'Falmouth' Armed Merchant Ship (With Plans)

[Ned Loe]

'Falmouth'

 

The Falmouth was commenced by Mr. Perry to Blackwall Yard (England) on the 22nd of August 1750 and launched on 14th August 1752 as show on page 27 of "Chronicles of Blackwall Yard" by Henry Green and Robert Wigram . It was the first trading vessel of the English Indiaman Companies and showed a close resemblance to a warship in sail plan and rigging, with the most up-to-date reef-points to her topsails The ship was equipped with a large amount of artillery, unusual for the trading vessels of that period. In that she was run along the lines of naval discipline was due to the fact that the vessel could sail alone without any convoy ship, since its rich load was a good bounty for all the enemy vessels and pirate ships.

The Falmouth could easily combat a war-ship of the same tonnage, thanks to its crew of 180 experienced men including the best trained gunners. The superiority of the crew was partly due to the incentive granted to each gunman allowing each individual to transport his own 5 tonnage of goods there and 2 tonnage back. These goods were usually sold as smuggled goods to the black market. The Falmouth was of 499 tons and was in service until 1764 completing five voyages for the East India Company under the Captain George Hepburn. She was lost on her sixth voyage, wrecked at Sogar Bank in 1766.

 

Plans

 

 

[_Masterviolin]

Ooh, plans for paper model shipbuilding too! I now feel obliged to print this out and build her!

 

Perhaps, if the project goes well, I will post her here

[Chromey]

more ship variety, more fun

[pietjenoob]

what i am curious about what are the three lower guns doing so out of place

[Sella]

what i am curious about what are the three lower guns doing so out of place

 

 

As far as i know that's common in Indiamen. Like the Duc de Duras/Bohnomme Richard.

[maturin]

what i am curious about what are the three lower guns doing so out of place

That's the lower deck, where the gundeck would be on an SoL. Earlier in the century 5th and 6th Rate warships mounted a few heavy guns down there like that, while devoting most of the space to the crew's hammocks or cargo.

[Alex Connor]

Indiamen usually left the lower deck unarmed, I expect those are loading ports and the person adapting plans has added the cannon.

 

Very similar ship to the Indiaman we have ingame.

[Bart Smith]

[Billy Budd]

Indiamen usually left the lower deck unarmed, I expect those are loading ports and the person adapting plans has added the cannon.

 

Very similar ship to the Indiaman we have ingame.

 

It looks to be slightly smaller than the in game "Indiaman" and has a smaller crew, more like the size of the "Gros Ventre". It's a nice looking ship though!

[Alex Connor]

It looks to be slightly smaller than the in game "Indiaman" and has a smaller crew, more like the size of the "Gros Ventre". It's a nice looking ship though!

Our Indiaman is very overmanned, perhaps counting passengers into the crew (not unreasonable considering the passengers would have been expected to fight).

 

Both have the same 11 upper deck gunports so should be same length or very close, lot's of details match up, could almost be sisterships.