Marcus.K.

Ladies and Gents...  
 
(Actually - I have not detected any Ladies following this build so we're all free to belch and scratch without fear of retribution...)
 
Thank you all for the kindness of your remarks.
 
Here is where the job stands after some time spent on the half hulls:
 






 
You'll see that I've done a fair amount of work on the underside and have the foundation in place for the gun stripe and red port sills.
 

 
I started by giving the underside a light coat of Vallejo Air Copper as a base.  I then began to randomly mix different blends of Vallejo Air Copper, Vallejo Hammered Copper, Microlux Air Roof Brown, and MicroLux Grimy Black in small batches and applied using some disposable micro brushes (Model Expo).  I would slink out to the workshop whenever I had an odd 15 or 20 minutes to spend filling in individual plates... After a week or so I had most of the two half hulls done.  A final (obligatory) coat of Vallejo Sepia Wash was then applied and - as with the decking - quickly wiped down with a clean soft cloth.  This had multiple good effects: It knocked down the shine, helped to blend all of the contrasting colors, highlighted some of the plate seams, and - most importantly - removed just enough paint to "expose" the riveting and define the edges of the plates.  I had to press down firmly when wiping it down to get an even exposure of the riveting.
 
The gun stripe was masked off a bit wider than the final dimension to allow some overlap and a cleaner line once the black is laid down.  After a base coat of Vallejo Air Interior Yellow (A near equivalent to Floquil Depot Buff), a thin layer of Vallejo Sepia wash (the old standby) was applied and lightly wiped down to leave a good patina behind.  This deepened the color enough to generally match what is seen in the Corne paintings.  Next I masked off everything except the gun port sills and airbrushed a few coats of Vallejo Air Ferrari Red.  I wanted the red to be deep and eye-catching.  None of this wimpy wannabe red... It looks blood red in the paintings and that's what will be on the model!  Still a few more detail touch ups remain, but it is almost there.
 
Here is the discarded tape used for masking just one of the half hulls!

 
I have not done much in the last week or so.  I thoroughly gunked up my very cheap airbrush and decided to invest in something more substantial.  I'm tired of constantly stripping it all down to clean after every small paint session.  Once done I can attack the black part of the hull.
 
Thanks to all for your continued interest!
Evan

Belleisle's Brodie stove was constructed from plasticard using the plans found in The 74 Gun Ship Bellona, by Brian Lavery as a guide (scaled down from 1/96 to 1/150) The roundhouses on the beakhead bulkhead were also made from plastic tubing, covered in styrene strip to achieve the correct diameter. Again the dimensions for these were taken from Lavery's 74 Gun Bellona.
 

 

 

 
The two parts forming the hull are made from tough plastic so they went together without any problems with warpage. Here is the hull assembled and painted, still needs some copper paint though.
 

 

 
Tony

Hi Steve. In answer to your question regarding the plastic masts and yards, I will be keeping them but as they are quite soft and flexible i have re-inforced the lower masts with wood in the form of cocktail sticks. The foremast and mainmast were quite easy to do as they are made from two hollow sections but the mizzenmast is made from two solid sections so they needed hollowing out before i could insert the cocktail sticks. All three lower masts are a lot less bendy now.
 
Tony
 

Right, about time I hoisted the yards on this build diary and got her under a full spread of sail. As I mentioned in my previous post French and British 74's had different deck layouts, perhaps the most obvious difference was the position of the ship's boats. On a French 74 they sat on the upper gundeck between the foremast and the mainmast wheras on a British 74 they sat one deck higher -exposed on the skid beams on the weather deck. To create these skid beams i used 1.5mm x 3.2mm strips of styrene. These were carefully spaced to ensure the different sized ship's boats would each have beams to sit on.
 

 
Moving the boats freed up some space on the upper gundeck which i needed to fill with a jeer capstan. The capstan provided with the kit is rather sorry and very un-British looking so this was adapted using some plastic tube and styrene strips.
 

