HMS Blanche 1800 by robbl - 1/48 - POF - was HMS Euryalus 1803

[allanyed]

I agree with Mark, the aft magazine was not a filling room, it is an area for racks for cartridges filled in the filling room forward.  From there they can be more easily provided to the aft guns than bringing them from the forward magazine, especially in time of battle.

 

Allan

[harvey1847]

Sorry guys about the thing about the magazine... Since the Triton has only just one I thougt that that one was pretty small (excellent built it anyway)

 

Amazing the amount of info one learn in a day with you around...

 

Keep going!

 

 

Daniel.

Edited March 3, 2014 by harvey1847

[robbl]

Hey Daniel, there's no such thing as a bad question. If people didn't ask "why is that like it is" I wouldn't go back and correct the deliberate errors I make to test peoples' observational skills.......

 

Nils, every time I look at the forum I see new things to try and parts to make - the work done here is inspirational to say the least, for example your Pamir.

 

As for me, no progress this week.

 

Not even a little bit.

 

I have a good reason though.

 

The Admiral wanted some special knitting needles made to knit rugs with, so it was plain to the simple deckhand that a tool was required for the task.......

 

 

Obviously a CNC kit would be beneficial to optimise said deckhand's time in the yard......(What can I say, I work in IT, lived with computers since 1976 and remain fascinated by geek stuff, love toys of all types and this thing is just immense fun.)

 

Haven't started on the needles yet, but have done some test subjects just to be sure I get them right ....

Here we see examples of a "pointy" end that didn't meet specifications for wool handling. And apparently they were too short .... sigh, I shall just have to try more "tests"

 

and , ok, I admit the whole needle idea came up after the lathe arrived....

 

This is the third attempt on both the carronade and cannon (we don't like to talk of the 2nd attempt at both - hair raising would be an appropriate comment, if I had any). I am practising using Acetal (Derlin) plastic rod which I believe is hard to glue bits to, so brass will be the final material - I just have to get brave enough to see the metal fly and then relearn soldering - fortunately there is a very good thread on soldering on the forum.

 

However it is back to the "real" work this weekend, I promise.

 

Oh, and the needles.....mustn't forget the needles.......

[gjdale]

Nice acquisition Rob!

[WackoWolf]

Beautiful work on the cannons, I am sure the brass ones will look just as good if not better. I like the MILL CNC setup, did you do this yourself or was it a kit?

[robbl]

The CNC mounting parts and controller were a kit from Italy, and took about 10 minutes to set up. Motors, power etc can be sourced locally.

[Sailor1234567890]

Nice work.

[robbl]

Hi all

 

Being distracted by new toys, followed by work, I haven't done much that was photo worthy, so I thought I would post a couple of "proof of life" shots having just finished the orlop deck framing.

 

 

In the background of the photos you can see the aft magazine with roof and hoods on. Some scratches still need to be smoothed out on this, and the flash makes it look worse than it really looks.

 

 

There are bulkheads still to go in either side of the aft magazine, and the platforms will be planked, but until I start work on the forward magazine and platform I won't decide how much to plank.

 

At this juncture I would say I am not a fan of carlings and ledges .... only the fore platform, two full decks, quarter deck and forecastle to do, then no more of them - yay!

 

Cheers

Rob

 

[druxey]

Lovely work, as usual, Rob.

[jansmiss]

Nice work,

[jansmiss]

Hallo Rob,

 

Yet im am finishing alto the Vénus , a vew on the rigging is www.118b.wordpress.com

Like to start the euralyus with the plans of Allan Yedlinsky and the plans of the national museum.

I would change the figure head, which figurehead you have chosen for the H.M.S. Blanche?

thanks

 

Jan

[uss frolick]

Not many of this particular class fought single ship actions. Blanche was the only one, I think, but she was taken by a mob of French frigates and corvettes afterwards.

 

In terms of fighting history, the most interesting ship of the Euryalus Class was, IMHO, HMS Hebrus. She fought the heavy French Frigate L'Etoile and took her in 1814 after a severe nighttime action, and was one of the British frigates that bombarded Ft McHenry in Baltimore. Then, in 1816, she went on to bombard Algiers with Lord Exmouth's fleet, helping to finally end Christian slavery on the Barbary Coast.

 

But Hebrus was built of fir in 1813, so she would need to have square tuck stern fastened to Euryalus's frame.

Edited December 4, 2014 by uss frolick

[robbl]

Hallo Rob,

 

Yet im am finishing alto the Vénus , a vew on the rigging is www.118b.wordpress.com

Like to start the euralyus with the plans of Allan Yedlinsky and the plans of the national museum.

I would change the figure head, which figurehead you have chosen for the H.M.S. Blanche?

thanks

 

Jan

Hi Jan

 

You pose a very good question that I have spent some time pondering. I have, a couple of times, tried to get an idea of what figurehead to use but with no luck. It is something I intend to look at later and will probably need to research it correctly rather than try to google it. I have a couple of books on figureheads, but they haven't helped apart from being good reads.

 

Are you going to rig yours?

 

Cheers

Rob

[robbl]

I am happy to see the end of 2014, as it was a year of health drama in the family and not a lot of building work at all, but there has been a little bit of progress in making the forward magazine and platform.

