My Workbench

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

1/1200 GHQ 36-Gun Frigate HMS Révolutionnaire

This one is the GHQ 40-gun French Frigate modeled as HMS Révolutionnaire of 36-guns. Révolutionnaire was a Seine-class 40-gun French frigate launched in May of 1794. She was capture October 21st 1794, on her maiden voyage, by the 38-gun frigate HMS Artois, part of a four frigate British squadron cruising eight to ten leagues west of Ushant. She was taken into Royal service as a 36-gun 18 pounder frigate. 

Révolutionnaire

As part of a squadron commanded by Sir Edward Pellew in HMS Indefatigable, she took part in the capture and sinking of nine merchant vessels from March 11 to 21, 1796. On 12 April she captured the French frigate Unité. On May 30th 1799, she captured the French privateer Victoire, with 16 x 9 pounder guns and 160 men, after an eight hour chase. on May 29th she captured the French letter of marque brig Hyppolite. On July 7th HMS Dryad, Diamond, and Révolutionnairé captured the French privateer Determiné, armed with 18 brass 18 and 9 pounder guns along with 163 men. Then on September 19th, along with Dryad, she captured another French letter of marque Ceres, enroute from Bordeux to the Caribbean. On October 11th, after a 114 mile chase over nine and a half hours in a heavy gale, she captured the Bourdelaise with 16 x 12 pounder guns and 8 x 36 pound carronades, along with 202 men. on March 4th 1800 Révolutionnaire captured the new French privateer Coureur. In doing so she freed the Captain and most of the crew of HMS Princess Royal, which the privateer had captured earlier while sailing for Tortola.

HMS_Révolutionnaire-Antoine_Roux

British service during the Napoleonic War (the following is from Wikapedia):

Révolutionnaire was recommissioned in April 1803 under the command of Captain Walter Lock. On 20 May 1803, Révolutionnaire captured the French dogger Grand Adrian (or Grand Adrien). Two days later Révolutionnaire and Nemesis captured Alexander. The next day Révolutionnaire captured Windboud.

Lock then sailed Révolutionnaire to Gibraltar on 5 June. Eight days later, Révolutionnaire captured the French merchant vessel Hirondelle. In August, Captain Robert Hall took command for the Channel. On 16 October 1803, Révolutionnaire captured the French sloop Sophia, of eight men. Then on 1 December Révolutionnaire captured the French schooners Ceres, and her crew of 76 men, and Marian, in ballast. As the size of her crew makes clear, Ceres was a privateer. Two days later Révolutionnaire recaptured the American brig Tartar. In December, Révolutionnaire returned to Britain from the West Indies.

In April 1804 Révolutionnaire was recommissioned under Captain the Honourable Henry Hotham. By November she was off the coast of the United States and stopped in at Norfolk, Virginia. Then she sailed up to New York where she picked up $750,000 in gold to take back to Britain. Hotham would have received a commission of about 1% of the value for carrying the money.

On 1 and 4 July 1805, vessels in a squadron captured Harmony and RachaelRévolutionnaire was one of the 39 vessels that shared in the prize money.

Révolutionnaire

On 4 November 1805, Révolutionnaire, participated in the Battle of Cape Ortegal. She and Phoenix captured Scipion, which the Royal Navy commissioned as HMS Scipion. In the battle, Révolutionnaire lost two men killed and six wounded. Révolutionnaire shared in the prize money for FormidableDuguay Trouin and Mont Blanc, as well as Scipion. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "4 Novr. 1805" to all surviving claimants form the battle.

In February 1806 Captain Charles Fielding took command as Révolutionnaire served in the Channel.

Révolutionnaire shared with HeroIris, and Confiance in the proceeds from the recapture on 11 January 1807 of the schooner Monarch. On 25 September she shared with Pomone in the capture of the Danish ship Resolution.

Then between October 1811 and December 1812 she underwent a major overhaul at Plymouth. She was recommissioned in October 1812 under Captain John Woolcombe (or Woollcombe). At some point Révolutionnaire sailed to North America.

Révolutionnaire recaptured Ajax, M'Kay, master, and sent her into Plymouth, where she arrived on 12 May 2013. Ajax had been sailing from Aberdeen to St Croix when the American privateer General Tompkins, of fourteen 18-pounder guns and 109 men, had captured her on 31 March.

On 25 July 1813, Révolutionnaire captured the American privateer schooner Matilda, of 190 tons. She was pierced for 18 guns but carried 11. Lion had captured Matilda in a severe action off the coast of Brazil, but the American privateer Argus, or by other accounts, the USS Argus had recaptured her. Matilda reached Plymouth on 29 July.

Already by August 1813, Révolutionnaire was part of a squadron under the command of Captain Sir George Collier. On 27 August the boats of the squadron made a successful attack on the island of Santa Clara, at the mouth of the harbour of Saint Sebastian. Révolutionnaire suffered no casualties. She then provided seamen to man a battery of 24-pounder guns from Surveillante hauled up to the top of the island. The battery then silenced the enemy's guns. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "St. Sebastian" to all claimants from Collier's naval operations in the region in August and September.

