HMS Ariadne 1776 (based on HMS Sphinx) by wvdhee – Vanguard Models – 1:64 - after 1793 refit as 24 gun 6th rate

[wvdhee]

Hello y'all and a very happy, ship building filled, new year!

 

 

I have been busy with life, which prevented me to be busy with ships (I hate it when I mix up my priorities), but it's a new year and time for a new ship 🙂

 

With HMS Flirt done, it’s time for something a little bigger, one more mast, few more guns, carronades to top it off and that awesome well-known, yellow-black paintjob. Wanting another ship from Vanguard Models (you all know why) that would leave me with just one choice, the Indefatigable. But time, space and budget are preventing me from doing that one for now. And with HMS Surprise (which may tick all the boxes 😉) on the (maybe far?) horizon, I have only one option; a slightly modified version of the ship I always wanted to do anyway, HMS Sphinx .

Of all the 10 Sphinx class ships built, I think Ariadne had the most lustrous career. Launched in 1776, she sailed straight for North America to fight the revolution. She took several American ships, including the Alfred, the first flagship of the Colonial navy. She was present in a couple of sea battles against the French in the Caribbean (she even got her own St Lucia stamp).

 

 

After some time in home waters, she underwent a major refit in 1792/1793 and sailed for the Mediterranean to fight the French again. Probably not in time for the destruction of the French fleet at Toulon, she ended however up in the squadron of a certain H. Nelson, who then was the captain on the Agamemnon. She was present and played an important role in the Battle of Hyères Islands (1795), cruised the Med with Nelson’s flotilla, joined now by HMS Speedy (yes, that one) before sailing back to home waters, where she remained active until her end in 1814. One fun fact is that in 1798, while participating in an action at Ostend, she came across the now also well-known HMS Harpy 😉

 

During the major refit HMS Ariadne underwent in 1792/1793, 4 more guns (4-pounders) were added, 2 on the forecastle and 2 on the quarterdeck. The Bulwarks were heightened and some (4 or 6 depending on source) carronades were added as well. My take is 4 and all of them on the quarterdeck. A drawing with a proposal to change HMS Sphinx in much the same way, only shows one gun opening on the forecastle and it’s probably a bit tight there as well to place more guns/carronades. (https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-83709)

The guns and carronades I ordered already a while back from Vanguard Models and I have enough wood and scrap pieces left from the Flirt for the higher bulwarks, I just don’t know yet how to do it 😊

Sad thing is that I won’t be using the photo etched decorations from the Sphinx kit, but they might be used in another build some day.

And of course I need a new figurehead, preferably Ariadne 😉 but 3D printing makes everything possible these days.

In theory, I guess the stern decorations weren’t identical to the Sphinx’s, but I am hoping history will forgive me for using them anyway 😊

 

Well, I ordered the Sphinx today, so in a few days, a week maybe I will start normally! 😃

There’s plenty examples of how to build a Sphinx here already, so I won’t be posting every step, but I plan to share where I deviate from the original.