New Small Third Rate 64-gun - Warlord Games (Available to Pre-order)

Agamemnon opens fire on the Ca Ira, 13th March 1795 - Geoff Hunt
Purportedly Nelson's favourite ship was the 64-gun Agamemnon, here seen keeping well clear of the heavier guns aboard the 80-gun Ca Ira as Nelson sailed back and forth across the stern of the French ship raking her into submission.

It gives me great pleasure and a real privilege to be able to present a set of models that have been put together for over five months at the time of writing and which I was really excited about painting and preparing for my own collection, namely the brand spanking new small third-rate model ship of the line from Warlord Games.

When referring to this class of vessel in the classic age of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars we are mainly concerned with the 64-gun ship of the line, which by this period was basically a cut-price 74-gun ship with 24-pounders on the lower deck instead of 32-pounders.

However, as the saying goes 'you get what you pay for', the 64-gun small third-rate was fast becoming obsolete as a ship of the line able to hold its place in the line by the start of the nineteenth century prompting a British naval officer of the time to state:

'There is no difference of opinion respecting 64-gun ships, being struck out of the rates. It is a fact that our naval officers either pray or swear against being appointed to serve on board them.'

Ten guns difference to an uninformed observer doesn't sound a major deficit in power versus the standard or common 74, but that difference was further enhanced by the heavier timbers, wider breadth of the gun deck, enabling the heavier guns to be carried thus more firepower to deliver with a stronger ship able to resist attack from anything smaller, like a 64.

Building these small third rates for the British Royal Navy ceased with the conclusion of the American War of Independence, but the demands of a new war meant that the 64-gunner was still a fundamental part of British naval deployments throughout the latter period with five 64-gun Indiamen, then under construction in 1795 for the East India Company being taken over for use by the Royal Navy and principally for deployment with the Nore Squadron, tasked with its observation of the Dutch Batavian fleet in the Channel and North Sea, and also using similarly small third rates to bulk out its numbers.

The first of my three 'small third-rates' from Warlord Games with resin hull, metal masts, anchors, figureheads, boats and stern galleries, with parts interchangeable with the plastic large third-rate, providing yet more variety to your models, here seen as a British 64-gun model in preparation for my Camperdown collection, but also making a very nice stand in for Agamemnon when I come to play the Ca Ira scenario.

The fact that these small third rates were deployed in squadrons facing enemies often deploying similar sized vessels is seen by where these ships were deployed in numbers, principally against the minor navies such as the Dutch, Danes, Swedes and Russians in the Baltic, or out on the far flung, slightly quieter areas of the British Empire in the Caribbean and East Indies, where they were more likely to encounter French frigate squadrons or the Spanish using the 64-gun ship themselves to police their own colonial holdings.

That said there were four such types at Trafalgar in 1805, three British, (Africa, Polyphemus and Agamemnon) and one Spanish (San Leandro) so if you are a keen collector of models for this and earlier periods you are likely going to want to have a few of these smaller ships in the collection and challenge yourself to handle one of these ships in the Nelsonian manner, by choosing very carefully how and who you decide to fight.

So to give you an idea as to how these models can look I have prepared my three models styled in the look of three of the principle users of small third rates, the British, Spanish and with an eye to my own Camperdown collection, Batavian Dutch.

Back Found - Carlos Parilla Penagos
A Spanish 64-gun ship attached to the Ferrol squadron, indicated by the blue pennant on the foremast passes a British 74 gun ship flying a commodore's pennant from her mizzen 

The Spanish option has already been in battle and featured in our anniversary game of Cape St Vincent along with my scratch built option prepared for my Trafalgar campaign collection.

As the figureheads from the 74-gun plastic option fit the resin hull of the new small third-rate, I opted to use a spare lion of Castile at the bow to emphasise the Spanish look of this particular model.

 

The new small third-rate (right) alongside her larger sister (left)

Here, above and below, you can see the new small third-rate, on the right, alongside the larger plastic 74-gun option, to the left.

I know some folks prefer thicker masts, although personally I don't find any of the previous models a problem, but as you can see the new masts are very sturdy in comparison.

