Malachi

Haha. We´re getting three of those kings of the seas sailing barns anyway. Frigates are love, frigates are life.

The next ship constructor I want to present is one whom I don´t consider the 'best' - that title should go to either Slade, Chapman or Ollivier, in my opinion - but certainly is one of my favourites: Frantz C.H. Hohlenberg Short Biography Born in 1764, he enlisted in the danish navy in at the age of 12 and became second lieutenant in 1782. Higher mathematics and shipbuilding were a part of the curriculum at the danish naval academy and Hohlenberg´s talent in these fields were quickly recognised. He then began to study the finer points of naval architecture under the tutorship of fabrikmester* Hendrik Gerner. In 1788, Hohlenberg and another student, T. Jessen, were deemed experienced enough to go on the obligatory study trip through european shipyards. The Netherlands and England were first on the list, followed by France, Italy / Venice and finally Sweden. The stays in France (where he met J.-C. de Borda) and Sweden particularly impressed Hohlenberg and were to have a lasting impact on his future work, especially the three months he spent studying under Hendrik af Chapman. He returned to Denmark in 1794 and became a teacher at the naval academy, followed by the promotion to kaptajnløjtnant and interim fabrikmester in 1796. In the same year, he submitted his first design - that of a 12-pounder frigate - to the shipbuilding commission, featuring his own ideas and incorporating all the improvements he had seen during his study trip. After this design has been approved, he became fabrikmester in 1797. But his tenure was to last just six years, cut short by the heavy criticism he received for his radical design concepts (and his fleet program) from the naval establishment which ultimately led to his resignation in 1803. He died on St. Croix in 1804. All in all, Hohlenberg designed four ships of the line, thirteen frigates, three brigs and four schooners for the danish navy. Most of the bigger vessel were built after his death, though, from 1809 to 1817. After the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807, all surviving Hohlenberg ships were incorporated into the Royal Navy. Especially the 80-gun Christian VII, generally considered as his masterpiece, was very highly regarded in british service (with the exception of the very narrow stern). It also has the distinction of being the only non-french design the Royal Navy copied, with an 80-gun ship, several 74s and 50s built to her lines. Swift and very nimble for her size, she combined speed, sea keeping ability and a very robust construction and - unlike her captured french counterparts - stood up easily to the rigors of british sea service. The other Hohlenberg ships also seem to have left an impression on their captors: 'The Danish ship Christian the Seventh, when commanded by Sir Joseph Yorke, had the first character in the English Navy as a man of war; and the Danemark and Norge, ships of war - and Venus, Danish frigate, alike shew that a very small maritime power excelled the proud ruler of the main in ship-building.' British Chronicle, 1827 *a post similar to the british surveyor The Ships Christian VII, 90 guns (as designed: 180 fod, 30 36-pounders, 32 24-pounders, 6 12-pounders, 16 36-pound carronades, 6 12-pound carronades) Norge, 74 guns (as designed: 170 fod, 32 36-pounders, 34 18-pounders, 8 36-pound carronades) Perlen, 24-pounder frigate (as designed: 150 fod 6 tom, 26 24-pounders, 12-pounders, 8 24-pound carronades) Venus, 18-pounder frigate (as designed: 139 fod, 26 18-pounders, 4 6-pounders, 6 18-pound carronades) Najaden, 12-pounder frigate (as designed: 136 fod, 30 12-pounders, 8 24-pound carronades) Fylla, light frigate/corvette (as designed: 115 fod, 20 30-pound carronades, 4 8 pounders)

