HMS Jason by Beef Wellington - Caldercraft - 1:64 - Artois-class frigate modified from HMS Diana 1794

[Blue Ensign]

A fine job Jason, and nice and close to the stern post.

Will you be fitting a Rudder coat?

 

B.E.

[cog]

Looks very smart, but I would have expected the bolts to be exposed, not create a hollow in the straps ... that's my ignorance writing

[egkb]

Super stuff J .. Looks Amazing !!

 

Eamonn

[Gahm]

This looks REALLY good, Jason!

 

Thomas

[Beef Wellington]

OC, Thomas, Eamonn, thanks for kind words.

 

@ BE - jury is out on a rudder coat, I've seen the great result you achieved, what I'm wrestling with the aesthetic and the quality of the result I might achieve.  In the event I don't, I did simulate the end of the tiller 

@ Carl - You reiterated my dilemma   1:64 is a scale where it seems sometimes that details are a question of compromise.  The downside of using raise pins is that to my eye, they appear more obvious and overscale - and also runs the risk that it would be hard to get these positioned accurately  Staying with the indentations, from typical viewing distance it is not obvious to the eye that the indents are in fact indentations rather than raised (think of the classic 'hollow face' optical illusion).  The rudder straps were unaltered and show how these parts came.

 

Anyway...I was very excited to finally receive my copy of the Diana plans from NMM.  WOW!  I've never had a chance to see these types of plans before and I'm very impressed, not only will it hopefully become a nice decorative piece, but its very informative.  Even though the plan indicates it's 'Diana' (non-contemporaneous pencil annotation), it appears to me that these should be considered to be more generic to the Artois class as a whole - there contemporary are annotations indicating that the foremast on 'Jason' and 'Diamond' were moved forward 6 1/4" - but, I'm not going to make any changes at this point as its quite subtle.

 

There are so many details that are much clearer than in the AOTS or kit plans, but few items just for starters...(the poor quality of my photos do not do justice to the print and colours didn't come out well.)

 

Given I'm building roughly 'as designed', I will need to reconsider a few things:

• The position of the mizzen channels, these are placed lower than the kit plans and AOTS which reflect the 'as built' higher position.  Looking at the classic Diana models, I now see this is indeed where they are positioned.  The structure of the chains is also very different to what is provided in the kit. 
• This view also shows evolutionary changes to the positions of the cannon and carronade ports.

 

To hopefully resolve a discussion/dilemma experience by Diana builders...my opinion estimating from these plans (and assuming plans to be correct scale) is that the kit stern frame are too wide at the top of the rearmost bulkhead by about 5mm.  Not too significant, but enough to cause the misalignment with the stern fascia and light positions experienced by all builders it seems.  Correction of this and other bulkheads would not be hard when starting out on the kit, but would need to be done prior to planking.

 

 

The main channels are shown positioned below the sheer rail 'as designed'.  Unfortunately I've been working to have these in line with the sheer rail (as built it appears), but am not going to make changes as the difference is quite subtle.   The built up bulwarks are also clearly shown, the kit provides for, and reference made in AOTS to Diana having a more decorative style consistent with the open bulkhead profile - the plans show these as the more standard, utilitarian square profile that later became standard.

 

 

The bow sections shows a number of interesting aspects:

• Changes to positions of timberheads to accommodate evolving cannon/carronade compliment
• Inclusion of a forward port (as built) which I suspect would have been for access to the cathead/anchor rather than including a cannon.  This would have been a nice feature to add, but would require significant rework earlier in the build (more than I did) to allow this as it aligns with the foremost bulkhead
• Also seems that there was some variations on the profile of the stem, and position of the cathead

 

Edited January 30, 2018 by Beef Wellington

[Barbossa]

Hi Jason,

 

Your research is as impressive as your skills

The misalignment causing annoyance with position of stern & quarterdecklights is troublesome as you pointed quite rightly.

I faced the same problem and some "Googling" for HMS Diana 1994 images shows clearly your point.

In fact the underside of the quarterdeckwindow should (more or less) coincide with the underside of the closest gunport. By consequence this affects the position of the stern windows as this awkward position causes the underside of those windows to be covered partially by the quarter galleries structure.

