HMS Agamemnon by Sjors - FINISHED - Caldercraft/Jotika - 1:64

[Sjors]

Hello to you all fellow builders,

As you know , Mobbsie has ordered the HMS Agamemnon for me and finally she is in dry dock in Schiedam.
I will not start on her .
I have first finish the Le Mirage.
But when you have a new kit in the house , you want to show it.
That's the reason why I open a build log…...
First of course a little history lesson and later on the pictures of all the stuff that is in the box.
When I start on her I know I need a lot of help and advise from all of you.
I have a few great examples of other Aggy's and I know that Mobbsie will be there for me if needed.
So let the lesson begins and hopefully it will not take to long when I can start building her.




Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon 1781 1:64

HMS Agamemnon 1781 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1:64 Scale.




The Agamemnon was one of seven ships built to the same design, drawn by the same naval architect that designed the famous Victory, Sir Thomas Slade. Agamemnon was the third to be built in the class, the first two being Ardent in 1762 and Raisonnable, laid down in 1763. Third was Agamemnon, followed by Belliqueux in 1778, Stately in 1779, Indefatigable in 1781 and finally the Nassau in 1783.




A Third Rate ship of the line like Agamemnon was an expensive warship to build. The construction of the ship’s hull with yards and masts fitted cost the Admiralty £20,579 (in today’s terms, approximately £12 million), a figure that did not include ordnance, sails, hemp, copper plating and other hardware.




For three of the most crucial decades in British naval history, Agamemnon always seemed to be at the centre of the action, having no less than eleven battle honours.




Agamemnon’s maiden voyage was on 9th July 1781 under the command of Captain Caldwell. Her first engagement was at the battle of Ushant on 12th December 1781 where the British fleet under Rear Admiral Kempenfelt defeated the French fleet and captured a significant number of ships, including the convoy the French were escorting. Agamemnon’s next major engagement was at the Battle of The Saints on 12th April 1782 where Rodney and Lord Hood’s fleet defeated Comte de Grasse’s French fleet.




On 7th January 1793, Nelson learned from Lord Hood that he had been chosen to command his first ship of the line, the Agamemnon. Although initially disappointed that he had not been given command of a 74, Nelson soon grew fond of Agamemnon. Nelson wrote to his wife, Fanny. She was, he said, "Without exception one of the finest ships in the fleet, with the character of sailing most remarkably well". He also wrote after twelve days in a storm in the Mediterranean in "Gales and lumping seas but in Agamemnon we mind them not; she is the finest ship I ever sailed in, and were she a 74, nothing should induce me to leave her while the war lasts". Even a French Commander Admiral Alemand expressed the view that Agamemnon was one of the fastest ships in the British Navy. That, coupled with Nelson’s inspirational command made her a very potent fighting unit.




Nelson commanded Agamemnon, or "eggs and bacon" as her crew affectionately called her, until 10th June 1796. In that time Nelson had proved to be a great Commander, tactically and physically.




It was during his command of Agamemnon that Nelson lost the sight of his right eye. When at the Siege of Calvi in 1794 during the morning of 10th July, Nelson was hit in the face and chest by splinters, stones and sand that were thrown up by an enemy shell that hit a battlement during a shore action. On 13th June 1796, Nelson’s broad pennant was transferred to the 74 gun Captain at anchor in San-Fiorenza bay. He watched the worn out Agamemnon sail to England for a much-needed refit. She was refitted from the bottom up at Chatham. When re-commissioned in 1797 she was ordered to join Admiral Duncan’s squadron off Yarmouth, which was keeping watch on the coast of Holland. She was immediately caught up in the naval mutinies of that year. Agamemnon was however considered untrustworthy by Richard Parker the leader of the Nore mutineers and had the guns of the mutinous ships trained on her to ensure she did not ‘blackleg’. Subsequently in the proceedings that followed all thirteen of Agamemnon’s crew who were tried were pardoned.




Agamemnon’s next major fleet engagement was the battle of Copenhagen on the 21st April 1801. Unfortunately she was grounded on a shoal for most of the action, but Nelson won the battle and a truce with Denmark was negotiated. On the 21st October 1805 Agamemnon took part in the battle of Trafalgar. When Nelsons favorite ship hove in sight a week before, with Nelsons old friend Sir Edward Berry in command of the Agamemnon, Nelson was delighted "Here comes that damned fool Berry! Now we shall have a battle." At Trafalgar the 27 British ships of the line defeated the Franco Spanish fleet of 33 line of battle ships in a victory that ensured British supremacy of the sea for the next 100 years. Later in Agamemnon’s career, she served in the West Indies, taking part in the battle of Santo Domingo, and then in South American waters. Agamemnon was wrecked in Maldonado Bay off the coast of Uruguay on the 16th June 1809. Divers have recently discovered the remains of HMS Agamemnon on the bottom of Maldonado Bay, after a six-year search by marine archaeologists. Strewn around the site are hundreds of copper plate, as well as a 24 pounder cannon, parts of the pumping devices as well as a significant amount of shot, bolts and copper nails. Also discovered was a silver pocket seal, complete with fob chain. On its face of translucent stone it bore a star shaped emblem with the name ‘Nelson’ in mirror image incised in a curve above.