A post about Ollivier without mentioning his Le Fleuron? Tststs.....;) This ship not only set the standard for french 64-gun SoLs for decades (just like his Dauphin Royal did for the 70s), but also was one of the most elegant vessels of the Age of Sail, in my opinion. And it was quite a milestone in the history of naval architecture, too, as it´s the first known example for the exact calculation of the weight of a vessel completely fitted out for sea service and of the displacement of the underwater hull (using Pierre Broguer's method of trapezoids ) at the design stage, an approach most probably pioneered by B. Ollivier. Here´s the only surviving plan of the 'mother of the classic frigate', La Medée: It´s a pity that there´s no proper sheer plan, but the body plan is detailed enough to tell us that she had a very short quarterdeck and forecastle. This and the lack of a secondary armament were pretty radical features for the time and re-emerged half a century later with the advent of the flush-decked corvettes. In 1744, La Medée became the first prize of the War of the Austrian Succession and then had a short - if very successful - career as as privateer, re-named Boscawen and armed with a mix of 30 9 - and 12-pounders on the upper deck ( yet, according to her captain, she still was 'a prime sailer'). By the way, Blaise Ollivier also left us an highly interesting insight into the building techniques of the british and dutch navies of the era, his Remarques sur la marine des Anglais et des Hollandais. These 'remarks' were the result of his travels - or rather, his industrial espionage mission - to these countries in 1737. While we´re at it, it´s only fair to mention one figure whose work was a huge source of inspiration for B. Ollivier: Blaise Pangalot. Originally from Venice (or Naples, depending on the source), he went to France to work as a shipwright and was 'discovered' by Admiral de Tourville in the late 1670s. With this kind of patronage and his exceptional talents , he quickly rose through the ranks and finally became master shipwright at Brest, the most senior position in the hierarchy of french naval engineers. While in french service, he designed and built at least 23 vessels, including five first rates, but ships were (re-)built to his designs long after the end of his career. Ollivier came into direct contact with two of Pangalot´s vessels: he took off the lines of the highly regarded Le Lys during a rebuilt and served onboard L' Achille for six months (sea service was part of the training of a french shipwright). Pangalot´s ships were famed for stability, speed and weatherliness and when french naval doctrine changed from guerre d´escadre to the guerre de course, he was soon busy building large privateers, commissioned by René Duguay-Trouin and other french corsaires. Blaise Pangalo (probably) died in 1714 in Brest, although it´s possible that he faked his own death in a rather creative effort to escape substantial financial troubles and - after a direct invitation by csar Peter I. - continued to work in Russia until 1719. Blaise Pangalot's Foudroyant (1693)

You may probably know Le Fleuron (1729) and La Medée (1741). The former set the standard for french 64-gun ships for decades and the latter was the first 'classic' frigate which had a lasting impact on subsequent cruiser design in Europe - and the first french frigate with the typical hexagonal hull shape. Vessel which were built according to his design principles include La Renommée (1744), La Sirène (1744), La Panthère (1744), 74-gun Le Dauphin Royal (1738) and the 74-gun Sceptre-class (Le Monarque, L'Intrépide, all launched 1747). He died at a relatively early age of 45 in 1746, but his influence on subsequent french naval design, through his pupils like J.-L. Coulomb, J.Chapelle and F.-G. Clairin-Deslaurier, would last for decades.

And he wrote one of the major 18th scientific works on the subject, Examen marítimo teórico-práctico. Uh...no. Next to maybe Jorge Juan, Chapman was the most 'scientific' ship constructor of the period, e.g. he made thorough use of the concept of meta-center for initial ship stability and Simpson's Rule for very accurate hull volume calculations, both still in use today. And there´s his search for the best hull shape. He collected and examined dozens of ship plans (a small part of this collection can be seen in the ANM, plates LV to LX) to understand if good sailing vessels have common features regarding hull shape, water lines, metacentric height etc. and if said features could be reproduced on new designs. This - and his towing tank experiments - led to the development of his parabola method. This design approach enabled him not only to accurately calculate the displacement of a vessel before the first draft was made, but also guaranteed good sailing characteristics ( for more on this, see 'Systematische Untersuchung der Hydrodynamik historischer Großsegler' by Harris et al.). But Chapman wasn´t just a theorist, he also made various improvements to the Karlskrona dockyards, introduced building procedures based on prefabricated parts and mouldings for his 20-ship program of 1782 and worked on the improvement on guns and their carriages. His highly successful Bellona- and Gustav Adolph-classes, in addition to the french translation of his 'Tractat om Skepps-byggeriet', contributed to his already considerable reputation in Sweden and abroad. Chapman's influence on ship building didn´t end with his death in 1808, his design principles were taught at the british Royal School of Naval Architecture in the 1820/30s and the parabola method was used for a couple of clippers in the middle of the 19th century. (by the way, my favourite 18th century ship constructor is B. Ollivier ^^)

Good post, Fluffy, and while I agree with most of your points, this one is up for debate: Blaise Ollivier, Hendrik af Chapman and Jorge Juan y Santacilia would like to have a word with you

Green and white were the colours of Rotterdam, but it´s flag had more stripes. And the full description reads The yacht of the Chamber of Rotterdam for the Dutch East India Company salutes an East-Indiaman and a Dutch man-of-war on the roadstead of Hellevoetsluis. The painting is dated 1790, but the ships and their rigging look like a bit older than that.

Don´t know about Lille Belt, but Fylla was trimmed to an even keel in british service (11' 1'' fore and aft). In danish service she had 11' 7'' fore and 13' 2'' aft. And I've never seen a danish plan where a ship was intended to be trimmed by the head, so Gardiner´s comment presumably applies to the british practice regarding the captured danish frigates. Curiously, they all got a lighter armament in RN service (e.g. Venus, which went from 18s to 12s) and that probably necessitated all sorts of trimming experiments to get them back into a 'sailable' condition. Well, without a proper transom and quarter galleries there´s not much to decorate ^^ But, truth to be told, the figurehead isn´t that impressive, either. Just an orb (?) and a scroll. Edit: Huh, just noticed a neat little detail in the Little Belt/President drawing. That´s either a boarding netting or an overhead netting/sauve-tête (to protect the crew from falling debris like blocks etc.)

I stand corrected ^^

In terms of size and amount of guns, Haran´s Bonne Citoyenne-class would be the closest french equivalent to the Lille Belts. But as you said, these initially carried 8-pounders. When the British eventually built a couple of ships to the lines of the BC (Hermes-Class), they armed them with 18 32-pound carronades and 2 9-pounders, just like Fylla and Lille Belt. It´s been a while since I´ve read Hohlenberg's biography, but if I remember correctly, the 'letfregatter' were only a small part of his fleet program, aiming at the total standardisation of the danish fleet regarding ship types and their armament, with 30-pound medium guns and carronades intended to play a significant role. This program wasn´t implemented, though, as Hohlenberg retired from his post as fabrikmester in 1803. Useful? We'll see

For what´s probably my last thread in the shipyard for quite some time I want to present one of my favourite little frigates, the Lille Belt-class. Designed by the danish fabrikmester (a post not unlike that of the british surveyor) F.C.H. Hohlenberg at the turn of the 18th century, they were intended to replace the old type of 20- and 24-gun frigates in use in the danish navy at the time. Not a man for conventional concepts, Hohlenberg designed these letfregatter (light frigates) as fully flush-decked and with a full carronade broadside. Unlike some other Hohlenberg frigates, these ships were highly regarded in danish service. For example, Diana´s captain seems to have been very pleased with his command: The frigate Diana carries her sail excellently, is stiff, steers magnificently, rides easily at anchor. The fastest run I've had was 10 to 11 miles during a watch [...]* * slightly above 11 knots over the course of 4 hours Class Overview: Lille Belt and Fylla were taken by the Royal Navy after the 2nd Battle of Copenhagen in 1807. Diana, then escorting a convoy in the Med, could escape the fate of their sisters, but, after Spain declared war on Denmark in 1809, was finally detained in the port of Cartagena in the same year and her crew became prisoners of war. The most well-known ship of the class certainly is Lille Belt/Little Belt, due to her unfortunate encounter with the american 44-gun frigate President and the subsequent diplomatic affair. Plans: Lille Belt, Lines and Profile, 1801 Diana, Inboard Profile, 1803 Lille Belt, Detail of the steering mechanism. The high angle of the tiller probably gave enough space for the use of chase guns. Similar tiller/rail on the modell of the brigg Elben Diana, Cross Section, 1803 Lille Belt, Sail Plan, 1801 Fylla 'as captured', Lines and Profile, 1809 Fylla 'as captured', 1809. Modifications for british service in green Little Belt and President, 1811 The Little Belt, 1819. Unlike Fylla, LB´s transom and quarter galleries were modified according to british practice.