I had to file ( downsize ) this inner piece as much as I could but occasional taking photo's with a flash makes it still visible. 

Another consequence is the impossibility of fixing some kind of ornamental rail just above the quarterdeckgallery

 

I sincerely hope every Diana builder takes your warning very seriously as this is a visible detail.

 

The channel belonging to the mizzenmast : according to the AotS-images from the "open - bulwark" version : this part had to be splitted in two but I still used what the kit provided + some scratch building.

 

Keep up the good work !

[BANYAN]

Very nice work on the rudder and fittings Jason.  It bodes well for a very nice model with the care and attention to research you are doing.

 

For consideration only, I invested in a punch kit plastic modellers use which can punch many sizes and styles of head from a very thin foil.  A bit tricky positioning but they do provide a more realistic result when painted.  Not trying to get you to change your current work, just for the future if that is what you are trying to achieve.

 

I have a set of the the Small Shop - The nutter set - for blind, bolts and rivets which I got from Historex - I have no connection with them whatsoever, simply where I got mine

 

cheers

 

Pat

Edited February 2, 2018 by BANYAN

[Landlubber Mike]

Really impressive work Jason.  Top notch, masterful joinery, painting, etc.  Incredible!

 

On the rudder coat, I saw that Micromark now carries “leather paper” - I think it’s a kind of textured paper that simulates leather.  I’ve never used it so can’t vouch for it, but just throw that out there if you are looking for potential materials.

[Timmo]

Looking very fine with that rudder installed Jason.

[uss frolick]

Jason, I'm sure you're aware of "Action of 30 June 1798" (from Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_30_June_1798), where your beautiful Jason is featured prominently:

 

"The Action of 30 June 1798 was a minor naval engagement fought along the Biscay coast of France during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French Navy had been largely driven from the Atlantic Ocean early in the war following heavy losses in a series of failed operations. This had allowed the Royal Navy's Channel Fleet to institute a close blockade on the French naval ports of the Biscay coast, particularly Brest in Brittany. The blockade strategy included a constantly patrolling inshore squadron composed of frigates, tasked with preventing the passage of French ships into or out of the port. In the spring of 1798, several French frigates stationed in the Indian Ocean were sent back to France as the base at Île de France could no longer supply them effectively. One of these ships was the 40-gun frigate Seine, which departed Port Louis laden with 280 soldiers from the garrison.

Seine had a rapid passage back to European waters, arriving in the Bay of Biscay on 28 June. Early the following morning, with the Brittany coast in sight, Seine was spotted by the inshore frigate squadron of HMS Jason, HMS Pique and HMS Mermaid. While Mermaid cut Seine off from the coast, Jasonand Pique gave chase as Seine fled southwards. Pique reached Seine at 23:00 that evening and for more than two and a half hours the frigates pounded at one another until Pique fell back. Pique and Jason continued the chase full speed through the night, until suddenly all three frigates crashed headlong into the sandbanks off La Tranche-sur-Mer on the Vendée coast. Even while grounded the frigates continued to fire on one another until Mermaid finally arrived and the outnumbered Seine surrendered. Jason and Seine were badly damaged but successfully refloated, the casualties on the packed decks of the French ship appallingly high, but Pique was an irretrievable wreck: the ship was evacuated and then burnt before the remainder of the squadron returned to Britain with their prize.

 

In the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars, although the French Navy had sought to oppose the Royal Navy at sea from their main base at Brest in Brittany, the Royal Navy had achieved victories at the Glorious First of June and Battle of Groix. The losses inflicted on the French Atlantic fleet in these battles were compounded by large numbers of ships wrecked in storms during the disastrous Croisière du Grand Hiver and Expédition d'Irlande operations.^[1] By 1798 the Royal Navy was unopposed in its control of the Atlantic, enforcing its supremacy by a strategy of close blockade, maintaining a battle fleet at sea off Brittany and an inshore squadron of frigates watching the approaches to Brest.^[2] In June 1798 the inshore squadron included a detachment comprising the 38-gun HMS Jason under Captain Charles Stirling, the 36-gun HMS Pique under Captain David Milne and 32-gun HMS Mermaid under Captain James Newman-Newman.^[3]