 

I intended to build this in the same way as the aft magazine and platform, by building the both off the model to make it easier to work on them. I think it went ok, however I got seriously confused with my measuring and the platform was way too high at the bow, Some sanding of the platform and the clamps remedied that, and the magazine fits comfortably under it in place.

 

Next for these will be completing and fitting out the magazine and adding the filling room, light boxes and structure that surrounds the foremast step before fixing the platform in place over it. I think I will have to fit the bitt pins in place as well.

 

The first few pictures show the magazine being formed by first laying out the beams then the planking. It currently finishes where the light boxes will go and will later be extended forward.

 

 

As I mentioned above, the platform was built mainly off the model. There are still a few ledges to be fitted, but it is mostly complete apart from planking and a couple of timbers forward.

 

 

Finally, where would I be without my toys. Making the knees has been relatively easy since I fitted some CNC gear to the Proxxon mill 

 

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Really nice progress

[aliluke]

Just found your log Rob. Amazing work and great to see some of our native timbers in there. How is kauri like to work with at a small scale? I'll stay in touch with your Blanche as she moves along.

[jansmiss]

Hallo Rob,splendid work!

Rigging the Vénus takes a lot of work(ref.to www.118B.wordpress.com)so I have a little underestimated it.

Hope to end of march 2015.The euryalus I hope to be able to rig if modèle d'arsenal and not finishing the rigging.

A happy and healthy new year.

 

Greetings

 

 

Jan

[robbl]

Just found your log Rob. Amazing work and great to see some of our native timbers in there. How is kauri like to work with at a small scale? I'll stay in touch with your Blanche as she moves along.

 

The kauri I have is not as nice as the totara to be honest. The totara that has been fence posts or something outside is a bit hard to put a nice edge on sometimes but has a nice dark colour, but the totara that used to be internal or furniture is lovely. That and the big block of totara I have are a nice reddy brown and cuts and shapes a treat. Matai is nice but the colour variation of the floorboards is apparent when used on the model. It works ok for the bulkheads though.

 

I have some ancient kauri that was cut up from old church pews that I have yet to try out properly that might be good. I also have some rimu, and I like that to work with as well.

[Mark Barton]

Rob

 

I am doing some research on various Napoleonic actions one of which includes some actions by HMS Blanche in 1803 and one of her officers onboard, in particular a Marine officer Nicolls. As your meme you display part of a painting - is this one featuring HMS Blanche or just another of the class? If so can you let me have any details of the painting. 

 

Many thanks

 

Mark

[robbl]

Rob

 

I am doing some research on various Napoleonic actions one of which includes some actions by HMS Blanche in 1803 and one of her officers onboard, in particular a Marine officer Nicolls. As your meme you display part of a painting - is this one featuring HMS Blanche or just another of the class? If so can you let me have any details of the painting. 

 

Many thanks

 

Mark

 

Hi Mark

 

It is a photo of part of a print I got from the Maritime Museum showing the Blanche in her last battle.

You can find it here:

http://prints.rmg.co.uk/index.cfm?event=catalogue.qsearch&searchstring=PY8041

They scanned their negative and printed it.

 

Here is my photo of the print which I have hanging in my modelling room to remind me of what I should be doing .....

 

Cheers

Rob

 

[robbl]

Rob

 

I am doing some research on various Napoleonic actions one of which includes some actions by HMS Blanche in 1803 and one of her officers onboard, in particular a Marine officer Nicolls. As your meme you display part of a painting - is this one featuring HMS Blanche or just another of the class? If so can you let me have any details of the painting. 

 

Many thanks

 

Mark

 

Have you ever read BRENTON'S NAVAL HISTORY? It has mention of this Blanche action among many other frigate actions.

[Mark Barton]

Rob 

 

Thank you very much for that. I have seen several books that cover the action with both the Naval Chronicle and the memoirs of Zachary Mudge giving quite different versions of the November 1803 action, which is the one I am interested in. I am researching the Patriotic Fund at Lloyds and they gave two swords for this action. One to Lieutenant Lake RN and one to Lieutenant Nicolls RM (I have just added the post nominals here for clarity).  The inscription on the sword was recorded as:

 

Patriotic Fund at Lloyds to Lieut Edward Nicolls (sic) of the Royal Marines for his Gallant Conduct on the 5th November 1803 upon the Cutting out by the boats of H.M.S. Blanche of a Large Coppered Armed French Cutter full of Bullocks for Cape Francois whilst Laying close under the Guns of Monte Christe, Recorded in the London Gazette of the 7th Feby 1804

 

My suspicion is this sword was broken or lost as Nicolls is the only officer to take a second Patriotic Fund sword (several others were awarded one but took plate or cash instead of the second). This second one is still held by the RM but has had the blade replaced at some point. I suspect the blade was broken fairly early as the later portrait of Nicolls does not show him with this sword which would have been the norm. 

 

Many thanks for coming back to me and if there is any further detail on any of this action or Nicolls or the Patriotic Fund you would like then please ask. 

[jansmiss]

Hi,

 

How is your continuing  of the Blanche?

 

Greatings

 

Jan