On 20 October Révolutionnaire captured Fire Fly. Then on 5 November Révolutionnaire recaptured the Gaditana.

On the last day of 1813, Révolutionnaire sailed with a convoy for the East Indies. She and Zebra were in Simon's Bay on 28 July 1816 where they were stranded and almost destroyed by a terrible hurricane. On 6 October she reached St. Helena and on 13 October she sailed for Britain.

Post War and Fate:

In early 1817 Révolutionnaire underwent repairs at Plymouth. She was then fitted for sea between August 1818 and January 1819. She was commissioned under Captain Fleetwood Pellew Révolutionnaire in August 1818 for the Mediterranean.

At midnight or so on 16 December Vengeur, which was carrying the king of Naples, was under full sail when she ran into the side of Révolutionnaire. Fortunately the impact was oblique, not perpendicular, or Révolutionnaire would have been sunk. As it was, both vessels were badly damaged and had to put into the Bay of Baia for repairs.

On 18 May 1821 Révolutionnaire captured two piratical gun-boats, with bounty money for the crews being paid in 1834. Pellew remained in command until 1822.

Révolutionnaire was briefly under the command of Captain Henry Duncan, but was broken up on 4 October 1822.

The model:












Thursday, August 7, 2025

1/1200 Langton 74-gun HMS Hero

Next off the bench is a Langton middling 74-gun ship modeled as HMS Hero. HMS Hero was a Fame-class ship of the line.

1743 Tons (bm); Length on gundeck 175ft (53m); Beam 47ft 6in (14.48m); Depth of hold 20ft 6in (6.25m); Complement 530.

Armament 74 Guns: Gundeck 28 x 32 pounder long guns, Upper gundeck 28 x 18 pounder long guns, Quarterdeck 14 x 9 pounder long guns, Forecastle 4 x 9 pounder long guns. 


The following brief history is directly from Rootsweb Naval Database. 

HMS Hero

Type: 3rd rate ; Armament 74
Launched : at Messrs Perry's, Blackwall Thurs 18 Aug 1803 ;
Disposal date or year : 24 Dec 1811
Disposal Details : Wrecked, St George & Defence off the coast of Jutland, on passage from Baltic, Hero on the Haak sand, Texel : crew of latter perished, and both crews of former, except about eighteen men. Captain James Newman Newman
Notes:

18 Aug 1803 Hon Capt Gardner apptd in command of the Hero.

Circa 22 Oct 1803 Hon Capt Gardner apptd to the Hero.

27 Nov 1803 the Hero, Hindostan, Bonetta, and Volcano, will drop down from Woolwich to Long Reach, to take in their guns and powder, and wait only a fair wind to proceed to the Nore.

27 Nov 1803 departed Woolwich for Long Reach, to embark guns and powder &c.

Circa 17 Dec 1803 the Hero, Abundance, Zyphyr, and Glatton, have taken on board their powder and guns and only await a fair wind to drop down from Long Reach to the Nore to complete their complements, the latter having been ordered to Leith to receive the flag of R.-Adm Bligh.

10 Jun 1804 the Repulse, Capt Legge, and Hero, Capt Gardner, arrived Spithead from the North Sea Station, to be fitted for Channel Fleet.

20 Jun 1804 departed Spithead, the Hero, Hon Capt Gardner, to join the Channel Fleet.

15 Jul 1805 with the blockading squadron off Ferrol, under Sir Robert Calder : departed 30 to 40 leagues off Finisterre to intercept Franco-Spanish fleet from the West Indies. 22nd sighted each other. Signal made to engage the enemy - the engagement. The damage ; subsequent manoeuvres by the two fleets ; the wash-up ; 26 Jul 1805 movements of the fleet following the battle. (Battle of Cape Finisterre 1805)

Admiral Sir Robert Calder's Action off Cape Finisterre, 23 July 1805

29 Oct 1805 in search of the Rochefort squadron. 2 Nov Phoenix reported position of the French Squadron : the chase began. 3-4 Nov 4th, the frigates harass the French rear. The action. the French haul down their colours. Casualties. The frigates role in the action. Prizes taken to Plymouth and added to the Service. The honours, awards and promotions. (Battle of Cape Ortegal, under Captain Sir Richard Strachan)

Strachan's Action off Ferrol, by Thomas Whitcombe

3 Jan 1806 Sir J.B. Warren's squadron at St. Helen's, adverse winds preventing him sailing. 12 Jan departed for Madeira to gain intelligence of the French squadron under V.-adm. Leissegues.

4 Jun 1806 having returned from his first cruise departed from Spithead for the West Indies arriving Barbadoes 12 Jul with the Fame in lieu of the Repulse.

24 Feb 1809 later that day Rear-admiral Stopford's squadron returned to his station off the Chasseron lighthouse, and observed the squadron of M. Willaumez at anchor in Basque roads, and was joined on the 25th by Captain Beresford and his three ships, with his force thus augmented to seven sail of the line and five frigates, resumed the blockade of the port, with the Hero joining shortly afterwards.