For French warships oceanic travel was extremely hazardous and ships often travelled in numbers. In the spring of 1796 a squadron commanded by Contre-amiral Pierre César Charles de Sercey had sailed from Rochefort to reinforce French naval forces in the Indian Ocean, based at Port Louis on the Île de France.^[4] Sercey's squadron failed to make a significant impression, driven off from the East Indies in an inconclusive action off Sumatra,^[5] and then tricked into fleeing from a vulnerable East India Company merchant convoy in the Bali Strait Incident in January 1797.^[6] By the end of the year the Colonial Assembly, which were unhappy with plans of the French Directory to abolish slavery, refused to continue supplying the squadron and garrison, forcing Sercey to disperse his ships.^[7] First Régénérée and Vertu were ordered back to France, and then in early 1798 the 40-gun Seine was instructed to follow them, carrying 280 soldiers from the garrison no longer supported by the Colonial Assembly. Seine, still commanded by Lieutenant Julien-Gabriel Bigot following the death of Captain Latour off Sumatra in 1796, sailed on 24 March, overcrowded with the stores and dependents accompanying the soldiers.^[8][9]

 

Despite the overloading, Seine made a rapid journey to European waters, arriving in the Bay of Biscay just three months later on 28 June. Sailing for Brest with the wind, the Penmarck rocks were visible from Seine at 07:00 on 29 June when three sails appeared to the northeast.^[3] This was the inshore squadron under Stirling, and Jason and Piqueimmediately gave chase while Mermaid diverted northwards, cutting Seine off from the Breton coast and the harbour of Lorient and forcing Bigot to turn away, fleeing southwards towards La Rochelle and the Vendée coast instead. Jason and Pique followed under all sail while Mermaid was left far behind.^[10]

Throughout the day the chase continued, the British frigates gaining slowly on their quarry and as darkness fell Pique closed with the larger French ship. At 23:00 Milne was close enough to open fire on Seine, to which Bigot responded without reducing speed.^[11] For the next two and a half hours the frigates exchanged broadsides at full speed as the French coastline rapidly approached ahead. At 01:35 a shot from Seine struck the main topmast on Pique, bringing it crashing down. The consequent loss of speed forced Milne back, Seine pulling away from the smaller ship but unable to escape Jason which was steadily gaining.^[12]

Stirling was concerned by the proximity of the coast and hailed Pique with orders to anchor before it grounded, but Milne did not hear the order correctly and instead increased sail, lurching ahead of Jason and straight onto a sandbank close to La Tranche-sur-Mer on the Vendée coast.^[13] Seine too had struck the shore a little distance ahead, and Stirling was unable to arrest Jason's momentum before his ship too became stuck, lying between Pique and Seine.^[10] The French ship had been badly damaged in the crash, all three masts collapsing overboard at impact, but actually lay in a stronger position: Jason blocked Pique's arc of fire and Stirling's ship had swung with the rising tide, leaving its stern exposed.^[11] Bigot took advantage of this position to fire several raking broadsides into Jason, during which Stirling was wounded and command passed to Lieutenant Charles Inglis.^[12] Inglis responded to the fire by cutting stern gunports to fire chase guns at Seine,^[13] and Milne succeeded in dragging his frigate around through the novel expedient of ordering his men to run towards the bows carrying round shot. This sudden shift in weight gently rotated the grounded ship to face Seine and Milne could direct four of his 12-pounder long guns at the French ship.^[14] Under fire and with Mermaid finally approaching, Bigot determined that further resistance was hopeless and struck his colours.^[10]

 

Dawn on 30 June revealed the three frigates grounded on the sandbar, prompting a response from the French forces in nearby La Rochelle. Two frigates, a brig and a squadron of gunboats were sent to fire on the British ships, but this force was dissuaded from engaging by the arrival of another British blockade squadron comprising HMS Phaeton under Captain Robert Stopford, HMS San Fiorenzo under Captain Sir Harry Neale and HMS Triton under Captain John Gore.^[9] Stopford's squadron assisted Stirling's force as Jason was towed off by Mermaid. Pique however was irretrievably stuck with water leaking into the hull. After all efforts to refloat the ship had been exhausted, the frigate was evacuated and stripped of stores before the wreck was set on fire.^[12] It took some time for boarding parties to reach Seine and a number of the French crew had taken the delay in seizure of the ship to dive overboard and swim for the beach, making an accounting of casualties difficult. As the day continued, boat parties of French civilians sailed out to the ship and climbed aboard, breaking into the liquor stores leading to drunken confusion on deck. Bigot was allowed to go ashore temporarily, as were four men escorting a lady from Île de France: all five French sailors subsequently returned to captivity voluntarily.^[16] Seine was subsequently refloated with jury masts after the guns were thrown overboard to lighten the ship,^[12] and the figurehead of Pique was nailed over her own, Seine sailing with the squadron to Portsmouth.^[16]