 

 
I was not at all impressed with the gratings moulded onto the different decks and so these were replaced with wooden affairs sourced from the Model Dockyard and finished with coamings made from styrene strip
 

 
In these next shots you can see that i have inserted a section of deck into the forecastle to give a bit of space for the ship's belfry and i have also removed the box over the companionway on the quarterdeck. I also glued the ship's binnacle in place -wrongly as the ship's wheel should now be in front of the mizzenmast not behind it (the binnacle that will replace it is a much improved affair to boot) I have also removed the triangles moulded into the edge of the weather deck (visible in the first image of this post) as British 74's stored their round shot elsewhere
 

 

 
That's about it for now. Thanks for viewing
 
 
 
 
 
 

Having completed my first model ship (Airfix's HMS Victory) in 2013 I was eager to build a second, 74 gun ship as they were the mainstay of the Royal Navy. However it soon became apparent that none are available in the form of a plastic kit. But, after a bit of digging around i discovered that Heller do two versions of the French 74 gun ship, quite a few of which were captured in battle and re-commissioned into the Royal Navy. This meant i could build a British 74, but i would have to do quite a bit of kit bashing. Now all i had to do was decide what ship to base my model on.
 
THE SHIP
 
Launched at Rochefort on 29 April 1794 Lion was a 74-gun, third rate ship of the line -a member of the Téméraire class designed for the French Navy by Jacques-Noël Sané. In May 1795 the ship was renamed Formidable.
 
Captained by Charles Alexandre Linois Formidable sailed as part of the fleet commanded by Admiral Villaret Joyeuse that fought against the British at the Battle of Groix on 3 June 1795. During the battle Formidable came under the sustained fire of two British ships. Her hull, masts, sails and rigging were badly cut up and a fire soon broke out on her poop. When her mizen mast fell over the side Linois finally hauled down his colours. Over 320 of his crew of 700 had either been killed or wounded in the action. Linois had lost an eye and all his lieutenants had been injured. The ship was taken to Portsmouth where Linois was exchanged.
 
The Royal Navy already had a 90 gun second rate named Formidable and as it was mistakenly believed that the ship had been captured off Belle Ile, rather than the Ile de Groix, she was renamed Belleisle. In August 1798 Belleisle began fitting out at Portsmouth. Her hull was strengthened and much of her internal layout was altered to suit British tastes. The refit took fourteen months and cost £35842.0.0d (roughly two million pounds in todays money) In February 1803 she sailed for the Mediterranean, joining a fleet that would soon fall under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson.
 
Captained by William Hargood, (her longest serving captain) she was the second ship in the British lee column at Trafalgar, sailing into battle astern of Collingwood’s flag-ship Royal Sovereign. She soon lost all her masts, her bowsprit, her anchors, even her figurehead in her bruising encounter with Fougueux and eight other ships of the combined fleet. The only place left to raise her ensign was at the end of a pike which she managed to keep flying until the ships following behind her in the British line finally came to her rescue. By the end of the battle thirty-three of her people had been killed and a further ninety-four injured.
 
The next day the battered British ships and their French and Spanish prizes were hit by a terrifying storm which did not let go for four whole days. Sails were shredded, fragile masts brought crashing down. When the storm hit Belleisle was under the tow of the frigate Naiad. The tow had broken and as desperate attempts were made to reconnect the line in the heaving swells the two ships crashed into one another, staving in Naiad’s stern. Moments later Naiad’s topsail ripped apart in the howling wind and had to be hacked free; then she lost one of her staysails. By the time Naiad’s sails had been sorted out Belleisle had disappeared from view in the heaving seas and driving rain. Left to fend for themselves Hargood now attempted to take his ship around Cape Trafalgar and into the Straits of Gibraltar under a hastily lashed together jury rig. Around midnight Hargood summoned his officers and told them the ship was about to be wrecked and that they should prepare for the worst. Belleisle’s people, cold and exhausted, waited through the night for the end, but thankfully it never came. By the next morning, using the smallest scrap of sail, they had managed to turn the ship away from the dangerous shore. Naiad returned and as the wind eased was finally able to get a line across to Belleisle and tow her into Gibraltar.
 
