The A.G. Tunney Brooks Fighting Pirate Ship

THE MAN

Coach Brooks was the longtime football, baseball, and basketball coach at Lumberton High School.  He spent his summers teaching swimming lessons and serving as manager of Woodside Pool.   His career at Lumberton High School spanned over 30 years.

Captain of the baseball and basketball teams at Wake Forest University in 1952 he also represented the USA in the Pan American Games as the catcher for the baseball team. 

He was elected to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Athletic Directors Hall of Fame in 2005 and then, in 2011, he was inducted into the North Carolina High School Coaches Hall of Fame.

Post Script:

We are deeply saddened to have received the news that Coach Brooks passed away at 3:00 A.M. this morning of May 4th, 2012.... almost two years to the day following the evening of the presentation ceremony depicted herein. I am very happy we will always have this special memory of this great man.
 

The A.G. Tunney Brooks

Built by Dave Bullock

The ship you see here is a very special pirate ship created in honor of Coach Brooks and was donated to Lumberton Senior High School on behalf of the LHS Class of '61.

The  "The A.G. Tunney Brooks" is over five feet in length and height. The hull and flags are trimmed with LHS maroon and gold colors and the sail cloth is adorned with the schools pirate logo.

She is museum quality in terms of the most extreme detail, and is docked in the hallway  of Lumberton Senior High School in her own custom built glass case.

Presentation Night

Coach Brooks looked so much better at last night's presentation of the ship.... it is a miracle!

Former student athletes from the class of '61 paid tribute to Coach and spoke of their personal experiences with him and how his influence carried over into their adult lives.

The ceremony occurred on the evening of May 1st, followed by the Booster Club's annual fund raiser raffle.  Over 200 guests attended, many of which were former student athletes who played ball under this great man.

The Unveiling

 

 

 

Presentation Night

Over 200 supporters, mostly former students and athletes attended from all over the country.

Our Proudest Moment

Presentation of the check to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke to establish a  $100 thousand dollar scholarship fund in coach Brooks' honor.

WOW!

The building of the ship

The following photos are a log of the ship as it was built.

She's BIG!

This shot will give an idea of just how large this ship is.  This was my fourth model, having just completed the HMS Victory, and I had never attempted such a scale....nor had I ever attempted to build without a set of scaled plan sheets.  The "stem-to-stern" length is about five feet.  I would guess the scale at 1:25.

Her Sails 

Also a first for me....I had never attempted to create and rig a ship with unfurled sails.

As a reference, I relied heavily on R.C. Anderson's book "The Rigging of Ships In The Days of The Spritsail Topmast, 1600-1720". 

Bird's eye view from above the Topmasts.

Another high view from aft....

A Closer Look

Dropping down on deck for a closer look.
The ships bell....turned rail stanchions....

Turning the rail stanchions....

For this scale, I had to create all of the rail stanchions.

That little, seldom used mini-lathe, has been in my shop forever.

 

Stern Lantern....

So while still in the mood for turning some wood, created this cute little lantern.

Ships wheel and binnacle

The binnacle houses and protects the helmsman's navigational instruments. 

Captain Jack at the Wheel

Arrrrg....

Deck Guns

Creating the Guns and Trucks

Of the 30 cannons making up her arsenal, there are ten of these 32 pound deck guns that will be fully rigged.  Six guns, not rigged, are seen through the forward open gun ports.

The remaining 14 gun positions have closed gun port lids.

Creating Molds

Rather than attempt turning all of these guns, I created a mold from the master seen here.  Learned to pour plastic....

Really cool stuff!
 

Closer view of the gun position....
note the water buckets and cannon balls stacked on wooden "monkeys".

Looking back at her Half Deck

At this point she's ready for her masts and all the standing rigging.

Things get real interesting from here out.








 

Standing Rigging is Complete

Her masts have been set and secured with the heavy cables (preventor stays) and shrouds.

 

High Aft View

 High Fore View

Port View


















Dead Eyes and Stowed Anchor

The Ships Launch

Here's a closer shot of that little boat you can see lashed to the deck mid-ship. 

Name Plate Attached

Rudder Installed

Those copper plates are the real deal.

I created a custom template to do the dimples you see.

Copper Plated Hull Completed

The maroon and gold colors of Lumberton High School look fantastic!

Begin Build Log

Skipping the early forming of the keel and bulkhead frames, we will begin the build log at this point where it will be more interesting.









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