Roman

Hello Rado,
For the last two years I´ve been researching Santisima Trinidad and I´d like to give you a hand on this endeavor of yours. First, the pictures you´ve posted from the stern are from Santisima´s antecessor San Carlos. The model was done by Mateo Mullan and Santisima probably looked very much like it when it left Cuba on it´s maiden voyage. If you want to build Santisima as it was in 1769 then Santisima Trinidad had 112 guns. The following link can be translated with Google:
http://pinake.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/navios-espanoles-del-siglo-xviii-i/
It is an eight part article on Spanish ship of the line construction systems. On the first installment you can download a plan from Trinidad when it had 112 guns like the San Carlos model from Madrid´s Museo Naval. On the sixth installment you can also download a Jorge Juan system Spanish 58 gun frigate similar to the beautiful one on plate 145 from the Marques de La Victoria album. The article has also a lot of interesting info on Spanish naval architects such as Gaztañeta, Jorge Juan, Gautier, Romero Landa and Retamosa. 
Second, the model I want to build is a 1/72 Santisima just before 1805. I´m using OcCre and the Museo Naval plans you can download from the web. The plans available from the web are those Museo Naval was selling and its author is Mr. Rafael Berenguer Moreno de Guerra. OcCre´s plans are based on Mr Berenguer plans which in turn are based on the plan Roman posted before. The "American plan " can be found at: 
The Records of the Bureau of Ships, Record Group 19,
National Archives and Records Administration,
8601 Adelphi Road, College Park,
Maryland 20740, USA.
The funny thing is that the plan is also a copy of the only original plan of Santisima Trinidad Known to exist. This plan is signed by Romero Landa and is in St. Petersburg (Rusia). The "Rusian plan"  depicts Trinidad in 1796 with 130 guns. In 1803, according to Spanish records, it had 134 and lastly in 1805 144guns. 
Third, there is not a single drawing of Santisima Trinidad´s stern. So you are free to imagine or design as you please. Due to copyright issues cannot post some of the work I´ve done and drawings from books I have. I´ll be glad to help you on that via MP. Meanwhile check this pictures from the best model of Santisima I´ve seen so far. It belongs to Mr Berenguer and it was build in 1973, scale 1/100: 
 
http://usuarios2.arsystel.com/naviost2/RBMG/modelo1973.htm
 
 
Not quite Roman. Check this book:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/026251415X#_

Hello everyone. I am reloading the build log for my Bonhomme Richard that was lost due to the data loss. Luckily, I keep photos on my home computer along with albums on Facebook.
 