Belleisle returned to Portsmouth for a refit which took four months and cost £16384.0.0d. In September 1806 she took part in the capture and destruction of a crippled French 74, Impetueux. After almost four years in command Hargood left the ship a year later. Belleisle was present at the capture of Martinique in January 1809 and later that year she took part in expeditions to the Scheldt and Walcheren. She was finally laid up in ordinary in September 1809. In July 1814 she began a large repair at Portsmouth but a month later the decision was taken to have her broken up instead.
 
THE KIT

Copyright Heller
 
The donor kit for this conversion will be Heller’s Le Superbe (80895), a Téméraire class 74 launched in 1784 but wrecked in a storm eleven years later. Here are some sprue shots.
 

 

 

These white sprues are the fixtures and fittings for Superbe. Heller's other 74, Glorieux, has a different set of sprues
 

The sprues on the right are for the long guns and carriages. There are five of each provided in the kit
 

 
The kit also comes with three sheets of vacuformed sails, a chain for the rudder and a rigging machine. No rigging thread though (any provided with the kit would probably have needed replacing anyway.) The instructions are all in French but a page of translations is provided. Parts are both numbered and given a description i.e. 77 bowsprit cap
 
THE BUILD
 
I started things off by sanding down the hull and decks which all have a quite pronounced wood grain effect. I then attached the parts containing the hawse holes to the hull, filling and sanding the gap. As you can see the copper plates continue up to the lower wale rather than finishing at the waterline. This will need to be sorted out. Another area requiring attention are the rather poorly moulded gratings. These need tackling anyway as British and French 74's had different deck layouts.
 

 

Oh wow, I have to follow this build. The Heller kit of Glorieux found luckily ist way via a not very motivated bit in the big bay.. So I first planned to use it as a test and learn build until I noticed the Beauty of those 74s by a El Supremo years ago. So ist still waiting for the time of real start to build models.. not just visiting others reports.
 
Love your one !! Looking Forward to see more.

Hello all...
 
 
I have the basic painting and most of the details done on the spar deck - just a bit of touch ups and fine tuning remain.   Here are some sample views:       The spar deck was given a base coat of aged white (no tinting like the gun deck) and individual planks were picked out with Vallejo Wood mixed with Vallejo aged white, Vallejo Aged White mixed with Microlux Reefer White, and straight up Vallejo gray wash.  After 24 hours everything then got a quick smear with Vallejo Sepia wash that was immediately wiped down with a soft clean cloth leaving a nice wood tone and coloring the seams between the planks.   Nothing is glued down and the brass is yet to be blackened, but I can now move on to painting the half hulls.   Hope folks are still following along - I'm sure the World Cup is more interesting!   Evan

Cooooool .. thanks a lot Tim. Very interesting paper. It fits to my understanding - and I forgott completly about the Roux-paintings showing the ships during entering a port or being at sea without "action". .. and here half port lids visible .. while in action they seem to be dissapeared.
 
Meaning for this model: not showing them does not mean "there are no" .. but would still be a valid presentation!
 
I did never think of canvas for the captains ports .. I assumed this would be glass - but seeing some of the paintings / sketches it seems obvious that the author is right. Again something new for me!
 
Great - thanks a lot for this input!!!

All...
 
A bit of miscellaneous progress.
 
I've added the channels and I think I've got them on very firmly. I took the liberty of reinforcing them with a small strip of .040 x .040 Evergreen underneath to increase the surface area when glueing to the hull.

 
I've also reinforced the pin rails by drilling thru the bulwark and inserting small steel pins. They were snipped to size, covered with some blobs of filler, and sanded smooth.

 
I did some spot primer in key locations to help determine areas in need of improvement then gave the two half hulls a complete coat. Still a bit of touch ups and tuning needed, but I'm getting closer to the painting phase.
 

 
Additionally, I decided to change course on the berth deck ventilation scuttles and gun deck scuppers. Originally I did not like the large openings for the scuppers and elected to cover them up and treat them as the ventilation scuttles. It gnawed at me enough that it wasn't a correct representation that I finally went ahead and popped off the previous work to expose the scupper holes and built new ventilation doors lower down in a more proper location. I even depicted one of the doors swung open to add some dimension:
 

 

 
A note to add regarding the ship's boats... I got pinged on another forum by a terrific modeler who is also building the Revell Connie using some of the Bluejacket parts. He was wondering if I was using the BJ resin whaleboats. I did purchase a couple of the whaleboats along with the resin pinnace. I was a little disappointed that they came with pre-molded floor boards - I would've preferred to add my own interior details:
 

 
Mine came in good condition - I know sometimes resin parts can be full of air pockets and blemishes, but these can be easily improved. My original pinnace came very warped and I wasn't able to correct the shape under warm water. The folks at Bluejacket cheerfully sent me a replacement.
 
