The Story of Us
Our story begins with the sailing simulator known as Virtual Sailor, created by Ilan Papini. By the time I had come across it in 2007, the game was in its 7th generation. The game has a user modification application to it, to where people across the world can import any type of floating vessel into the game. The user can then add workable instruments such as propellers, rudders, telegraphs, compasses, basically any component a ship will need to navigate could be used. Virtual Sailor even had it own support forum which I had joined in early 2008.
The forum served its purpose of providing a place for model makers around the globe to post pictures of their latest WIP's. I had seen a great many number of ships make their start there, such as Kyle Hudak's impressive TITANIC, Dom Vaccaro's MAURETANIA, FRANCE, and UNITED STATES, Miguel Murdoch's much beloved SS NORWAY, Michael Richmond's QUEEN MARY, and so many others. The forum was also the birthplace of some of the greatest fictional companies I had ever seen or heard of, such as Patrick Henderson's Crown Line, Will Morgan's British Oceanic Line, and Jake Russell's Great British Line. To this day, there are still other fictionalcompanies being though of by members. I had seen alot of this work over the course of a couple of years and decided I wanted to build a ship of my own design and works in order to establish myself as a model builder on the forum.
My first conception was a 2 funneled, two masted, EMPRESS OF IRELAND look-a-like which I had named EVANGELINE. There isnt much I can remember about her other than the funnels were blue with a white cap and a red stripe, and she was quite an ugly ship for my first build. Way very disproportionate and very blocky and LEGO like. The more experienced models heavily criticized it and also gave me the advice I needed to make her better. Sadly, this EVANGELINE never made it into the Virtual Sailor World (Thank God!) My second ship was a liner called PACIFIC, heavily inspired by Cunard's QUEEN ELIZABETH of 1938. This model although much better in appearance being hand drawn by myself, also never made it into Virtual Sailor.
By 2009, I had lended a hand with some basic modeling on models from the Sketchup 3d Warehouse, but really wanted a vessel of my own to build on. Being friends with some of the other modelers on the forum, I began to ask around for any old abandoned projects to build on and perhaps learn a thing or two about ships and how they are build in 3D. Patrick Henderson (by then known as Paddymagee and later, Capt. Henderson) had 4 vessels that he would graciously lend me for my project. It was here where the story of the American Atlantic Line begins.
The first ship, seen above, was originally built as a 4-stacker, very reminiscent of the KAISER WILHELM DER GROSSE of 1897. By the time I had gotten the ship, she has no name and was in Crown Line's traditional all buff funnels with a thin black strip. Originally, I completed the ship in these colors and performed sea trials under these colors and has assigned the name LORRAINE to the ship. She was largely incomplete but I was nevertheless proud of what was basically my very first ship. I decided that she needed a story, a company to guide her on in virtual seas, something to make her stand out among all the other fictional ships being built. I knew I could do it. So I turned to the history books. My original envision was for the company that operated LORRAINE and all future vessels to give the passenger a standardized look and feel during a trasnatlantic crossing. So i looked at what would be standard colors for ships which were commonly found as red, white, and black. The Allan Line has this funnel scheme of red, with a black cap and a white stripe between the two. I decided that this would be my company colors, although my version of red would forever be the color A06 red on Google Sketchup. By late 2009, LORRAINE was completed and released under the Atlantic Steamship Company, which was later shortened to Atlantic Line.
Later on, I would commission my second liner, ANGELINA. She was the second ship of the 4 pack that I had gotten from Capt. Henderson and I had taken everything I had learned from LORRAINE and from other people and their models to make ANGELINA even better. She would be the first ship I would ever really get into depth of knowing how to program things such as her propellers. Originally having 4, which was later reduced to 2 on the V2, released this year, all of which had to be placed and animated. The original propellers would come from the old S.S. Rotterdam model for Virtual Sailor. Having been used and reused on several different models, I did not think anyone would ever notice where they came from.
Later on, I would commission my second liner, ANGELINA. She was the second ship of the 4 pack that I had gotten from Capt. Henderson and I had taken everything I had learned from LORRAINE and from other people and their models to make ANGELINA even better. She would be the first ship I would ever really get into depth of knowing how to program things such as her propellers. Originally having 4, which was later reduced to 2 on the V2, released this year, all of which had to be placed and animated. The original propellers would come from the old S.S. Rotterdam model for Virtual Sailor. Having been used and reused on several different models, I did not think anyone would ever notice where they came from.
The third ship would ultimately become my favorite liner to have ever designed, even to this day. By this time in early 2010, I was in the midst of drawing up plans for a large 1920's liner. The third hull from Capt. Henderson was of an early 20's design, with vents, large open decks, and two masts, already installed. The design looked as if it was for a four stacker, but in my mind, a four funneled ship in the 1920s did not seem like a practical idea so I concepted a 3 funnel design for her. Looking over the design around Christmas of 2009, I couldn't think of an elegant name for the ship. In actuality it would be my mother who would have a hand in the naming of this ship. I normally get a box of Queen Anne cordial cherries around Christmas time and I remember her bringing them to me in my room one night while working on this ship. I looked at the box and the name 'Queen Anne' stuck with me. Sure enough, the third ship of my fleet would be named not after a queen of England , but after the cordial cherries.
