My Workbench

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Navwar Ottoman Empire Selimiye 122 Gun 1st Rate

I had just finished the scratch built masts for a Navwar Ship of the Line when my buddy in Arizona asked if I would mind doing another Sails of Glory ship for him. So I stopped the Navwar ship for a few days while I did the SOG ship. When I was done I asked what ensigns he wanted and was surprised when he requested Ottoman Empire flags. I thought about it and decided I needed some Ottoman ships. Although the Navwar ship was supposed to be HMS Union with 98 guns, there are actually 126 ports/guns on this model, no skid beams which all Royal Navy ships had, and generally did not conform to the lines of any British establishment SOL design. This is also true for most all Navwar British ship models. So, since there is little if any design information on Ottoman ships for the Napoleonic period, I have decided to make this ship and one other Navwar British SOL Ottoman ships of the line. I cannot find much information at all on these ships. What little I can find is on threedecks.org.

Ottoman Imperial Navy ship Selimiye, 1797 - 1841, 1st Rate 122 guns, Crew 1200. Admiral's flagship in 1807 at the Battle of Dardanelles.

Original kit:

New masts made and mainmast sails cut away for modification. The rest of the sails will be cut away then reef points, clew lines and buntlines added to the larger sails.

Masts and sprit mounted. Starting rigging.










Comparrison shot with Davco 112 gun ship.



Sunday, February 8, 2015

GHQ 100 Gun 1st Rate HMS Britannia

 This is the next member of my fleet, the GHQ 100 Gun 1st Rate Ship of the Line HMS Britannia. Britannia was ordered on April 25, 1751 from Portsmouth Dockyard to the draught specified in the 1745 Establishment. She was launched on October 19, 1762. First commissioned in September 1778, she saw service during the American Revolutionary War during which she took part in the Battle of Cape Spartel. From 1793-1795 she was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Hotham, She fought at the Battle of Cape St Vincent and at the Battle of Trafalgar, where she carried the flag of Rear-Admiral of the White William Carnegie, Earl of Northesk. The ship was renamed on January 6, 1810 as HMS Princess Royal, then again on January 18, 1812 as HMS St George and once more on June 2, 1819 as HMS Barfleur. She was finally broken up at Plymouth in Fevruary of 1825. She was known as "Old Ironsides" long before USS Constitution.

Stats:
Length of gun deck: 178'
Beam: 51'
Depth of hold: 21'6"
Tons Burthen: 2116
Crew: 850 men and boys

Armament:
Gun deck: 28 x 42 pounders
Middle gun deck: 28 x 24 pounders
Upper gun deck: 28 x 12 pounders
Quarter deck: 12 x 6 pounders
Forecastle: 4 x 6 pounders

The main gun deck armament was later replaced by 32 pounders. In the 1790's ten of her quarter deck guns and two of her forecastle guns were replaced by the same number of 32-pounder carronades.















Langton Queen Charlotte 100 gun on the left, GHQ Britannia on the right.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

98 Gun 2nd Rate Model Comparisons

A friend recently asked me on The Miniatures Page how the GHQ 98 gun ship compared with the Langton 98 gun ship, both of which I recently completed. His question (refering to the Langton) was "How does she look size-wise next to your GHQ 98? Do they look like they are the same class of ship, or is there too much difference?" Since I raise the GHQ hulls to match the Langton models, which sit higher, there really isn't a very noticeable size difference. Class-wise however, they are different ship designs. Rating-wise, they are the same, 2nd rate ships. The photos below should show what I am talking about. I have also added a Davco 98 gun 2nd rate British ship for further comparison.

Left to right: GHQ, Langton, Davco 98 gun ships



Left to right: Davco, Langton, GHQ. The stern galleries illustrate the different designs.

Langton and GHQ. The Langton is a bit more "blocky" than the more sleek lined GHQ ship.
The Davco and Langton models
Davco and GHQ, Much closer in design.
If the GHQ ship was painted in the Nelson checkerboard pattern like the other two ships the similarities would be more apparent. Also of note is that the Davco has scratch-built masts, the GHQ has partial scratch-built masts, and the Langton has stock masts.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Langton 1/1200 HMS Dreadnought 98 Gun 2nd Rate SOL

Here is Rod Langton's model of the 98 gun 2nd rate ship of the line HMS Dreadnought. Dreadnought was launched June 13, 1801 at Portsmouth. She was one of three Neptune class 3rd rates designed by Sir John Henslow. All three ships, Temeraire, Neptune, and Dreadnought took part in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. She was taken out of service in 1812 and ended her days as a hospital ship. Dreadnought was broken up in 1857.

Stats:

Length at gun deck: 184'11"
Beam: 51'2 1/2"
Depth of hold: 21'6"
Tons Burthen: 2123 (bm)
Crew: 738 men and boys

Armament 1801 - 1808:

Lower gun deck : 28 x 32 pounders
Middle gun deck: 30 x18 pounders
Upper gun deck: 30 x 18 pounders
Quarter deck: 8 x 12 pounders
Forecastle: 2 x 12 pounders
Total broadside weight: 1048 Imperial Pounds

At the time of Trafalgar she was part of Vice-Admiral of the Blue Cuthbert Collingwood's column, but being unsure whether she would have flown his blue ensign or the white ensign of Admiral Lord Nelson the overall commander, I have used the white.




 With Standing rigging:







 With running rigging: