Arundel sea dog Al’s ‘Endeavour’ almost finished

Albert Hamson, 85, has spent about 100 weeks piecing together his model of HMS Endeavour in the dining room of his mobile home, in Haven Wood.

Albert, known as “Al” to his family and friends, took on the challenge of completing the ship after subscribing to a national hobby craft magazine, in December, 2010.

“It was advertised two years ago, just before Christmas, and I saw it and thought it would be a bit of a challenge,” Al explained.

“I bought the first chapter and my sons joked that I would never finish.

“Well, I did, and it took some fortitude to get through it.”

The model comes complete with rigging, miniature metal cannons and the ship’s iconic three masts.

Al, who grew up in Massachusetts and emigrated to the UK with his late wife, Betty, and their two sons, more than 46 years ago, said his family was steeped in seafaring tradition,

His father was the harbour master at Marblehead port, which is considered by many to be the birthplace of the US Navy, while Al is a retired electrician’s mate in the US Navy who served in the last days of the Second World War as well as in the Korean War, in the early 1950s.

“I loved my time in the navy and it is something that I’m very proud of,” Al admitted.

He moved to his home in Arundel following the death of his wife, about 19 years ago.

He said that he had been in a very difficult place for a long time after Betty’s death and that building the Endeavour, all these years later, had certainly helped him to overcome this heartache.

Al finished the replica in December, last year, and is now waiting for the final piece of the puzzle to arrive – a protective casing, due to be delivered later this month.

His three grandchildren and his only great-grandchild are fascinated with Al’s Endeavour.