Cragmoor (1947); Cargo vessel

Scale: 1:96. A model of the general cargo ship ‘Cragmoor’ (1947) made to a very high standard both in terms of craftsmanship and materials used. Most of the exquisite fittings have been gold-plated to prevent them from tarnishing and the paint finish on the hull, though applied by hand, is flawless. The decks and parts of the superstructure have been executed in a pale-coloured wood, with the hatch cover detailing inscribed in black penwork. A gangway, or accommodation ladder, has been rigged on the starboard side of the model, a common convention of shipbuilders’ models of merchant ships of this period. It still retains its original mahogany display case, with ‘ivorine’ plaques, and display table.

William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland, built the actual vessel for Moor Line, and that company’s colours are depicted on the model with a black funnel featuring a white stripe with a large ‘R’ picked out in blue. The yard also provided ‘Cragmoor’s’ two-stroke, single-acting, four-cylinder oil engine. Following the downturn in shipbuilding and ship owning in the late 1970s, the model was sold at auction in 1981 and purchased by the NMM.