09/04/2026
A new addition to our Battle of Hampton Roads exhibit has arrived! This 1/88 scale model of USS Cumberland was made by our dedicated volunteer, Lee Martin. He has made a number of models for the museum that are currently on exhibit. In total, Lee spent +/- 1,500 hours on this piece, using original Navy plans from 1855. He makes every model completely by hand - everything from the rope rigging to each tiny copper plate on the hull, which were hand cut and attached, one by one.
When asked about his favorite detail of the build, he answered, “getting the cannons on the gun deck placed as the plans dictated. Since the model was still built using frames to shape the hull, the location of a frame sometimes coincided just where a cannon should be placed. Getting around that problem, that nobody would even notice, took some doing.”
Stop in soon to get a better look at this model, and if you’re lucky, you might catch Lee working on his current project, CSS Shenandoah, in the museum gallery.
A big thank you, Lee, for your hard work and dedication!
Photo credits: USS Cumberland model, Lee Martin with his work, HRNM staff installing the display (HRNM)
