Black Seas American 44-gun Frigate USS Constitution

This one is the third of the Warlord Games Black Seas US fleet 44-gun frigates I have now finished. I used the kit anchors and quarter davit boats. The stern mounted and stacked boats are 3-D printed. The masts, spars, sails, and base are scratch built.

The painted hull, scratch masts, and rough sail cutouts

Template used for tracing the sails

Dry fitting the masts, Note the quarterdeck and stern boats have been added

Driver and mizzen top sail tied on

Mizzen top sail dressed and t'gallant tied on

Main spar mounted

Main course tied on and dressed 

Main top sail tied and dressed and t'gallant mounted

All fore sails on and dressed

Making the shrouds

Finished shroud/ratlines

All ratlines mounted, all of the standing rigging, and half of the running rigging is done

Mounting the lower stunsail booms on the larboard side

Stunsail booms on the starboard side

Studding sails are on

And rigged

The based finished ship:

Black Seas American 44-gun Frigate USS President

The last built of the original Six Frigates authorized by Congress on 27 March 1794, President was built by Christian Bergh, East River, New York. Launched 10 April 1800, she sailed from New York on her first cruise on 5 August 1800, Commodore Thomas Truxton commanding. 

President was the flagship of Commodore Richard Dale in the Mediterranean during the first Barbary War 1801-1802, and again in 1804-1805, participating in the actions against Tripoli.  She cruised off the eastern coast of the United States from 1809 to 1812. She sailed from Annapolis, MD on 12 May 1811, met and fired on HMS Sloop Little Belt of 22-guns.

President sailed from New York on 21 June 1812 with United States, Congress, Hornet, and Agnes on a cruise in the North Atlantic.  Two days later she fell in with HMS frigate Belvidera, and after a running fight of 8 hours, Belvidera escaped. 

She sailed from Boston on 30 April 1813 for a cruise off the coast of Europe. on 23 September she captured HMS schooner Highflyer of 5 guns off New York and arrived at Newport, RI 27 September 1813. She sailed from Providence 4 December for a cruise to the West Indies, returning to New York 15 February 1814, and was blockaded there for almost a year by a British squadron.

She sailed from New York 14 January 1815 under Captain Stephen Decatur, and the next day was captured by British ships Endymion, Majestic, Pomone, and Tenedos.

President was taken into the Royal Navy, and was broken up just two years later at Portsmouth in 1817.

• Armament: 32 x 24 pounder long guns, 22 x 42 pounder carronades, 1 x 18 pounder long gun
• Displacement; 1,576 tons
• Length 175', Breadth 44'4", Depth of Hold 14'3"

This model is another of the Warlord Games Black Seas resin cast models. The only other parts of the WG kit I used are the two furled sails I cut from the metal masts, and the two anchors. The ships boats are 3D prints. Masts, spars, sails and base are scratch built.

First time I have added rails to the fighting platforms

United States and President

The last one to do is Constitution

Black Seas American 44-gun Frigate USS United States

One of the original six frigates authorized by Congress on 27 March 1794, United States was designed by Joshua Humphreys and Captain Thomas Truxton, built in Philadelphia, and launched on 10 May 1797. She was commissioned on Jully 11 with Revolutionary War hero Captain John Barry in command. She was the first of the six frigates launched, beating Constellation by four months, and Constitution by five and a half months. After fitting out she was ordered to sea on July 3, 1798. United States had a long and colorful history. Attached is the link to an excellent report of her long service history.  https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/original-frigates/frigate-united-states.html

• Armament: 32 x 24 pdr long guns, 24 x 42 pounder carronades (War of 1812)
• Compliment 400 - 600 officers, enlisted men, 50 Marines
• Displacement 1576 tons
• Length 175'10", Breadth 44'8", Depth of Hold 21'2"   

The build for Warlord Games' Black Seas USS United States went pretty smoothly with no great issues. After identifying what I felt was missing from the kit and how I wanted to deal with it, everything progressed nicely. I should mention drilling. I drilled more rigging holes on this model than any other I have ever built! The resin used by Warlord is lovely to drill, no shards, no splinters, no bulged rims, just a bit of powder easily blown away. So I went crazy with holes. Another issue, one I mentioned in the last post, was that the quarter boats and davits supplied did not fit the model, and use of them would prevent using any mizzen ratlines. So I created new davits to fit on either side of the mizzen channels and used 3D printed boats rather than the flat bottomed boats that came with the model. There were no stern boat davits either so I made those too and added a Captain's gig to hang from them. I went with regular printer paper for the sales this time and, rather than stain them, I decided the new United States frigate would have crisp new white sails.

Scratch built masts with more realistically scaled tops. I used the oversized spanker boom and gaff that was supplied with the kit.

Tying on the spars. I decided to have full courses rather than the furled course sails.

Shaping the sails after dipping them in a PVA/water/paint mix

Mounting more spars and sails. I have also added the stern boat davits here.

Starting to add some standing rigging

Ratlines mounted and more rigging done. Stacked boats added to the waist and quarter boat davits installed on either side of the mizzen ratlines

All of the boat davits visible here

Nearly done, just the anchors, stern boat, base and flagging to do yet.

The finished Ship