Lady Nelson

[Rick01]

I'm about to start an attempt to lightly bash the Amati "Lady Nelson" into the Australian "Lady Nelson". NMM have a good contemporary model of the hull http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/66562.htmland I have copies of the plans used to build one of the replicas. I'm starting to research the fittings and need a little help with the cannons - her log book states that she was fitted with "2 brass carriage guns" with a further 4 added before she sailed for Aus. No mention of size however - I'm guessing that as she was an exploration vessel they would have been 3~4 lb cannon. Can anyone comment here giving me an idea of the relevant dimensions of them and how they would have been mounted as the model shows a low railing rather than a heavier bulwark to which they could have been braced.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Rick

[Jim Lad]

Rick,

 

The Lady Nelson of Australian colonial fame was a very different vessel to the cutter Lady Nelson of the Amati kit.  The best depiction of her as she was fitted for Australia is the Neele engraving, which you can see at the following link.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Lady_Nelson_(1798)#/media/File:His_Majesty%27s_vessel_the_Lady_Nelson_-_1799.JPG

 

I believe Float-a-Boat in Melbourne have a quite decent set of plans of 'our' Lady Nelson.

 

John

[Rick01]

Hi John - yes I was aware how different she was having seen both the engraving and the contemporary hull model in the NMM. I'm off to Float-a-Boat next week so I'll have a look at their plans then. I'll just have to assume that the cannons referred to were the equivalent of 3 lb'ers. Interestingly the NMM model has a railing fore and aft rather than the full bulwarks shown on the engraving - wonder which was correct as the model is of her as fitted for the Aus. voyage.

 

Rick