A Maltese ship model-maker has been commissioned to make a scale model of an Austrian galley that saw action in the Battle of Lepanto on October, 7 1571 for a maritime museum being set up in Greece dedicated to the Battle of Lepanto.
In that bloody battle, the Turkish fleet commanded by Ali Pasha was trounced by the Christian fleet directed by Don Juan of Austria. That ferocious combat marked the end of the Turkish naval supremacy.
Model-maker Joe Abela has been commissioned to make a one-metre model of Don Juan's flagship to a scale of 1:50.
The promoters of the museum had commissioned Mr Abela after they noted the high level of workmanship in the models he made and restoration work he carried out at the Maritime Museum where he works.
They had come to the museum to inspect an ex voto by an unknown survivor of the Battle of Lepanto. The ex voto, painted by Antonello Riccio, was previously kept at Sarria chapel in Floriana.
Bearing the title La Madonna della Flotta, the ex voto is currently being restored at the restoration centre in Bighi.
Mr Abela, 49, was brought up and lives in a house in Senglea overlooking Grand Harbour. He used to be enthralled by the stories of the sea recounted by his grandfather, Karmenu Ventura who served in the Royal Navy.
Mr Abela joined the Maritime Museum in 1991 as a ship model-maker after placing first among 12 candidates in an examination held to select 'a restorer of antique ship models'.
He has taken part in various conferences on shipbuilding and model shiprepair, including a conference in Greenwich, another in Rochford, France and another in Grado, in north Italy.
An extremely interesting model made by Mr Abela for the Maritime Museum is that of a grab dredger called Anadrian that was custom-made for the Maltese government in 1951 by Ferguson, the Scottish shipbuilders. For most of its life, the dredger was used in Grand Harbour.
For a time, a group of enthusiasts were toying with the idea of preserving the Anadrian after it went out of service but it was found to be too expensive to do so.
The dredger was eventually sold to Cassar Shipyard although its engine, a triple expansion engine which is a rare item is exhibited at the Maritime Museum.
"I based the model on plans of the ship passed on to me by Cassar Shipyard and from photographs and visits to the ship while it lay at the Cassar yard.
"The model is made of marine plywood, oak and red deal. The rivet effect was created by using nails with a dome head".
The next challenge for Mr Abela is the restoration of an 18th century model of a frigate that used to form part of a set of models made by the arsenal of the Knights of St John. The model is in a bad state of repair.
The arsenal used to make models in order to see how seaworthy the ship would be once finished, to check their hull shape, and how the armaments and sails were going to be distributed on the vessel.
A fascinating diorama at the Maritime Museum made by Mr Abela shows a warship being prepared to be laid up for the winter.
"The building known popularly as il-macina in Senglea, which rises directly above the waterfront was used to dismantle the masts and take the cannon off warships.
"A wooden structure used to be put up on the roof of il-macina to serve as a crane.
"The masts and the cannon were taken away to reduce stress on the woodwork before the warships were brought ashore to be stored separately in warehouses. A lighter tied alongside the warship was used to take the cannon off the ships".
Another diorama by Mr Abela shows how careening - the tilting over of a ship for caulking - was carried out. The flagship was relieved of its oars, benches for oarsmen, and cannon among other items. It was tilted on one side at sea and secured to a point on land from the upper part of the main mast.
"The vessel was anchored at the bow and the stern with two pontoons laid alongside the waterfront to prevent the ship from hitting the quay.
"Members of the navy of the order of St John used to keep a sharp lookout on board a caique during caulking for slaves working as caulkers who might try to escape.
"Caulkers used oakum - loose fibre from old rope - to close the seams on the ship's hull to make it waterproof. A coating of animal fat, mixed with resin and linseed oil was then applied to the hull," Mr Abela said.
Another model by Mr Abela, this time made of cardboard, is that of HMS Dainty, a destroyer of the Daring Class, the only destroyer which used to feature a Maltese Cross painted in the Maltese national colours on its funnel.
Ships of the Royal Navy that were based in a particular country used to carry the national emblem of that country on their funnel.