Unfortunately, it looks as though I can't use these on my build. Apparently the whaleboats did not appear on Constitution until AFTER the Guerriere fight. Receipts and invoices indicate that Commodore Bainbridge first purchased whaleboats from local New England sources to replace some of the boats lost or damaged in the Guerriere battle. They've been associated with the ship ever since. The USS Constitution museum Log Lines blog had a nice article about this: http://usscm.blogspot.com/2012/09/whaleboats-for-constitution.html
 
I think that catches me up on my current progress.
 
Thanks for looking in...
Evan

Dave and Markus - Thank you for your continued interest and the kind compliments.
 
Tim - your insight is invaluable and the article you've provided is incredibly illuminating. I wish Ms. Desy would post this along with the other public articles in the online Naval Heritage Command Constitution tour site. (It should be pointed out that Margherita Desy is the official historian of the USS Constitution attached to the Naval History &Heritage command.)
 
This passage is very informative:
 
 
HALF-PORT..., shifting shutters fixed in the stops of those ports, which have no hanging lids. Those to the quarter-deck and forecastle ports are in general in one, and made of two thicknesses of slit deals, and to the ports for the long guns have holes in them for the gun to run out; and those to the upper deck, In two parts called buckler half-ports; for long guns, the lower part is to the center of the gun, when run out and levelled, as they have a hole in them that fits close round the guns ; and to carronades, to the under side of the gun, if not too low, that they may be fixed over them. The lower piece of these half-ports is of fir, and in one piece, to fill up the stops; with a rabbet taken out of its upper edge, to receive the upper part, and with two strengthening bolts driven up and down through it. This piece is in general hung with hinges at the lower part, and kept in its place by sliding bolts. The upper part is made commonly of whole and slit deal, the whole deal up and down, and the slit deal, to cross it, fore and aft.” 2
 
This indicates that the permanent full lids seen in so many contemporary models up forward and along the quarterdeck is likely accurate. The rest of the ports would have the half-lid "stoppers" - at least as commonly practiced by American captains. Ms. Desy seems to confirm that the ports as represented by the Hull model are accurate. There does not seem to be any indication of hinged lower half lids in place during the Guerriere fight. The receipts suggest that those were installed afterwards. It may well be, however, that Captain Hull followed what appears to be the common American practice of having removable half lid stoppers on board. They would've (obviously) been removed for the battle. The research around the canvas covers along the captain cabin ports is extremely interesting. I wonder if this is a uniquely Yankee innovation? Tim, you've indicated in your earlier post that the Royal navy may not have followed the practice of gun port lids - at least not thru the War of 1812? I see one or two models in the NMM collection that show hinged half lids on British frigates, but not until the post-war period.
 
I think we're all a bit smarter as we walk through these sources and I'm feeling very comfortable with following the Hull model in this area.
 
The Abell engraving shown in the essay has a full lid over the BRIDLE port - not a gun port. It may be that Ms. Desy would need to reconcile the fact that the Hull model does not have the extra bridle port in front as the modern ship does... Technically the front THREE ports on both sides (the Bridle port and two gun ports) would need lids on the restored ship if the Hull model example is strictly followed. I wonder if the Hull model builders put hinged lids on all the ports positioned along the forward curve of the bow in their representation. I think the gun ports extend a little too far forward on the Hull model - there wouldn't be room to add the Bridle port.
 
I may consider only including a hinged lid over the very foremost ports (not the TWO foremost) on each side of my model to allow for the fact that the Revell kit will only have one port positioned along the forward curve of the bow now that I've eliminated the Bridle port. The next port is under the fore channel and a full lid would be blocked from opening fully. I'll have to experiment to see what looks right...
 