 

Losses on the British ships had been light, with seven killed on Jason, including the second lieutenant, and eleven wounded, including Stirling. Pique lost one killed and another lost overboard and six wounded. French losses were enormous, the effects of concentrated cannon fire on the packed decks producing casualties of approximately 170 killed and 100 wounded, the former including a number who drowned after the ship grounded.^[13] Bigot and his crew were brought to Britain as prisoners of war, the commander later exchanged and twice promoted on his return to France in recognition of his resistance during the engagement,^[9] although unsubstantiated rumours persisted that he had personally shot some of his men when they abandoned their guns.^[16] Milne was complimented for his tenacious pursuit of Seine and after repairs he and his crew were confirmed in possession of the French ship, which served in the Royal Navy under the same name.^[17] By the time the prize was commissioned many of its captors were prisoners of war. On 13 October 1798 Jason was patrolling off Brest when a number of French luggers were sighted. Stirling gave chase but Jason ran headlong into a submerged rock near the Pointe du Raz and began to founder. Stirling had no choice but to bring the frigate inshore and land on the French coast as the frigate sank. Stirling and his men were captured, except for twelve sailors who, in groups of six, stole a cutter and a jollyboat and escaped to Plymouth.^[18]"

[Beef Wellington]

Thanks everyone for interest and kind words

 

Frolick - thanks for posting the history of that action, always very interesting to read.

 

Final comments on the stern, brief notes, and pictures thrown in just for spice:

 

The roof of the quarter galleries was really the last major hurdle to getting the 'look' of the stern as I wanted it.  This did pose a conundrum, as options abounded.  Other frigates of the period typically seemed to have the more classical fluted columns between lights and shingled 'roof' to the quarter galleries, and the contemporary models of Diana have a highly decorative roof and columns which Christian (Barbossa) has replicated so beautifully on his Diana.  In the end, just decided to follow the AOTS book and its distinctly Georgian look which I like and use some of the kit supplied mouldings.

 

The roof itself was made from some spare stock and shaped to dimensions less that that suggested by the instructions using the plans.  The kit provides some soft metal decorations, although how they are supposed to be applied is a mystery as the roof has a quite fine, but pronounced convex-concave shape.  I very carefully attacked this with a dremel and removed the thickness of the metal backing to leave the decorative elements which felt a little more in keeping with the scale.  This was less challenging that at first thought, though care is certainly required and fine tuning with a sanding stick.  The only problem was that the these did have a tendency to break, although these can be reassembled without too much difficulty in situ.

 

With the roof in place the stern seems to have acquired its (almost) final form, some decorations between the lights need to be applied still as appear on the stern, and a molding will ultimately the placed on top.  Overall, I am very happy with the way this turned out, and proved to be more challenging than I had initially thought.  I've talked at length at some faults with the dimensions and shapes of the provided PE parts but I think these can be used to provide reasonable results with some planning.  These do look much better to the human eye, the camera seems to highlight the slightest misalignment 

 

 

The sheer rail could now be placed, and fortuitously this landed almost exactly where it should lining up with the top of the quarter gallery roof.  Gaps have been left for the channels which will be positioned later.  Steps, fenders and chesstrees have also been attached after reducing slightly to the expected level of the deck.  Not much else to say so I'll leave with some pictures...

 

[Landlubber Mike]

Amazing work Jason.  The colors you are using complement each other perfectly.  Just wow!

[alde]

That's an absolutely beautiful build Jason. It's an inspiration. 

[Gahm]

Wonderful work, Jason! A pleasure to watch!

