Niagara
by Paul Helfrich

1/96 US Brig Niagara (Scratchbuilt)

The US Brig Niagara gained fame during the War of 1812 Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. After transfering his flag from the Niagara's sister ship, the Lawrence, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry broke the British line of battle and secured the upper Great Lakes from the threat of British invasion. After the battle, he sent his famous message beginning "We have met the enemy and they are ours..."

I lived in Erie PA from 1993-96, the home port of the reconstructed Niagara, and visited the ship several times. The ship leaves port a good bit during the warm weather months. It makes a most impressive sight when sailing the waters of Lake Erie on a brilliant summer day.

Somewhere along the line, I got a set of 1/96 plans for the Niagara. I started it in 2003, my first attempt at the "plank on bulkhead" method of wooden ship model construction. After finishing the hull, I put it aside for 5 years until getting inspired to finish it starting this past November.

Although the finished model would best be described as "semi-scale," I'm proud of the fact that it is almost 100% scratchbuilt. The only "fittings" used are the rigging blocks from Billings Boats, and an anchor from my junk box. Everything else is built from scratch. The hull is walnut planks and card stock on a balsa frame.