This ship has a fascinating history and as far as I know she is still working! I visited the Maritime Museum in Exeter, UK back in the sixties. St. Canute was on display there in the process of being restored. I went aboard and took a few pics. She was really the centerpiece of that small museum which preserved small working boats mainly. The museum closed a few years ago and the tug was sold to a Swedish firm as I recall who put her back into service! I discovered the Billings Boat kit at Hamleys, the big toy store in Regent Street in London. They had a completed model on display and I thought it was really beautiful. Didn't buy the kit but it stuck in my mind and on a later visit I did. Looked up my old photos and any info I could find in the magazines and went to work. The model is plank on frame, 22" long (scale 1/50) excellent plans, full size and lots of fittings in brass, other metals and some plastic. Plank-on-frame, which is common among sailing ship modelers may seem daunting but I must admit to really enjoying the technique. After soaking the narrow wood strips for a few minutes to make them pliable, you bend them over the frames, holding them in place with pins till the glue dries. Some trimming and fitting is necessary, especially at the bow and stern. After the first layer is done and dried, it is sanded and the second and final layer is applied. The finished hull is quite lightweight but strong and quite beautiful ... very satisfying. The instructions are quite complete and I followed them carefully only altering the varnished wheelhouse to a darker tone. The photographs on the box are very helpful. Great fun working out the paint colors. Ship livery is one of my special interests. Altogether it was a time consuming but enjoyable project and I would highly recommend it. The result can be a museum quality model.

The ship itself was built in Denmark in 1930 as Sct Knud, for use in Odense. She became redundant in 1966 and was sold to a Major David Goddard (Great Britain) who helped establish the Exeter Maritime Museum.