V. “Southland Star”