GHQ HMS Bellona 74 Gun Common Ship of the Line

My block finally over after completing the scratch-built fort, I went back to work on the GHQ 74 gun Bellona. This is my first real attempt to build stay sails and second time with studding sails. I'm thinking it didn't turn out too bad. Definitely the most sails I have put on a ship. The rigging was a bear. I used Rod Langton's book as a guide but unfortunately he does not explain how to rig the stay sails, just how to mount them.

Bellona was a 74 gun ship designed by Sir Thomas Slade and laid down in Chatham Dockyard in 1758 and launched February 19, 1760. She was 1615 tons (bm), 168' long at the gun deck and 138' long at the keel. Her beam was 46' 11", with a depth of hold of 19' 9". Her compliment was 650 officers and men. Her armament at launch consisted of:
Lower gun deck: 28 x 32 pounders
Upper gun deck: 28 x 18 pounders
Quarter deck; 14 x 9 pounders
Forecastle: 4 x 9 pounders
Bellona was the prototype for the British 74 Gun Common Ship of the line and eventually had 40 or more near sister ships.

Bellona saw service in The Seven Years War, The American Revolutionary War, and the Napoleonic Wars. In 1801 she participated in the Battle of Copenhagen despite having grounded on a shoal.

Inspiration

Tracing out the sails

Sails cutout, formed and numbered

Scratch masts mounted

When my modeling block hit me I separated all of the painted sails with spars so I wouldn't get confused where they went when I came back to it.

This is a lot of rigging!

Bases for Bellona and future HMS Defence