Thanks again Tim for the historical consultation and please keep an eye on my build.
 
Off to the workshop to revisit the scuppers and berth deck ventilation scuttles... I think I'll redo these based on some other considerations.
 
Stay tuned
 
Evan

Cooooool .. thanks a lot Tim. Very interesting paper. It fits to my understanding - and I forgott completly about the Roux-paintings showing the ships during entering a port or being at sea without "action". .. and here half port lids visible .. while in action they seem to be dissapeared.
 
Meaning for this model: not showing them does not mean "there are no" .. but would still be a valid presentation!
 
I did never think of canvas for the captains ports .. I assumed this would be glass - but seeing some of the paintings / sketches it seems obvious that the author is right. Again something new for me!
 
Great - thanks a lot for this input!!!

What an interesting debate!!
 
Thanks gentlemen, for all this information, opinion and arguments. The latest with Gardners remarks is new to me and very interesting.
It seems to me that this question was another one each commander could decide to his own thinking, experience and fashion. Difficult to judge without any reliable source.
 
For my point of view: seeing so many paintings of so many painters of that times (and the Hull Model - which DOES show one port lid at the first gun port at the bow!!! So the man doing the model did obviously NOT forget them! ) .. with each of them showing NO lids I think it must be allowed to show the ship without them. At least if you show the ship at battle station - because each of those paintings do show this status - even the 1803 Corné Side view - in which the first gun is shot for a salute. (Or was shoting a salute done without beating the quarters?).
 
There is a well known interesting picture of USS President in heavy seas in Mediterian sea .. One day I will build a Revel Constituiton in exaclty this conficuration  - with heavy seas and the masts and spars secured like here .. Great action!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Usspresidentatanchor.jpg
I saw different versions. To me it seems that there are port lids with openings for the guns barrels. I think the painting shows the ship in about 1805?? But I am not sure about it.
For me it will seem as if in heavy weather port lids have been in use .. but the is just guesstimeation.
 
At the end you could argue and say: this is the ships configuration following Corné´s painting xyz ... It WILL be a beautiy anyhow!
 
I am looking forward seeing progress on your beautiful build - and I am always curious with which sources you again add some interesting knowledge about the ships layout !
 
Thanks to all here!!

Well, for what it's worth you have convinced me...but mine are already on ship so they will remain, like my transom, unchanged. You have, Evan, without doubt made my attention to detail awareness more acute for the the remaining portion of my build and I will continue to watch yours with fascination and admiration.

Paul - I owe you a reply! Thanks much for your perspective - I appreciate your very nice compliments regarding my efforts. I also have a chunk of Old Ironsides purchased at the museum. I haven't yet decided how it can be incorporated - probably I'll make it into a small stand and display one of the ship's boats alongside the main model. I very much like the work of Tom Freeman - he's done some beautiful paintings of Constitution. And it should be noted that he does extensive research on his subjects and you can go count the number of gunport lids on his War of 1812 representations...

Tim - Thank you as well for your insight. I make no claims at being an historian, scholar, or researcher - so it is gratifying to have a professional chime in and echo some of my thoughts regarding the historical configuration of Constitution. I would also echo your underlying message - we don't know how the ship actually looked in her early wartime years. We can probably make a better guess at her 1815 appearance than her 1812 appearance... Many records were lost when Washington was burned and I think the records were better kept and organized later in the war. All we can do is suggest likely configurations based on snippets of fact and similarities to other resources. I would, however, hesitate to buy into the idea that these ships carried removable lids as standard practice. I'm not sure that I've seen many references to such outside of Preble having his carpenters make custom removable split lids. The arguments put forth for such an arrangement would apply equally, if not more, to the larger classes of ships that fight yardarm to yardarm in fleet actions, and we don't see that in play.

Jud - I think you've brought us full circle to where we started - one camp firmly in mind that it is insane to think of ships with no lids, and those of us who are crazy to think that the lids were not standard because so many contemporary sources show it to be the case.

Coincidentally enough I've just today received my copy of The Sailing Frigate - A history in ship models by Robert Gardiner. Page 59 includes a study of the beautiful and highly detailed model of the frigate Lowestoffe of 1760:



Gardiner notes: "With around 7ft of freeboard, gunport lids are unnecessary except where the ports open into cabins or other enclosed spaces..."