7 Mar 1809 with Admiral Lord Gambier who relieved Rear-admiral Stopford's in command of the blockade of Basque Roads.

17 Mar 1809 anchored in Basque roads. 11 Apr the use of fire ships, explosion-vessels, and Congreve rockets against the French fleet at Basque roads and the results thereof.

Portsmouth 29 Dec 1809 arrived from the Isle of Walcheren.

21 Jul 1810, departed the homeward-bound Baltic convoy, of about 200 sail, off Rob's Snout, under the protection of the Lynx, Clio, Snake, Rosario, Gluckstadt, and Centinel, with the Tartar, Rose, and Primrose following at some distance astern, [presumably with a view to preventing enemy gun boats sneaking up from astern, and picking off the slower vessels in the convoy, a much favoured practice.]

Hull, 2 Oct 1810 the Mars and Hero are reported to have passed Yarmouth for the Thames with a fleet of 600-700 ships from the Baltic, 40-50 of them being prizes.

Plymouth Dock 6 Mar 1811 arrived from Basque Roads.

Plymouth 30 Mar 1811 Under orders to join the Baltic fleet.

Plymouth 4 Apr 1811 departed for Yarmouth.

Portsmouth 11 Apr 1811 departed for the Baltic.

Harwich 21 Apr 1811 Is reported to have made five captures in the Categut.

Leith 28 Dec 1811 arrived from Wingo Sound (18 Dec) with a convoy.

18-25 Dec 1811 the loss of the Hero, wrecked in a gale on the Haak sand off the Texel, and the Grasshopper, which drove over the bank close in with Texel island, resulting in her surrender to the Dutch.

The wreck of HMS Hero in the Texel 25 December, 1811



The Model:











Wednesday, July 30, 2025

1/450 US Privateer Schooner Highflyer

This is the last of the 1/450 scale ships I started last May. It is an American 8 gun schooner 3D design by Turner Miniatures, modeled as the US Privateer Highflyer. The Highflyer was built in 1811. As a privateer she took several British vessels as prizes before being captured by the Royal Navy in 1813. She then participated in several raids on the Chesapeake and coastal Virginia before being recaptured by USS President later in 1813.  

As a privateer, Highflyer operated out of Baltimore. She was armed with 9-pounder carronades. On July 21, 1812 she captured the British merchantman Jamaica, with seven guns and 21 men, and another ship Diana. The next day, she captured Mary Ann, with 12 guns and 18 men. On the 26th of August, she sent into Baltimore Harbor the schooner Harriet, of four guns, which had been sailing from New Providence to Havana. On her second cruise she captured the brig Porgie, sailing from Antigua, and the brig Burchall, travelling from Barbados to Demerara, plus a number of coastal vessels operating among the islands of the West Indies. She also took the brig Fernando, which was retaken. She then ended her cruise sending the ten-gun brig Active into Charleston. On her way back from the West Indies, she was captured by HMS Poictiers, assisted by HMS Acasta. The Highflyer did much more damage under British command, but since I am modeling her in her American privateer role, I will not go into that history here.








Brig USS Niagara, US schooner Highflyer, USS Prince De Neufchatel


Friday, July 25, 2025

1/450 US Privateer Prince de Neufchatel

 Here is my completed US privateer Prince de Neufchatel 1813. The hull is a 3D Henry Turner design printed in 1/450 scale. The masts and spars are scratchbuilt, with cloth sails. 

Adding some last touches









One more to go.


Monday, July 14, 2025

1/450 Brig USS Niagara

The next ship of the four I started months ago is the 20-gun brig USS Niagara of 1813. This is a 3D model from Turner Miniatures. The masts and spars are scratch built. The sails are cloth.







Two more to go......


Wednesday, July 9, 2025

1/450 USS Constellation

Summer is a busy time for us, with all of the outdoor yard and field work required to maintain our acreage. That being said, I started working on these four 1\450 scale 3D printed ships back in early May. Three of the four ships are the US privateer Prince de Neufchatel (18 carronades), a US 8 gun schooner, and the 20-gun snow brig USS Niagara, by Henry Turner Miniatures. The remaining ship is the USS Constellation 38 gun frigate, by Simon Mann. 


Left to Right: Niagara, Constellation, Prince de Neufchatel, US Schooner




Working on the masts, showing fighting tops stencils




Tracing the sails on cloth

Sorting the formed cloth sails

Constellation


Mounting the sails



The finished USS Constellation beauty shots:









Three more to finish now. Niagara next.

I was fortunate to get invited over to Jonathan Freitag's house for a face to face game last month. The War of the Roses Battle of Mortimer's Cross. I took Pembroke and the Lancastrian army, and Jon commanded Edward and his Yorkists. It was a resounding defeat for Lancaster, imitating the historical outcome. The battle report can be found on Jon's Palouse Wargaming Journal at https://palousewargamingjournal.blogspot.com/2025/06/battle-of-mortimers-cross.html
It appears that Edward has lost the field a couple of times now in successive remote gaming refights.
Hopefully it won't be another year before we get the opportunity to play another face to face game.