 

Thomas

[BANYAN]

Stunning work Jason; very nicely detailed with clean sharp finishes.  I have to agree with your choice on the 'gingerbread', the Georgian detail looks the part - she is looking very good indeed mate.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[jwvolz]

Fantastic Jason, she's looking great.

[Beef Wellington]

Thanks Mike, Al, Dirk, Thomas Pat, Joe and all the likes for kind words and continued interest.   It feels like its been so long since I provided an update that I'm going to do just that, even though I don't think I've really reached a "point of completion" worthy of note, it will serve to document a few things before I forget.

 

Ladders:

How to approach these?  Having known for some time I wouldn't be happy with the kit supplied items I've been pondering how to get a half decent result without the table saw that I aspire to one day!  In the end, a simple jig made up some 2mm thick strip with one face carefully angled using a Proxxon disk sander proved to do the job well enough.  Once the treads were cut to the same length, simply slotting into the jig, placing glue on the ends and placing the stringers proved simple enough.  Removing from the jig after a couple if minutes before the glue cures fully makes for much easier (lower stress) removal.  The central stringer on the wider ladder was simulated with individual 1x2mm pieces.  The sharper eyed among you will notice a notch cut in the back of the wider one, more on that in a moment...

 

 

Everything is just dry fitted, but pretty pleased with how these look in place.  (Side-note:  I did go a little crazy and placed a grating on the false lower deck as shown on the plans.  This proved to actually be quite visible, more so in person than shows up in the photos and adds a little additional depth).

 

 

For the main hatch, I ran into a little dilemma.  In previous posts you can see how I had simulated the cross beam from the plans, this did cause a problem though when it came to figuring out how the ladder fits here.  First attempt below was of a shorter stringer with one less tread, but although this terminates at the height of the beam, it just didn't seem right as it would be a real stretch for Captain Stirling to hoist his leg up reasonably.  I also built a longer version with one additional riser, this seems more appropriate, but requires the aforementioned notch to be cut into the back of the stringer to fit around the beam.  Despite hiding a feature I had quite proudly included, it does look better to my eye and certainly more practical - I can only speculate that this is the solution used on the real ship.

 

Rejected first solution:

 

Dockyard approved solution:

 

Cole Pumps:

Another very dominant feature that will be visible are the Cole chain pumps.  The kit provides 3 pieces to build up into the cistern and the domed cover, but these would require painting.  I wanted to try and improve on these, and possible explore keeping these a natural finish.  After struggling to reconcile the dimensions in the AOTS book, I gave up because none of the scale diagrams agree to each other.  In the end, I used the guidance in TFFM to approximate dimensions and adjusted to account for the wider width of the partners, and ensure that the height of the top of the cistern is a scale 3' 7" off the deck as TFFM specifies - this makes total sense as this would likely land mid chest for most people which would be an optimal height to operate most efficiently.  The covers are still a work in progress as I will cover in castello planking.  These are still in process, but overall, these took quite a while to figure out and proved to be very fiddly, but they are a heck of lot of fun to do!

 

The mainmast partners have also been simulated using a simplified structure as this will be almost completely obscured when all the various pumps and cross pieces are finally in place.

 

 

Paint choice for metal:

Think I've decided on the colour to use for metal items, Tamiya Dark Iron XF-84.  The photos of course don't show the subtlety visible to the eye, being a definite browny black, but this colour is very very similar to blackend brass.  I've been reluctant to paint the beautiful RB barrels and the fact that this colour blends in so well means that I think I can now feel sure to keep these as is but know that non-metal items can be made to trick the eye.  I built the stove provided in the kit up to prove this out and is a pleasant contrast to the Admiralty 'matte metal black ' used on the coamings and other wales.  BTW - despite assembling this, I'm pretty sure I will be trying to scratch build my own stove....just because....

 

Edited April 27, 2018 by Beef Wellington

[dvm27]

Very nice work Jason. I like the spirketting and coaming colors, I find that automotive black spray primer followed by sprayed black does a nice job of simulating iron. The key is to apply several light coats so no detail is obscured.

[Landlubber Mike]

Nice work Jason.  I pulled up the Dark Iron paint on Amazon and saw it was brown and was a bit confused - looks like it works perfectly though!