The Bonhomme Richard (Ex-Duc de Duras) 1:48th scale by Jerry Greening
Personal Background
     I have been building plastic scale models for the last 35 years. Some of those models include the Lindberg line of ships along with two Revel U.S.S Constitution. For quite some time I have wanted to build a plank on frame ship for many years but never really had the time. In my late teens up till my mid 20's I served in both the US Army (143rd EVAC Hospital) and the US Navy (USS Jarrett FFG-33). About 4 years ago I came across a plastic kit for a Perry Class Frigate - same class as I served on. I built that model and converted it to match the Jarrett as she appeared during Operation Desert Shield in 1991. Once I finished the Jarrett the bug to build the plank on frame bit hard. The question of what to build remained. I began looking through the model shipways, Mantua, and Dumas catalogs - I didn't find anything that really bit me as a project. I was looking for a special 17th century American warship other than the Constitution. In searching across the internet I came across some pictures of Karl Wienmann's build of the Bonhomme Richard. I was impressed by his workmanship, moreover the Bonhomme Richard struck me as the perfect project after all what ship could possibly fit along side my Jarrett than the flagship of the man who is regarded as the father of the United States Navy. My perusing of Karl's pictures led me to Model Ship World which I originally joined in 2011. Knowing I needed to hone some ship modeling skills i did purchase the Model Shipways Armed Virginia Sloop, which I did my first build postings on this website (I plan on reloading that build log soon). In the mean time I set about the task of locating some drawings for the Bonhomme Richard. Through my research I discovered that Jean Boudriot drawings of the ship are generally considered to be the most accurate. These where being sold at onetime by Ancre, which is a French nautical publication company. I sent off a couple emails to them inquiring about purchasing the drawings - I never heard back from them, which is a complaint echoed by several other people. Trying a different path I conducted a search through some online used bookstore databases. I found many copies available, however the least expensive of these was through Amazon.De (Amazon in Germany) that copy ended up being US $350, I didn't purchase them at first, only after spending many more weeks searching for something less expensive, which I didn't - so I ordered them, but only after my other half well basically ordered me to order them. I guess she got tired of me searching. She also didn't really have an idea how big the Richard is at 1:48 scale. Something she figured out about the time I laid the keel out - I now owe her a bigger house. Note that if you are to look for these drawings today they are about $150 less than what I paid due to the Euro being weaker against the Dollar than it was two years ago, they are available through several online booksellers. Keep in mind though they are out of print, somewhat collectible.     The Bonhomme Richard - History
     The Bonhomme Richard began her life as a French East Indiaman named the Duc de Duras. The Duras was launched in Lorient, France on 28 November 1765. Over the course of her career with the French East India Company the Duc de Duras made four voyages to the orient and was for a time utilized as a French troop transport before ownership was transfered to King Louis XVI in January of 1779. By this point in thecareerof the Duc de Duras she was extremely worn and considered too old a vessel for the voyage from France to the orient. The actual purchase of the ship by the French Crown was part of deal negotiated by Benjamin Franklin to secure larger ships for the fledgling "American Navy". Franklin was a regular in King Louis's court, his presence in France served the purpose of keeping the cause of the American Revolution fresh in the minds of the French King and his court in order to continue receiving supplies needed by the American Colonists in their war with the British. The presence of John Paul Jones in France was for a slightly different purpose. John Paul was in command of the American sloop Ranger where he was conducting the war along the coastline of the British Isles.        The work to convert the Duc de Duras to a ship more suitable for warfare began in March of 1779 and was completed in May of that same year. It was during this yard period that John Paul Jones renamed the ship the Bonhomme Richard, which was the title of a very popular book in France at the time, penned by none other than Benjamin Franklin. The Duc de Duras being a vessel of trade was thus not very heavily armed, much of this conversion involved openning some gun ports while closing others and relocating still others as Jones saw fit in order to turn her into a ship of war. According to Jean Boudriot, the Duras had been designed to accommodate 13 guns of 12lb rating on each side of the gun deck. In reality the ship only carried three on each side with the remaining 10 ports having been planked over. Due to the difficulties Jones encountered in securing 18lb cannons which Jones wished to arm the Richard with, he only opened an additional 4 ports per side of the gundeck. In the end Jones was only able to secure six 18lb cannons instead of the desired 10, requiring a new gunport to be cut in the aft section of the hull for the purposes of trimming out the stern of the ship. The use of the larger 18lb cannon also necessitated the enlargement of all the gunports. Other modifications included enlarging the gunports on the upper deck to accommodate 12lb cannon in lieu of the 8lb cannon the ship was originally designed to accommodate. Additional ports where cut into the wardroom at the stern, a pair of bowchaser ports at the bow and an additional 5 ports per side on the quarterdeck, these where armed with 8lb cannon. Additional structural modifications included the addition of iron knees to the upper decks to accommodate the weight of the additional cannons. Jean Boudriot also theorized that Jones would have modified the masts and rigging to accommodate royal topsails that where the norm for the period thus he incorporated these into his drawings.        