1715 FLEET Diorama...

PhipsFolly said:
I am so excited... I just wanted to share this with those that are following this thread...

I had a meeting at the McLarty Treasure Museum today and they are seriously discussing commissioning me to make a large Diorama of the 1715 Fleet Disaster similar to this one for the museum! It would be an honor to have it displayed in such a great setting... If it does work out, I sure hope you guys will get in to see it if you have a chance and have an interest... It will probably be a few months down the road due to the Holidays...
Click to expand...

If you do one for them I will make a point of making it there to see and photograph it ..

We will NOT go quitely into the night!
 

Hello Phipps. Your diorama is very impressive but I see acouple of problems. It is not historically accurate. The 1715 fleet ships did not wreck next to each other. They wrecked miles apart. Also I see one vessel broken in half. That didn't happen. According to the eyewitness survivors, when the ship hit bottom the top deck sheared off and sailed in like a surfboard. Thats how many of the survivors made it.
 

diverdan said:
Hello Phipps. Your diorama is very impressive but I see acouple of problems. It is not historically accurate. The 1715 fleet ships did not wreck next to each other. They wrecked miles apart. Also I see one vessel broken in half. That didn't happen. According to the eyewitness survivors, when the ship hit bottom the top deck sheared off and sailed in like a surfboard. Thats how many of the survivors made it.
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Kinda of hard to build one to scale when they were miles apart

We will NOT go quitely into the night!
 

Diver Dan... You are absolutely correct with regards to the proximity of the ships to each other... However with the limited space in which I had to use in the display and in the interest of making the diorama more interesting to the eye, I chose to do it this way... This was my first attempt at making one of these and I had already decided to try one with just a single ship and incorporate some of the nearshore reefs and shoreline prior to your helpful comments. As far as the ship "breaking in half"... We can't say for sure exactly how the ships broke apart... Yes their are details about upper decks shearing off as you mentioned but we do also know that entire sections of ships have come apart and traveled with the current such as stern castle sections being found miles from the "main cultural deposit"... And once again due to limitations with size and materials, it would difficult to really be that detailed with these little models...

However your comments and suggestions are really helpful and I will definitely try to incorporate those details into my next one and be more mindful of the historical accounts as opposed to artistic interpretation...
 

PhipsFolly said:
Thanks all... I really appreciate your comments.

I haven't actually decided what to do with this diorama yet...
I have had several requests to sell it so I may make more of these to accommodate the requests... If I do have the chance to make more, I would like to donate one to the McLarty State Treasure Museum if they would like to display it... I would be honored and would love for others to see it.
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That would be great to get a could in treasure museums, good work on the project and I must say "well done".

I've read the story at the Mel Fisher site several times. The one ship the captain didn't like the route how it went along off the Florida coast, so chose a course out away some from the others. I think he got back in line as the disaster unfolded or soon after but keeping his ship safe. It was so dark they had to light the lamps.

The first ship of the 1715 Fleet as they could see waves hitting the reefs (rocks?) the priests and crew began saying their "Hail Marys" all of them at once. I think this was the ship that the deck came off with the crew surfing to shore. There must have been another get washed on shore. From what I can remember some ships broke up leaking treasure as they went, otherwise we wouldn't have any ships to salvage.
 

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Hi Red Desert... Thanks for your kind words...

I received news that photos of this diorama were presented to the "powers that be" for the McLarty State Treasure Museum at a meeting last week and apparently there is a very strong interest in having me create one for the museum... Very excited and I am currently trying to do my "homework" to make sure I make it as realistic and as accurate as I possibly can using the materials I am working with... Hope it all works out.
 

WTG!!!! I could check to see where to find the story (if still there) at the Mel Fisher site. You've probably seen it, but others may find the story interesting. Good luck on the project!
 

I can't find the 1715 Fleet story anymore at Mel Fisher's Treasures, unless somehow I've missed it.
 

Thanks Trembull!:laughing7: I must have forgotten where to find it. I've bookmarked the 1715 Fleet story page so it won't get lost again.
 

Thanks ECS... wait until you see the next one I am working on... much more detailed ship and it will have some eroded shoreline and reefs showing... hopefully it will better convey a more factual portrayal of the 1715 Fleet wrecks since my first diorama was more conceptual than realistic with the three ships so close together...
 

PhipsFolly said:
Thanks ECS... wait until you see the next one I am working on... much more detailed ship and it will have some eroded shoreline and reefs showing... hopefully it will better convey a more factual portrayal of the 1715 Fleet wrecks since my first diorama was more conceptual than realistic with the three ships so close together...
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Looking forward to seeing it.:thumbup:

We will NOT go quietly into the night!
 

A couple of new photos of my original diorama, but with added details and rigging/wreckage, etc. - getting more detailed with the ships as I make new dioramas... currently working on one for one of the forum moderators as well as one for the McLarty State Treasure Museum... got my work cut out for me!!
 

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The rigging, wreakage and added detail really brings it to life.....

We will NOT go quietly into the night!
 

The modeling clay really helped to get the waves to look real......nice job there. 8-)
 

Here's some pics of my newest diorama... This one has just a single galleon headed for the "dragons teeth" with the eroded beach/dunes being pounded by surf and plants hanging over the side of the dune like they do when we get the real deal...

Hope you all like this one...



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