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Chattanooga: Shipshape

Model shipbuilder spends thousands of hours making museum-quality pieces

By: Clint Cooper
(Contact)

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George Driese

George Driese of Hixson calls himself a “chronic collector.” The retired businessman is one of 15 to 20 local people who are exceptionally serious about model shipbuilding, he said.

Mr. Driese, 73, is so serious about his craft that he has spent about 2,000 hours building one of his models.

More than 150 or so hobbyists like him are in Chattanooga this week to participate in the Nautical Research Guild’s 60th anniversary annual meeting at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

Models like Mr. Driese’s are not snap-together, toy-store specials, though. Although he makes or modifies some of his ships from a kit, Mr. Driese builds others — static and remote control — by hand from wood or flat plastic from a set of plans.

“Everyone has their own method of construction as long as it’s authentic from the original drawing,” he said.

The ships in Mr. Driese’s collection, many of which he says are museum quality, range up to 3 feet in length.

His models reflect ships older than those used in World War II, including the Revolutionary War-era Turtle submarine, the 1898 paddlewheeler Myrtle Corey, the 1902 fishing trawler Benjamin Latham and the 1812 schooner Fair American.

Mr. Driese said he prefers European kits because the quality of wood seems to be better.

“If it floats,” he said, “I like to make it.”

Mr. Driese said he has about 30 kits and isn’t planning to buy any more because they will take “14,000 years to complete.” However, he admits it’s difficult to quit.

Once he picked up the hobby, he said, “I got bitten by the bug.”

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