With Modification work to the Bonhomme Richard being completed in May of 1779, Jones set to sea in June of that year tasked with escorting a convoy. During the escort the Richard collided with another ship in the convoy severally damaging the bow area of the ship and requiring a return to the yards for repair. During this yard period Jones had the riding bits moved from the main deck down to the gundeck with new hawseholes cut appropriately. The capstan was also replace having suffered significant damage in the collision. By August 14th, repairs complete John Paul Jones, now in command of a seven ship squadron, set sail from France bound for the coastal waters of Scotland and Ireland in a repeat of an earlier cruise Jones made in command of the Ranger. Three of the vessels would desert Jones squadron before reaching the coastline. By all accounts the squadron,now consisting of just four ships, sank, burned, and took a number of merchant vessels as prizes, , alsoknowledgeof Jones presence off the coast caused a bit of concern among the coastal towns and villages and within the British government, who viewed Jones as a pirate. The British Navy had orders to intercept Jones and put an end to his terrorizing of the coastline. On the afternoon of September 23rd 1779 off the coast of Flambourgh Head Jones squadron engaged in the pursuit of a number of merchant vessels. The vessels upon sighting Jones squadron turned back,their retreat covered by two British warships the Countess of Scarborough and the 44 gun HMS Serapis setting the stage for one of the most legendary navel battles in American history.   Flambourgh Head      At 6:30 on September 23rd the Serapis and the Bonhomme Richard engaged each other, the sun was just setting and the winds where light. Going into the battle the HMS Serapis had the upper hand in that she was both more maneuverable and more heavily armed than the Bonhomme Richard. In the first hour of the battle heavy fighting ensued that saw all six of the 18lb cannon aboard the Bonhomme Richard were put out of action due to one of them exploding causing heavily damage to the gundeck forcing the Richards gun crews to the upper decks. Jones slowed the Bonhomme Richard, turned to the starboard into the Serapis and attempted to board her on the starboard quarter. In an attempt to avoid the boarding maneuver, Captain Pearson aboard the HMS Serapis turns her to the starboard crossing in front of the Bonhomme Richards bow, unable to avoid collision the Bonhomme Richard struck the starboard quarter of the Serapis. The HMS Serapis eventually pulls free from the entanglement resulting from the collision. Captain Pearson brought the Serapis alongside the Richard at gun range in an attempt to utilize the still functioning main batteries aboard the her. Jones immediately counters this by turning starboard across the path of the Serapis. Due to reduced maneuverability the HMS Serapis is unable to avoid collision and slams into the Bonhomme Richards starboard side, the bowsprit of the Serapis becoming hopelessly entangled in the Bonhomme Richards mizzen shrouds. Jones Paul Jones continues turning the Bonhomme Richard to the starboard bringing her alongside the Serapis, the two ships are now lashed together by a large number of grappling hooks, night has fallen and the battle continues at point blank range for the cannons along with hand to hand combat on the upper decks of both ships. The frigate Alliance, under command of Captain Pierre Landais and part of Jones own squadron begins circling the Serapis and the Richard indiscriminately firing grapeshot into the rigging and across the decks of the two ships. The Serapis's 18lb cannon continued to tear through the waterline and the gundeck of the Bonhomme Richard severely weakening her already old framing timbers. Just three hours into the battle the Bonhomme Richard  was on fire with half her crew already dead or injured. Only three of the port side 8lb cannon located on the Bonhomme Richards quarterdeck remained serviceable. The Bonhomme Richard was sinking, two petty officers both wounded and under the belief that John Paul Jones was dead hailed the HMS Serapis calling for "quarters" by some accounts they also attempted to strike the Richards colors. Jones, who had been commanding one of the last serviceable 8lb cannons on the quarter deck heard them. Jones rushed the two petty officers, striking one unconscious with his pistol. There was a reply from the Serapis asking if Jones wanted to surrender. Jones replied back "I may sink, But I'll be damned if I surrender!" In later years this became the more widely known phrase "I have not begun to fight!" With the Bonhomme Richard in dire straits two events occured that would instantly turn the battle in Jones favor. The master-at -arms aboard the Richard released English prisoners being held below deck and put them on the ships pumps, they managed to stem just enough of the incoming water to keep the ship afloat just long enough for the next event to finally turn the tide of battle. Jones had heavily barricaded the top rigging of the Bonhomme Richard back in France. A number of sailors where utilizing the top rigging as a point to lay musket fire and drop grenades onto the Serapis deck below. One sailor ventured out to end of a yardarm and managed to drop a grenade through an open hatch on the Serapis's maindeck, the grenade reached the gundeck where it exploded setting off nearby power kegs wrecking the gundeck of the HMS Serapis. By 10:30 pm after just 4 hours of fighting with both ships burning fiercely and half their crews dead or injured Captain Richard Pearson of the HMS Serapis struck the ships colors and surrendered to John Paul Jones. It took the combine efforts of both crew to finally extinguish the fires aboard both vessel by sunrise on the 24th. Though the Bonhomme Richard was still afloat, due to the efforts of the men at her pumps, Jones realized she was lost, he transfered his command along with his wounded to the Serapis. On the morning of Saturday the 25th of September 1779 the Bonhomme Richard slipped beneath the waters off Flambourgh Head.

