6th rate 24-gun ship (1740)
HMS Rose is my next sailing cruiser project in 1/700. I am not building the HMS Rose, whose replica played HMS Surprise in Master & Commander, but an older Rose.
This Rose was of the type of cruiser, which was the standard small cruiser of the Royal Navy of the first half of the 18th century. The Royal Navy tried to combine a strong gun armament with a high freebord. The first 6th rates of this type built in 1719 had only 20 6-pounders on the upper deck. The main deck was above the waterline � as in the bigger two-decker, but in contrast to the �true frigate�. There were only oarports, which make possible to row the ship, but the hull was optimised for sailing.
But when the armament should be strengthened the Royal was not able resist the temptation to arm also the main deck. The ships of 1733 Establishment got two 9-pounders on the main deck aft. The ships of the 1745 Establishment got an additional pair of 9-pounders on the main deck. Also the 6-pounders of the main deck were exchanged to 9-pounders. The superstructure was enlarged and the quarterdeck was equipped with two 3-pounders. The effect was very detrimental to the sailing qualities, which demonstrated that this type was dead-end for the development of the sailing cruiser. The Royal Navy replaced it with the �true frigate�, which was developed from conquered French privateers.
In spite of her bad sailing qualities the HMS Rose was quit successful. She was one of the ships of the 1733 Establishment and she was built in 1740 in Rotherhithe. Rose was sold in 1755. In the War of Austrian Succession with Spain Rose attacked between 1740 and 1745 Spanish shipping in America. She made such a huge amount of booty that she was described as the richest British ship sailing from America.
I am using drawings of the HMS Lyme by Laszlo Benczur and drawings of HMS Lyme included in The Story of Sail by Veres Laszlo and Richard Woodman, which I have reduced to 1/700. Lyme was also built 1740 in Rotherhithe. I have original plans of HMS Fox built also in 1740 in Rotherhithe, which were identical to those of Lyme. Therefore I considered the ships of this type built at the same time on the same shipyard to be nearly identical. I have chose HMS Rose, because her history is much more interesting than Lyme�s. About the Lyme it is only known that she foundered at sea in 1747, which is not surprising considering the sailing qualities of this type of 6th rates.
Here are the plans:
I built the hull until the main deck using a 0.5 mm thick polystyrol sheet, on which I clued a 0.25 mm thick sheet to simulate the sheer. At the bow and the stern I clued two 1 mm thick sheets and one 0,25 mm thick sheet, which made it easier to form the bow and the stern. I left space between them, because I want to show the two 9-pounders on the main deck.
Using cut out parts of the plans as a template I checked the form of the hull:
The necessary 9-pounder guns, 3-pounder guns and 3/4-pounder swivel are brass barrels produced by Burkhardt Masch:
Here is a detail view of the 9-pounder:
