Steamer/Freighter: Mary Elizabeth - Tug Boat
ID: 278
N/A
Contact Us or call today:
207-232-6282
This is the tug boat "Mary Elizabeth" floating on a sea of blue water. The tug's hull has a red bottom with a thin white strip above and then a wide area of black with white at the top. The hull has 8 tires on the sides to allow the tug to be buffered when it comes against another ship. On the bow is a rope netting covering the entire bow. The main deck is green and has many deck details such as a yellow wired mesh on the stern deck, a coiled rope, several deck tie offs as other items. The main cabin is painted red and has numerous metal rails, port windows and doors. There is wooden stairs with metal hand railing leading up to the deck above. The upper deck is white with metal railing going all the way around the deck. On that deck are 2 vent pipes toward the rear. There is a large steam stack painted in black with thin red and white stripes near the top. The stack has a very large "L" on each side. Also coming from the deck is the pilots cabin painted in red and has clear windows around the front. The name "Mary Elizabeth" painted in white against a black background. Above this cabin is a top deck with several details including radar, red and green lights, and a large mast with metal attachments.
Etched on the bottle is the following: "To You who gives of your service to mankind July 18, 1970, made by Harold B. Whiting Plainfield, New Jersey."
Harold Whiting was a master builder and winner of numerous national and international awards with his models displayed in museums in the United States. The following is from fellow master builder and author of "Ships in Bottles," Cmdr. Don Hubbard: "You may have a fairly rare Whiting bottle since he pretty much specialized in putting vehicles in bottles, at least by 1982 when he sent a Mack Truck in a bottle to the first International show here in San Diego. I bought that bottle from him and it is now in the Second International Show at the San Diego Maritime Museum. He used to make special truck bottles for companies, like Mack, when executives retired. I remember one commission that nearly drove him nuts. UPS ordered something like 10 UPS trucks in bottles. By the time Harold was finished he was bored to death. I don't know much more about him except that he had been employed by the postal service and that he was a colored man."
Whiting, Harold B
612 Spooner Ave
PLAINFIELD, NJ 07060
908-755-2864
Made in: 1979, July 18
Made by: Whiting, Harold B. in Plainfield, New Jersey
Bottle Size: 11" x 5"
Type of Bottle: Unidentified
Condition: Excellent
Made in: 1979, July 18
Made by: Whiting, Harold B. in Plainfield, New Jersey
Bottle Size: 11" x 5"
Type of Bottle: Unidentified
Condition: Excellent
Contact us to learn more about these nautical antiques or call today: (207) 232-6282.