Over the years, my designs got better and continued to work on my models, releasing 2 more ships, one being a smaller version of ANGELINA, only with twin funnels and 4 masts, similar to the 'Big Four' of White Star Line, CELTIC, CEDRIC, BALTIC, and ADRIATIC. This liner would become the first ship released by myself to be named EVANGELINE, recycled from my first ship ever built. Not as nice as I originally intended for her to, she was built rather quickly to add more ships to my fleet. The other would be based on a New York Times illustration for the Olympic Class Liner in 1908, before advertisements were released to the public. Based off a low poly hull of the Titanic by a model maker known as FlyTexas, this ship would be built as a 3 funnel 3 masted liner, named TITAN, playing on the name of the hull of which the ship was constructed!
The last ship I would build being originally made by another modeler would come from Will Morgan and his British Oceanic Line in 2011. Having assisted with him on projects over the years. One of his modern cruise ship deisgns fell right into my hands (after asking him for permission to use it of course) and i set away to build one very large modern looking ocean liner, similar to Cunard's QUEEN MARY 2 and British Oceanic Line's M.S. OLYMPIC. The OLYMPIC was formally passed over to me and underwent the process of debadging, which removed all of British Oceanic Line's colors, logos, even the name OLYMPIC would disappear from the ship. Being so proud of the original QUEEN ANNE that I had built, I decided early on that this ship would be spoken as QUEEN ANNE the SECOND (which would be wrote as QUEEN ANNE II on the ship) but discussing it with friends over the phone, it simply became spoken as 'Queen Anne 2'. She was refitted, given the traditional colors of the American Atlantic Line, although this time, the company's logo, a black and white compass rose, would be affixed to each funnel. The ship was then finished and released in mid 2012. To this day, she has probably been the most sought after ship in my fleet, a popular addition for Virtual Sailor and has even been adapted for Vehicle Simulator.
The last ship I would build being originally made by another modeler would come from Will Morgan and his British Oceanic Line in 2011. Having assisted with him on projects over the years. One of his modern cruise ship deisgns fell right into my hands (after asking him for permission to use it of course) and i set away to build one very large modern looking ocean liner, similar to Cunard's QUEEN MARY 2 and British Oceanic Line's M.S. OLYMPIC. The OLYMPIC was formally passed over to me and underwent the process of debadging, which removed all of British Oceanic Line's colors, logos, even the name OLYMPIC would disappear from the ship. Being so proud of the original QUEEN ANNE that I had built, I decided early on that this ship would be spoken as QUEEN ANNE the SECOND (which would be wrote as QUEEN ANNE II on the ship) but discussing it with friends over the phone, it simply became spoken as 'Queen Anne 2'. She was refitted, given the traditional colors of the American Atlantic Line, although this time, the company's logo, a black and white compass rose, would be affixed to each funnel. The ship was then finished and released in mid 2012. To this day, she has probably been the most sought after ship in my fleet, a popular addition for Virtual Sailor and has even been adapted for Vehicle Simulator.
By the time the QUEEN ANNE II was finished, times had begun to change. VSF was becoming more popular than Virtual Sailor, despite having a loyal following of its own, VSF proved to be far superior with its graphics, and even with its designing feature for new vessels. The old Hangsim Forum, where the American Atlantic Line was first established, is now desolate and all but abandoned. The younger generation has taken to the group known as the New Virtual Sailor Forum on Facebook. Several others, including myself, have gradually moved over to the Facebook group but still post on the old forum every now and again. But the legacy of these 2 simulators will live on with the new generation of modelers, as long as they learn from the older generation, their models will be great too.
Post 2013-present, I have undertaken several projects, assisting with Michael's QUEEN MARY, and now the QUEEN ELIZABETH, Murdoch's SS Norway V4, and QE2, and including my own projects such as Version 2 of LORRAINE, ANGELINA, and QUEEN ANNE, I have high hopes for the future of the American Atlantic Line, Virtual Sailor, and for the other great modelers that are currently out there and those who havent realized their potential yet. I will always continue to work on and improve my modeling skills and to help others improve theirs.
Post 2013-present, I have undertaken several projects, assisting with Michael's QUEEN MARY, and now the QUEEN ELIZABETH, Murdoch's SS Norway V4, and QE2, and including my own projects such as Version 2 of LORRAINE, ANGELINA, and QUEEN ANNE, I have high hopes for the future of the American Atlantic Line, Virtual Sailor, and for the other great modelers that are currently out there and those who havent realized their potential yet. I will always continue to work on and improve my modeling skills and to help others improve theirs.
Andrew Hensley
President and Managing Director,
American Atlantic Line
American Atlantic Line