Agamemnon was laid down at Bucklers Hard in May 1777 and launched on the 10th April 1781. Her dimensions were as follows;




Gun deck - 160 feet 2 inches


Keel- 131 feet 10 1/4 inches


Beam - 44 feet 5 inches


Tonnage - 1384 tons


Guns;


Twenty-six, twenty-four pounder - Gun deck.


Twenty-six, eighteen pounder - Upper deck.


Twelve, nine pounder - Quarterdeck.


Complement - 491 officers and ratings.




The Caldercraft Agamemnon kit features: Double plank on bulkhead construction, Keel and bulkheads are CNC cut in Birch ply as are all the major constructional parts. Extensive use of CNC cut Walnut has been employed for the majority of visible structures and fittings.


The wood strip pack contains Lime wood for the first planking, Walnut for the second planking and Tanganyka for the decks. Ramin dowel is supplied for the masts and yards.


Walnut and etched brass stern gallery windows, with the remaining tafrail decoration in finely cast white metal. Scale brass cannon barrels with walnut carriages.


Rigging thread is supplied in natural and black to rig the model as depicted in the photographs. Beechwood deck gratings and Walnut Blocks and deadeyes. Shroud cleats, trucks, stunsail yard brackets as well as CNC cut Walnut tops, crosstrees, trestle trees, mast caps and a wealth of unique detail parts. Copper plates are provided to sheath the hull bottom.


Fully detailed full size plans and a comprehensive construction manual.



Specifications:


Scale: 1:64


Length: 1300mm


Width: 490mm


Height 945mm


Planking: Double

Edited November 26, 2014 by Sjors

[mobbsie]

Good luck with my friend, gonna be interesting.

 

mobbsie

[PMG]

WAOUH! Welcome in the club, Sjors.

It will be great to follow your construction.

congratulations,

Pierre

[Sjors]

Thanks Mobbsie and Pierre,

@ Pierre,

 

Thank you.

But what I was writing already…It can take a while before I get started.

So keep building and I can watch what I have to do.

 

 

[trippwj]

Sjors - that's a lot of bits and pieces! Will grab a seat here in the front before it gets crowded.

[Sjors]

Thanks Wayne, everyone has a seat at the front !

 

 

[patrickmil]

Well let's get going on your Mirage then so we can see the start of this warship. I'm hoping I'm in time for a front row seat.

[Sjors]

Hi Patrick,

 

Tomorrow I will go on on the Le Mirage.

Maybe in a few weeks I can start on the Aggy.

There are still seats available in the front row…...

 

[augie]

CONGRATULATIONS, COMMODORE SJORS.

 

You've picked a fine vessel to add to your fleet.  Thank you for posting the history as well as the details on the kit.  I will, of course, be following with great interest.

 

You also have my respect for being able to keep the box closed for 1.32 hours after you got home     

 

I shall now spend the rest of my morning attempting to calculate how many untied ratlines you are committed to with the SI, Mirage and now Aggie all in the shipyard.

[PMG]

Sjors,

Once you starts, if you build at the same speed as Mobbsie, I think that after 3 months you are farther than what I did in 3 years....

Pierre

[realworkingsailor]

What gives here? Another Sjors build?

 

Yeeesh.... time to enlarge the workshop again.....

 

 

Andy

[riverboat]

 Nice introduction to your new build Sjors, I'm sure that  will keep you busy for awhile...... I noticed you bought Caldercrafts paints ......

 make sure they are flat, I purchased some and they slipped in some gloss colors...... you do not want gloss on that beauty you're going to build  

Frank

[Barbossa]

Hello Sjors,

 

This is a challenging project, I'll be watching your progress.

Who knows when CC is to release their 74 gunner at 1/64 ? This is for sure a more than worthy alternative.

[Børge]

Well Sjors, you are at it again

Thats a mighty fine ship you got, this will be very interesting to follow.

I see a lot of shiny parts to

Best of counstruction luck when you start it my friend,

 

Børge

[Sjors]

Thanks all,

 

@ Augie,

 

Thanks for my effort to give a little history lesson…..

You more then welcome to see what I'm gonna do with this small build

And please don't calculate all the ratlines…...

It's gonna be monks work…...

 

@ Pierre,

 

No worries.

I will not start with her till the Mirage is done.

And that can take a while because somewhere in the future I have to work again…...