It seems to be the case that Frigates had generally higher freeboard than larger rates AND did not use the "gun deck" as living space. Frigates had the advantage of dedicated berth decks below for the crew. I put gun deck in quotes because until the early 19th century, the deck with armament was referred to as the "upper deck" in the Royal navy - which acknowledges the exposure to the elements - and the berth deck still retained the old "gun deck" label dating back to the days when these rates had lower deck gun ports. I personally believe that this goes to the heart of why the gun port lids were usually not there (with the understanding that there were some exceptions) - in the late 18th century and into the 19th the 5th and 6th rates generally had higher freeboard than other classes and had dry berth decks for the crew. The lids didn't commonly appear until the standard frigates evolved to the bigger spar decked type with enclosed gun decks sometime after the War of 1812 and into the early 1820s.

Regardless, I'm convinced that the lack of gun port lids posed no real danger to this class of ship - at least not enough danger to warrant their widespread use. The comfort of the crew was not significantly compromised since they lived on the deck below. I'm certain that I've convinced nobody to switch their views. Most modelers, I'm sure, will continue to include the lids so that their models don't seem naked... Kinda like that guy who shaves off his mustache and some people can't quite explain it, but something's not right.


I really do appreciate the feedback and I'm glad to spew forth my brain dumps to anyone who will burn through minutes of their lives reading this stuff.

Thanks again to all who follow along

Evan

there are many ships that we know little or nothing about.  the challenges that a modeler faces,  in trying to uncover fact and history,  is a huge task.  this is the major form of enjoyment in this medium we play in.   our admirals think we're nuts........{but that's another story}
 
the models we see,  are the flesh made of many volumes,  written from the past.   time moves on.........the past getting cloudier and the pages yellow,  but is still there to glean and ponder.   the model is old........but is looked on by many new minds...and new questions are asked......more than the model can supply.  even the books, suspended by time,  can only answer so many,  before it becomes common knowledge and hearsay.   the model is but a window of the volume and mind.......made flesh for the ocular view...........like the volume,  it suggest ideas and thoughts of what could have been,  what might have been,  and what was.   as for the model of today,  we see it as a work of beauty,  craft,  and vision.  it suggests the what is......and most importantly,  what if.   no to worry dear friends.......the model of today will soon become the model past.........and it will be looked at by many more new minds.  as time is the thief......the old model is now gone,  and all that remains,  are snapshots in a drawer or album.   keep on thinking free  

Popeye,
 
impressive! Great looking decks. Congratulations for that. Since I personally very much "fear" to try to create a wooden appearance on a plastic part with paints this "hybrid-technology" wood/plastic may be a way out for me. Although its a lot of work the result seen here an in other builds seems to justify .. no, DO justify the additional efforts.
 
Phantastic work. I am looking forward to see you next steps.

Hello Popeye -  
 
Regarding the modern ship... I generally shy away from using her as a reference for my 1812 build.  If you talk with the folks at the USS Constitution museum, they'll tell you that the restored ship was based on plans dating into the 1840s.  Apparently this was the most complete set that Lt. Lord was able to get his hands on when restoring the ship in the 1920s.  I would certainly agree that gun port lids would be standard in that period. Fortunately, the current plans are to migrate the ship towards the War of 1812 configuration as opportunities arise during scheduled refits.  The open waist has already been restored and the bow and stern will be reconfigured across the next couple of refits.  I think Henry has indicated that the stern is next up.  I do expect, however, that gun port lids will always be in place - it is a practical need to help preserve the interior comfort for a public "museum" ship.
 
BTW - your wooden decks are looking great!  I'm very impressed that you accounted for the underlying beam structure and aligned your plank ends with the edges of the hatches.  Well done.
 
Evan

thanks for the good word Evan....I have the decks sealed and in place.   I'm pleased with the way they look.
 
 
that's what I'm saying.......I find it hard to doubt what your saying.   are there any plans for her in existence from that time period?  I've been looking around since this came up........I promise you.......if I find anything, I'll let you know     the United States and the Connie were similar in many ways.......I would suspect that the President was as well,  even though she was a tad smaller in girth.  as I said......build her,  my friend..........I think she's gonna look every bit as sweet     have fun with your build,  and I'm gonna keep watching. 