 

That notch in the ladders worked out great.  Seems like a good way generally to ensure that the ladder stays fixed in place.  I'd hate to have a ladder come loose in the lower decks.

[Blue Ensign]

Fabulous photo's of some great progress Jason, and that 'iron' paint looks spot on. 

 

B.E.

[Old Collingwood]

Really nice work  so tidy.

 

OC.

[BANYAN]

Beauuuutful work Jason, your paint and timber finishes are spot on!  The wait was worth it!

 

cheers

 

Pat

[NMBROOK]

It has been a while since I visited your log Jason due to not being around much of late.I must say this is one of the cleanest,sharpest kit based builds I have seen.I am also an advocate of Tamiya dark iron.It also works well with a little very light drybrushing of flat aluminium.

Kind Regards

Nigel

[Seventynet]

What a pleasure to see this work Jason. Beautiful, crisp and clean work.

 

ian 

[channell]

Just went through the thread for the first time... just WOW! 

 

Inspirational stuff, and making Jason's everywhere look good! 

[Beef Wellington]

Thanks for kind words everyone, welcome back Nigel, and welcome Ian and channel.

 

Mini update on a few things, think pictures are most useful.  I saw reference to a 3D printing service somewhere else on this site (Shapeways.com) and specifically one of the 'shops' on that site Model Monkey, so wanted to give it a try.  They offer a few items in 1:64 directly taken from the AOTS Diana book and offered to 3D print.  You could browse for hours through all the items offered, but here is the most helpful link for 1:64 scale offerings, these can also be made in a variety of scales. (https://www.shapeways.com/shops/model_monkey?section=1%2F64+Scale&s=0)

 

Intrigued I ordered a few items, stove and upper and lower capstans.  Out of the packet, these are translucent and it recommended to soak these, brush gently with soapy water to remove oil residue and then expose to sunlight to chemically harden - I did 2 days.  I ordered the 'Frosted Extreme Detail' which is slightly more expensive but apparently a more true print.  With an initial coat of Tamiya arcrylic grey primer the surface texture is easier to see, and the layered structure is quite visible.  I set to work on the stove and sprayed again with a matt black undercoat before finishing with the Tamiya Dark Iron.  After a number of coats, the surface texture is less apparent and really only then in lighting scenarios from above that are unlikely in the finished model.  I was reluctant to try any sort of 'sanding' as the material seems quite soft.  

 

 

With a little bit of extra work on the stove base (evergreen sheet) I think the result compares favourably to the kit supplied parts.  Overall, the proportions look more accurate (as one would expect), and the front and rear of the stove much better represent the prototype features.  I could easily see that someone could to get a better finish and detail some more but I'm leaving as is, at least for now considering what will be visible in the finished model.  The other benefit is that this barely weighs anything, the white metal stove parts provided are really quite heavy and would need to be well secured.

 

Considering the finish, I'm leaning toward using the printed lower capstan as this will only be partially visible, and provides a reasonably detailed proxy with minimal work.   This will save some time to focus on other much more visible aspects of the build and I'm Ok with 'cheating' on this item.  The upper capstan I'm less sure about, and will likely construct my own as I don't think the finish is up to close scrutiny.

 

The bottom picture highlights this for direct comparison.  The matte black undercoat on the lower capstan shoes direct comparison the "dark iron" and the way that this colour compliments nicely in my view chemically blackened metal (barrel appears overly shiny!).

 

 

Luckily I did not need to rebuild the aft bitts as the stove fit perfectly - lucky that I'd used the estimated AOTS dimensions when these were built.

 

 

In other news...work on the cannons continues slowly: these are all near the point for further detailing and hardware as structural elements are complete.  Each has been allocated its specific location and in some case the bottom of the trucks reduce slightly to ensure good seating on the deck.  Quoins were individually placed to help ensure all barrels form a smooth line when viewed from the exterior.

 

 

Edited May 13, 2018 by Beef Wellington

[robdurant]

Wow... those guns look fantastic all lined up. And the stove looks the bee's knees too.

[Old Collingwood]

Superb work   so nice.

 

OC.

[BANYAN]

Top-notch work Jason; your finishes are excellent.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[rafine]

Great looking work Jason. I' ve been thinking about some Shapeways  parts and they look very good.

 

Bob