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Buenzle, Fred : Fred Buenzle. Collection of Items Relating to Model Shipbuilding, circa Late 1920s to Early1930s

Collection of original materials relating to model shipbuilding by Fred J. Buenzle. Multiple dates and undated materials, circa late 1920s-early 1930s. Multiple sizes from about 3 1/4" x 2" to 8 1/2" x 11." Collection is Very Good overall. Most of the materials on unbound leaves of paper have wrinkles, creases, and chips along the edges. A few of the materials on unbound leaves of paper are virtually pristine and intact. The black composition book is very clean and intact with only a few wrinkles; most of its pages are unused. The brown composition book's covers have soiling and a few spots of discoloration; internally clean overall; most of its pages are used. The USS Constitution photo has blue marks. The other photo is clean and unmarked. Fred J. Buenzle (1872-1946) was an author and servicemember of the United States Navy. Buenzle enlisted with the Navy at the age of sixteen. As a naval serviceman, he toured in the Caribbean and later became a stenographer. He took shorthand for noted individuals such as Rear Admiral William Sampson, Secretary of the Navy William McAdoo, and Theodore Roosevelt. Buenzle eventually worked his way up to Chief Yeoman of the U.S. Navy. Buenzle left the Navy in 1893 when he traveled to Shanghai and served as an officer in the Chinese military during the First Sino-Japanese War. Records show Buenzle reenlisted with the U.S. Navy in 1898 and resumed work as a stenographer. He worked as the stenographer for the Court of Inquiry which looked into the destruction of the USS Maine that same year. Soon after, Buenzle served aboard the USS New York during the Spanish-American War. After the war, Buenzle established and ran the Yeoman School in Newport, Rhode Island for some time before retiring in 1912. Following his retirement, Buenzle settled in Los Gatos, California at his ranch known as "Snug Harbor." There, he worked as a farmer, built model ships, and continued to write until his passing in 1946. Also of note is that Buenzle founded the first magazine for enlisted sailors called the Bluejacket, which also happened to be the name of his 1939 memoir, Bluejacket. The following is a summary of items in this collection. Two typed or printed letters on blue Science and Invention stationery from Field Editor Joseph H. Kraus, 1927, 8 1/2" x 11," two pages, letters are signed by Kraus in black ink; Kraus informs Buenzle of his model ship winning the Cup Contest of Science and Invention Magazine. One typed or printed letter on beige paper from Buenzle to the Editors of Science and Invention Magazine, 1934, 8 1/2" x 11, one page, unsigned; Buenzle writes to the editors about his current model shipbuilding project, a model of the USS Vermont. Two pencil drawings by Buenzle on white tracing paper, undated, 8 1/2" x 11," two pages; schematics of the parts of a model ship, meticulously drawn in fine detail. Typed manuscript by Buenzle in blue ink on beige paper, undated, 8 1/2" x 11, seven pages; Buenzle describes his working process for model shipbuilding by referencing specific ship models he has built; Buenzle notes he only builds models of ships he has served on, thus all of his models are naval warships. Black composition book with two pages of handwritten notes in pencil and black ink and fourteen pages of additional handwritten notes in pencil and black ink laid in (laid-in notes on various types of paper including pink, orange-yellow, and light beige scratch paper), undated, 4" x 6" to 8 1/2" x 11." Beige and red composition book with fifty-nine handwritten notes in pencil, twenty-six additional handwritten notes in pencil (on green and beige scratch paper) laid in, one black-and-white photograph of the USS Constitution laid in, and one black-and-white photo of a naval sailboat laid in, undated, 3 1/4" x 2 to 8 1/2." Both composition books and their laid-in materials constitute Buenzle's descriptions and instructions for model shipbuilding and include a few of his drawings.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Collectible-Very Good. Binding: No Binding

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