Yeah, I've been away for quite some time. And I read Surcouf´s posts and he´s spot on with the less bright red. But that´s to be expected, it´s Surcouf, after all I´d have linked it, but it isn´t visible for non-members, sorry. But here´s a small overview of the ships built to the lines of La Panthère/Amazon I made for the article. It´s in german, obviously, but most of it should be self-explanatory. (K) means carronade, the (+1) is the Ranger, which was slightly longer than the rest of the Cormorant revived - class. Speaking of which, they and the Thais - class had a ridiculous broadside weight for their size, 332 pounds for the former and 327 for the latter. And they didn´t look bad, either (that´s a draught for the Thais-class Comet)

If I had to chose a paint scheme for La Panthère, I'd go for either blue or red for the stern and quarter badges. The La Dauphine reconstruction team did a nice job with the vermillion (or red ocre) for the inner works, most models feature a red that´s much too bright. By the way, I recently wrote a small article about La Panthère and her british 'daugthers' for a german forum and I was quite surprised how numerous the ships built to her lines were, 52 in total, the last one being launched in 1813. For comparison, of the more famous Ledas (based on the french L' Hébé), there were 47.

No, sorry, never seen the deco concept for the VdP 😕 286 and 287 are body plan only (just the right side of the plan I posted) plan vertical is the body plan, plan d'élévation is the sheer, plan horizontal is the half breadth, so a plan like this would be described as 'Éch. Pl. vertical, d’élévation et horizontal.' in the Catalougue des plans de bâtiments à voiles.

'Boat'? Geeeeee.....

Not quite on topic, but interesting nonetheless: https://archive.org/details/britishflagsthei00perruoft

Age of sail grognard, hardcore sim'er with casual time spending. I'm a complicated person. Cater to my needs

Bloody hell...awesome vids, thanks for the link, maturin!

Ops, seems like I should have looked at my sources before I posted and not write stuff from memory. You´re correct, at the time of the expedition La Belle would have been a 'barque' (i.e. just fore-and-aft rigged on the mizzen, a topsail on this mast would have probably made her a frégate légère, just as G. Grieco described her in his article in the Journal of Nautical Archaeology). He, I'm german, nitpicking is part of my DNA Well, in the Med wind conditions and directions can change quite drastically over a short period of time, so people tried to adapt to get from point A to point B as fast and efficiently as possible. Some favoured lateens, some square, some a mix of both. If both points are in the Med, than lateen sails may be the better option, if one of the points is on an atlantic coast with it´s longer 'static' wind conditions, than a mix might be preferable. And if you look at the med section of Du Pas' book I linked above, you´ll find quite a few french fore-and-aft rigged vessel

That´s not true for the first french naval luggers, those were direct copies of british vessels (though later versions were slightly larger). A barque longue usually had two masts, just like the early corvettes. La Belle may have been given a mizzen mast just for La Salle´s expedition (and was subsequently classed as a fluyt, IIRC). Barque longue and corvette from Du Pas' book:

Yikes. RatM is strong meta. I´ll summon M&M (just one of them wouldn´t be enough)

Not bad, springby, not bad. Have a bit of Clutch in return