Before I start my build log some information about the real La Créole and
the data from which my model will build.
 
The La Créole was a 24-gun corvette of the French Navy. The corvette
carried 4 x 18 pdr guns and 20 x 30 pdr carronades.
Her plans were drawn by P. M. Leroux in 1827. She was launched in Cherbourg in
May 1829. The ship took part in the French invasion of Mexico in 1838, and most
notably in the Bombardment of San Juan de Ulloa before French troops disembarked and captured the city of Veracruz.

There is a fine shipyard model on display at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris which is shown by many photos in the book of Jean Boudriot (in French). 
 
I use the following sources for building my model of the corvette:
Jean Boudriot - Historique de la corvette 1650-1850: La
Créole, 1827
 
 
Now the images of beginning:
 
 
 
To be continued...
 
Best regards
Johann
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi.
I am now the very pleased owner of the Byrnes saw.
I have been working through the link provided below ( and a very usefull like too).
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/2593-cutting-scale-timber/
I am an engineer by trade that has worked to dead size tolerances and when I look at its build I can tell that Jim is also a engineer.
Every part of this saw is made to exacting standards and quality is outstanding.
No wonder you people over the puddle send so many rockets into space with this standard of machining and quality.
I have to say this is one quite machine and I could use it in the lounge while skipper is watching TV.
So far I have produced timber that far exceeds the timber I have purchased. Tolerances and finish are wonderful.
 
If any one has any questions ..Please ask.
 
Would I recommend this saw ... YES.
Regards Antony.

Here's the pics to date:
 

Hi, this is my first build log.
I decided to get into the ship modelling hobby, so I bought the Modellers Shipyard started kit, that includes the HM Cutter Mermaid, a set of basic tools, and a beginners guide to ship modelling in e-book and DVD.
 
On the picture you can see the unboxed model kit and the tool set. I took a step further and decided to add later the sails to the model, so I also bought sail cloth, the sail plans, and an instructional DVD on the topic.
 

Yards, running rigging, anchors and finished model:    Like the masts, the yards were made from dowels with the octagonal sections built up from strip wood. Unlike the standing rigging, which I do from aft to fore, the yards and running rigging are done from fore to aft. The reasoning, however, is the same -- ease of access. All of the yards are mounted on the brass pins that were previously added to the masts. 
 
Running rigging always involves choices as to what to include or exclude. On this build, I included all of the yard control lines ( Slings, trusses, parrels,lifts, ties, halyards and braces)  and many, but not all of the sail control lines ( clews, sheets, tacks, but not buntlines, leechlines or reef rigging for the square yards; halyards and downhauls for the headsails, but not for the other staysails ).
 
The anchors are from the kit. The stocks were made from boxwood. The buoys were made from tapered dowel.
 
Bob

Okay...in response to requests for pictures...here they are!
 
Since my last post I mixed a batch of carpenter's glue with water (60/40) and brushed it over the balsa hull planking. That stiffened things up considerably.
 
Next, I set about filling the dips and hollows with wood filler in preparation for the second planking.
 
This is the simple jig I made for the upper gallery windows and some of the windows.
 

 

 

 

Are you familiar with this image of Santisima Trinidad?

The draught is very large. Do not overlook Museu Maritim in Barcelona. I am not that versed in this ship but the building was done in the English style hence Mateo Mullan and his son Ignacio Mullan who completed it. The remodel of the ship after launch if I recall in Ferrol was probably the result of conflicts between the established groups and Jorge Juan's admiration for the British system. I must say this admiration was well founded. As reflected in many ways by the graphic works by the Marques de la Victoria. There were other prolific British builders of the time that had a profound effect in the final transformation of Spanish sail that culminated with the works of perhaps the most famous Romero de Landa and Retamosa. I will not post the image of the figurehead in question. But if you need it I can email direct to you.