.........meanwhile,  back at the table......
 
with the decks back in the house.........it's time to see what I have been wanting to see.   I installed the gun deck back into the hull..
 

 

 

 
then the spar deck was set in place...
 

 

 

 
I wanted to get a shot of the inside.......trying to find the right angle.......this was the best I was going to see.
 

 
I really like the way this turned out........the spar deck still has some slight traces of the white......but I think this is the best I'm going to get it,  without redoing it.  I think once fittings and structures are set in place,  it will look fine.
 

 

 

I was just about ready.........got pulled away a couple of times......but I manged to git 'er done!
 
the splints along the edges of the deck were removed,  so it could get a good sanding.   the ripples are almost non-existent!
 

 
then,  the gun deck got sanded.
 

 
I still need to use a sanding stick in between the holds.   during the process......I started to think about the galley floor.  it's pretty flimsy and thought about stiffening it up.  I cut some diagonal pieces and glued them under neath.......ain't too flimsy now!
 

 
while this was drying.......I sanded the spar deck again and touched up the holds and got rid of that white stuff.    I forgot to mention......the archive pen died!  guess this task was just too much for her     I tried to keep her alive,  with a few India Ink transfusions......but to no avail.  I had to do the last couple of planks with a magic marker........it worked.......I just had to move real quick with it
 
.....and then,  it was out to the garage.........
 
it started with the spar deck........getting a coat of lacquer
 

 

 

 
....and then,  it was the gun deck's turn.......
 

 

 

 
now we wait.........and see what happens  

I have a few links bookmarked for the Connie.......one is the official site.  while it is not shown as hard proof {actual pictures of the ship in that era},  today's Connie does support the fact that she does have gun port lids.  this does not conclusively prove that she sported them back then.   please consider that you both may be right.   I'm afraid to say though that I don't give much credence to sketch drawings or portraits........they contain too much artistic licence.   the model's box art should support  this as well.........it's a painting too,  isn't it?
 

 
tied to a cleat on the ceiling,  is the rope for the top section of the gun port lid.   since I could not find any diagrams or pictures of the lids........I looked at pictures that might show them.  here is a picture showing the chain plates and dead eye lanyards
 

 
now,  I'm not saying that neither one of you are wrong.........and I'm sure that tucked away in some obscure book,  a single paragraph revels whether or not she sported them.......or whether they were split or full size.   I amassed a bunch of info in my research into the United States.......even exposed some guy,  touting he was taking collections to see her rebuilt.  can't say what I called him,  but I sent him packing     I bookmarked info on the Connie as well.......she'll make a great window into some of the United State's fittings.
 
build her as you see fit...........your well on your way in building a superb looking ship!

Evan ,
 
It's your model, and based on my own research, I agree with you on the gunport lids. There will always be people who disagree with just about anything. so don't worry about it too much. You're doing a spectacular job on the ship and I think you're going to end up with a museum quality model at the end of the build that will be the envy of all who see her. My version will have the yellow stripe from the top of the gunport lids down to the main wales based on the Thomas Freeman painting, "A payment in Iron". I have some wood taken from the ship I bought at the museum in Boston. It's available on the website, I'm still mulling over what to make as a small piece of actual ships wood to place on my model. Good Luck with yours.
 
Paul

Folks -
 
I'll make one last pitch for the absence of the gun lids... 
 
Here are some credible sources all piled up:
 
Michel Felice Corné 1803 - commissioned by Commodore Preble:
 

 
Thomas Birch 1813 Constitution vs Guerriere - Based on interviews with participants:
 

 
"Hull" model 1812 - built by the crew and presented to Isaac Hull:
 

 
 
Michel Felice Corné 1812 Constitution vs Guerriere - commissioned by captain Hull and supervised by his purser Thomas Chew:

 
Nicholas Pocock Constitution vs Java - based on sketches by Lt Buchanan of HMS Java
 

 
Thomas Birch United States vs Macedonian - based on interviews with participants:
 

 
Now we can probably dig through each of these representations and find various flaws and discrepancies, but we can't dispute that ALL of these have something in common - no gun port lids.  Constitution, United States, Guerriere, Java, Macedonian... All shown without lids by different artists after consultation with crew and battle veterans.  We have log entries and journal accounts of water pouring in through the gun ports in heavy weather... But how can we modern folk reconcile the idea that these ships would sail without gun port lids and be so endangered on a voyage?
 
