Grey-Bruce Boomers Winter2023

y Doug Archer
THE BUCKET LIST
an assortment of saws and lathes, even a set of dental
tools for delicate work, to shape his ships. The work is
time-consuming – building the USS Constitution alone
took 2,000 hours – but it is a labour of love.
Often called Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution was
one of the first warships of the U.S. Army. The vessel
was over 200 feet long, had over 42,000 square feet
of sails strung on three masts, carried a crew of 450,
and, in her fighting days, was armed with over 50
cannons. Launched in 1797, the ship was sent onto
the high seas to battle marauding pirates on the
Barbary Coast in the Mediterranean. Her greatest
glory, however, came during the War of 1812,
when the ship and her crew defeated four British
frigates during three separate battles. The Constitution
gained the nickname Old Ironsides because enemy
cannonballs were unable to penetrate the ship’s
thick oak hull. Now the oldest U.S. warship still in
commission, the USS Constitution sails the open waters
six or seven times a year, including every 4th of July.
“The most difficult aspects of building my model
ships are crafting the vessels’ steering wheels and
cannons,” Tom said. “Carving out the spokes on the
wheels and the muzzles on each of the cannons is
painstaking work. It usually takes me months!”
Of course, stitching together sails is no easy
undertaking, either. Especially when you don’t know
how to sew.
“When I first tried my hand at it, I asked my then
wife to teach me,” he said. Then, with a smile, he
admitted, “But the answer I got was, ‘I learned how
to sew on my own, you can, too.’”
Now an accomplished seamstress, Tom uses needle
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WINTER 2023/24 • 23