 

@ Andy,

 

Yep I know.

I could not resist to buy her.

The offer that is make was to good to let her go.

She's now next to me on an other table.

If i want to build her now I need the table of Anja and then I'm in big trouble !!!!!!!

 

@ Frank,

 

Thanks !

The admiralty paint that I've got for the Aggy was almost for nothing when I ordered the Aggy.

And they are not glossy, I check that !

So it's ( I hope ) another beauty when she's finished in 5 years or something like that

 

@ Christian,

 

Welcome !

I don't buy another kit otherwise I have a kit and no house and wife anymore

I have finish the two builds that I have before another one is coming in the house.

 

@ Børge,

 

I hope it is interesting and I'll do my best to make it interesting.

There are a lot of shiny stuff but what about the wood?

I have miles of planks……..

And all of those planks has to be cut.

Now I know why I bought a circle saw

I think I have a lot of fun with this build !

Thanks for the good wishes.

 

[Patrick Haw]

Fantastic Sjors!  Congratulations on getting a very fine kit to build.  I will be watching closely and enjoying.  Enjoy your build!

 

Patrick

[Script]

Sjors,

 

Thanks for the history and pics. I am sorry to say I had no idea it was Nelson's first command. That does explain its popularity. American education, I guess.

 

Best of luck in not starting the build. When I tried starting my tugboat before finishing the stagecoach it was a disaster so I shall stay one at a time.

 

But it does appear that you have the ability to handle two.......could it be three????

 

Cheers,

 

Jim

[george]

Hi Sjors.

 

Good luck with this beast of a ship. Its a great kit and its going to take 100s of hours of pleasurable building 

[Sjors]

Thanks Patrick, Jim and George,

 

@ Patrick,

I know for sure that I will enjoy this build !

 

@ Jim,

 

You are not the only one that didn't know that this was Nelson favourite.

I always thought that it was the Victory.

But it doesn't matter.

Now it is my favourite ship       

But she have to wait…...

If I say that all the time, maybe I believe myself 

 

@ Thanks George,

I will watch you and your Aggy also.

Always nice when you have  a few great builds to follow when it concerns your own build 

 

[trippwj]

Sjors -

 

You may want to look into the following book on the Aggy:

Nelson's Favourite:HMS Agamemnon at War, 1781-1809 (1996)

ISBN-13: 978-1557506207

 

Written by Anthony Deane (a descendant of Sir Anthony Deane, the noted naval architect)

[augie]

I believe that at Trafalgar, with Nelson of course on HMS Victory, he was more than delighted to see Agamemnon joining his force commenting that now it would be a proper battle!

[capnharv2]

Oh Boy Sjors! Now the pressure is on

 

I've had my Aggie waiting in the wings since 1997. But I need to finish my Constitution first.

 

Have fun! I hope to start before you finish!

 

BTW, the NMM has plans for the Ardent Class 64s. They may be worth looking into (if you haven't already). And Deane's book is well worth the read.

 

Thanks,

 

Harvey

[augie]

Looks like the Aggy is fast becoming an MSW favorite    .  With George and Mobbsie moving at light speed it will be good to have Sjors at his usual pace.

[Sjors]

Thanks Wayne,

 

I will see if I can find that book.

Never hear of that one.

And Mobbsie didn't tell be about it…….

 

@ Harvey,

 

I have to finish the Le Mirage first.

So when you have finish your Constitution, we can both start on her 

We have three examples……..

I don't have the plans from NMM or any book about it.

I have to look around if I can found something.

Thanks for the visit !

 

@ Augie,

 

Everything is going in a slower gear…….

Today I have to bring my supervisor a visit…...

I have to explain why I was going to England and not to work 

This afternoon I can go back to the workshop and do some shrouds and then back to the ratlines !

 

[Rustyj]

Hi Sjors,

 

Looks like you will be doing another great build.

[Sjors]

Hi Rusty,

 

Welcome on board

 

[Patrick Haw]

It was on October 13th, 1805 when Agamemnon joined Nelson's fleet blockading Cadiz that Nelson, upon seeing his old comand (now commanded by Sir Edward Berry) proclaimed "Here comes that damned fool Berry!  Now we shall have a battle!"

 

Patrick

[Sjors]

Thanks Patrick,

 

Again a little history !

In a few years I'll be an expert on that         

 

[augie]

It was on October 13th, 1805 when Agamemnon joined Nelson's fleet blockading Cadiz that Nelson, upon seeing his old comand (now commanded by Sir Edward Berry) proclaimed "Here comes that damned fool Berry!  Now we shall have a battle!"

 

Patrick

Yes, that was it exactly.  Thanks Patrick!

[newbuilder101]

How did I miss this? I finally show up for the party and you're already on page 3!! Okay, I'm pulling up a chair in the front row too.