SS Politician, the Whiskey Ship

SS Politician was built in 1923 and launched as

“London Merchant”. She was laid up in 1930 with
several of her sisterships. She was sold in 1935
and renamed “Politician”.

In February 1941, she was outward bound from

Liverpool to the north of Scotland to join a convoy to
the West Indies and The U.S., with a cargo that
included some 3 million pounds in Jamaican bank
notes and 22,000 cases (264,000 botles) of whiskey.
The whiskey was for export and had no excise tax
stamps. She ran onto rocks oV the coast of the Isle
of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides. Then began a race
between the local islanders and the customs oYcers
see who would recover the prized cargo, particularly
the whiskey. A large part of the cargo, including
whiskey and bank notes, was never recovered.

The story was told by Compton MacKenzie in his

1947 humorous book “Whiskey Galore”. There is
also a movie of the same name. In the story, the
ship is named the “President.”

There is a pub on Eriskay named “Am Politician”

(”The Politician” in Gaelic). Their prized souvenirs
are two of the bottles from the illegal salvage
operation. My wife and I visited a few years ago
and hoisted a half-pint to “Whiskey Galore”in the pub.

Clifton W. McCullough
2019
aw = anchor windlass
b = bollard = cargo boom
c = cabin 76 = structure between hatches 6 and 7
dh = deckhouse dh45 = deckhouse between hatches 4 and 5
L = locker
m = lattice mast
v = ventilator
w = winch

x1 x2 x2 x1 x2 x2 x1 x2 x2 anchor winch
w/ warping ends w/ warping ends w/ warping ends
v 3e
v 3b v 3d
v 3d v 3e v3c v3b v 3f
v 3g v 3d
bollard (typical) v 3e v 3c
v 3d

w w w w w w v 3b

Aft Hatch
Hatch Hatch Hatch Shelter Deck Hatch Hatch Hatch
Deck w 76 w dh45 w aw
7 6 5 4 Deckhouse 3 2 1
House

w w w w w
w
Foc'sl
v 3d
v 2b v 3c
v 3d v3c v 3b v 3g v 3e v 3d
v 3d
v 3b v 3e
0.02" = 0.50mm SHELTER DECK v 3f
0.03" = 0.76mm use 0.03" diam. rod
0.05" = 1.27mm boom fore boom
(2 per mast) (1 per mast)
(0.02" diam.) fore boom aft boom
(0.02" diam.)
(1 per mast) (1 per mast)
(0.02" diam.) (0.02" diam.)

aft boom
(1 per mast) aft boom
mast cap fore boom (0.02" diam.) (1 only)
(1 per mast) (0.02" diam.)
(0.02" diam.)
aft boom height of boom attachments
insert this end into
boom mast spreader (1 per mast)
(1 per mast) (0.03" diam.)
(0.02" diam.)
deck deck deck deck deck
mast (typical)
(use 0.05" diam rod
or round toothpick) keel keel keel keel keel

mast (m) cabin (c)

lb = Lifeboat (bow forward)

v 2b v 2c ch = coal hatch
v 3f
v 2a dinghy v 3a
lb lb m c
bddh = Boat Deck Deckhouse
v 3f
L
v 2a
flying bridge
add tab
bddh skylight ch funnel ch Bridge
locker

dh 76 dh45
AFT DECKHOUSE
boiler room SS Politician
v 3f lb lb skylight Freighter 7,986 GRT
v 3e v 4a Scale 1/600
v 2c
BOAT DECK Copyright 2019 Clifton W. McCullough
Instructions Sheet 1
 flying bridge flying bridge

boat deck boat deck

bridge deck bridge deck

shelter deck shelter deck

VIEW FROM AFT STARBOARD SIDE VIEW FROM FORWARD

lifeboats shown on Port side only BRIDGE