St Essylt (1948); Passenger/cargo vessel

Scale: 1:96. Built by J. L. Thompson & Sons, Ltd., Sunderland, for the South American Saint Line, this motor vessel set a new standard in post-war ship design and, with her low-slung motor cruiser lines, was the shape of things to come.

In 1948, the most striking and unusual feature of the ‘St Essylt’ was the raked and streamlined funnel, which today would provoke little comment. The funnel casing housed not only the engine’s exhaust system, but also radar equipment, cabin heating system, battery room and pilot’s cabin.

Inside the vessel, there was accommodation for 12 passengers. The accommodation for officers and crew was a considerable improvement on contemporary British standards, and the design won the Watts Prize awarded by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. The model, too, is modern and contemporary looking with its bright, clean, colours and elliptical ‘ivorine’ shipbuilder’s information plaques.

‘St Essylt’ was 144 metres in length, 6855 gross tons and the single acting Doxford diesel engine gave a service speed of 14.5 knots. Following a long career in which she had two changes of owners and name, ‘Yunnan’ and ‘Lucky Two’, she was broken up in 1979.

Object Details

ID: SLR1618
Collection: Ship models
Type: Full hull model
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Unknown
Vessels: St Essylt 1948
Date made: circa 1948
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Overall model and case: 780 x 1962 x 524 mm; Base of case: 603 x 1990 x 545 mm
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