I think the absence of gun port lids is a vestige of the era when this class of ship had open gun decks - at least very open space along the waist - which were generally treated as "weather" decks.  It was common to not have lids on ports along the open waist and many of these ships would only have them  mounted on the most forward ports to minimize wetness from a plunging bow.  Sometimes the sternmost would also have protection against following seas, but all others would be without lids.  It was no big deal for the water to slosh in one side, across the deck, and out the other side and/or out the scuppers.  There are certainly examples of frigates being fitted with lids, but likely at the discretion of the captain.  We know from log entries that Preble had carpenters add lids during his tenure (which implies, of course, that none were there before).  The American spar deck frigates represented a transition away from the open waist and the utilization of the top deck for more guns and ship handling space.  The great success they had in the War of 1812 spurred the other naval powers to evolve their frigates away from the smaller open waisted types and into the big frigate era.  As the gun decks became more commonly enclosed, the gun port lids became more standard.
 
I certainly understand that most of my fellow modelers will not follow me down this path, but I would think that most would at least appreciate my reasoning and respect the fact that I'm basing my own representation on credible contemporary sources - specifically the Michel Felice Corné paintings and the Hull model - however illogical that may seem!
 
I'm glad that my build has inspired some deeper explorations of some elements of the great ship that defy conventional thinking... Stay tuned for the yellow stripe!
 
Thanks to all for the engaging discussion.
 
Evan

this morning,  I took care of those three rows that needed to be on the port side.   I completed one of them,  the other two are about half way there.
 

 
now......after 31 rows {counting the king plank}.........here is how much of this deck,  25 1/2 strips will cover!
 

 
I started this with six packs of wood strips  {60 strips}.   I did the poop deck,  the spar deck,  and what you see here of the gun deck.   this is all I have left.........
 

 
it's amazing how far they went

today.........more running around........but I got quite a bit done as well on the deck.  I had a bit more than 25 of the 3 mm strips left.......I have to divide them evenly between the two sides,  and then I'll use the strips I cut to finish them off.  I'm doing this in case they turn out to be less than 3 mm......they won't too noticeable along the edges.  judging where I was at..........I did about 12 rows on the port side
 

 

 

 
looking at what I had left.......I had better move on to the starboard side.
 

 
I hope I have enough to equal the port side
 

 

 

 
when I was done.......there was a little over three strips left........I had done 15 rows on the port side.  
     the clothes pins you see,  are at work....helping me to eliminate a couple of serious ripples.  I'm hoping that by laying the planks,  the wet glue will seep into the wood and cure the problem.  if you look close,  there are a couple on the port side,  at about the same places.......I'll be doing them as well.  I clamped the deck to the table as well,  to keep it from curling {even with the added supports,  it was still doing this}.
 

 
these are probably the largest decks I have ever done.........and I'm using planking strips,  that in my opinion,  are more 'in scale'  than the deck strips you get in most kits.
 

 

 
at the bow,  I used some of the thinner pieces of the strips that I cut.........the center plank stayed the same as the rest of the deck.  I trimmed them soon after they were dry,  so they wouldn't get broken off prematurely.  looking toward the stern end,  you'll see another plank line that is rather thin.   I had to shim the entire length back.......it originated at one of the holds.  it was done just to keep the line straight.  it's good that most of it won't be seen,  being that far past the large central hold.  I will see what I can get done tomorrow.......I had high hopes to get this all done today.  I hope that tomorrow is a good day.......it was cloudy most of today....slightly humid.  I'm dying to see how this will look!
 
I almost forgot.......I have a plan for the galley floor platform at the stern......I don't want to say much,  for fear that I can't pull it off.    But,  if I can.......