The wider deck of the larger 74-gunner on the left is obvious with the view from the stern galleries.

For my small Dutch third-rate, I opted to have her in the Revolutionary War trim with a figurehead bearing the Batavian coat of arms and the blue trim seen on paintings of the Dutch ships at Camperdown in 1797.

If you want to go for extra detailing, the Dutch squadrons at Camperdown seemed to have gone in for different coloured hulls with some sporting all black hulls and others in a black with white gun-port strakes, something I aim to add with my own Dutch collection of these models.

My three versions of the new small third rates from Warlord

I think these models are a great addition to the current range and for those of us interested in squadron and fleet actions, a must have option in our line of battle.

Warlord Games have big plans for the Black Seas range of model ships with lots of new models announced and planned, with these, the new sloop-corvette, the British second-rate, and models for other nationalities fleets, plus models for the War of 1812 on the Great Lakes, and even galleons for a much earlier period.

 

The new Small Third Rate Squadron, together with the British second-rate and galleons are now available for pre-order on Warlord Games web shop, with a link below to the models featured.

https://store.warlordgames.com/collections/black-seas/products/black-seas-small-3rd-rates-squadron

Next up, I got to play a very interesting set of relatively new rules for a very underplayed area of the horse & musket era of wargaming, which proved great fun and has me planning for some new games - more anon.

JJ

All at Sea - On the Stocks in JJ's Dockyard (Bob's British Squadron)

It was nearly two years ago that I first started work on the Warlord Games Black Seas British Squadron box set of model 1:700th ships, which comes complete with a British first rate, three third rates Colossus, Ajax and Mars and three fifth rates, Euryalus, Naiad and Indefatigable plus some brigs and a set of gunboats.

However in 2022, JJ's Shipyard is contracted to build a squadron for a foreign power, and Bob has commissioned me to put together a British and French squadron to form the core of his own collection, which I plan to build in between projects of my own.

Naiad, nearest camera and partly sporting standing rigging sits next to Indefatigable and Euryalus, fully rigged and with the third and first rates behind awaiting their fitting out. 

Thus with the completion of my AWI Jaegers over the Xmas break, I immediately popped the box on the British squadron and had them primed before New Year to begin work on them in the January and this week the build moved into the fitting out yard where the models get rigged and have their colours attached.

Close up of the three British frigates getting rigged this week. Naiad awaits her shrouds before work on the running rigging can be done.

With regard to my own collection, I only have a few smaller models to add and am really 'treading water' on new builds until Warlord release their new models and while I work up playing the large battles that the current collection was designed for.

HMS Colossus - Austin Johnson
http://scillydivers.blogspot.com/p/wreck-of-hms-colossus.html
A reconstruction of HMS Colossus wrecked off the Scilly Isles in 1798 and the inspiration for the model seen below.

The big battle practice started this month with the Battle of Cape Finisterre scenario played at the Devon Wargames Group meeting and I am now in the process of putting the final touches to a 225th anniversary playing of the Battle of Cape St Vincent, also at the club using Kiss Me Hardy, alongside a campaign to run a series of games through this year.

Devon Wargames Group - An Opportunity Mist, Battle of Cape Ferrol

In the meantime, whilst looking to share some love with other collections of figures, I am keen to bring to the table, I thought the love could go a bit further by helping mates to complete their own collections of model ships, whilst allowing me to keep up my painting and modelling skills for these kits which I will need for the Dutch.

The mighty first rate in Revolutionary War trim stands proud next to the third rates, Ajax and Mars and with HMS Colossus, built in 1787, seen, back left, also in a similar trim, representing the vessel that was wrecked off the Scilly Isles in December 1798

So the next time I feature Bob's British Squadron it will be to cheer them down the slips with a jaunty rendition of God Save the King before getting the band to brush up on their version of La Marseillaise in preparation for a similar French Squadron build.

The All at Sea theme will also include a look at the planning and preparation that has gone into putting the Battle of Cape St Vincent project together which has included much fun sorting out which Spanish ships were actually there!

More anon

JJ

All at Sea - Spanish & French Cutters & Topsail Schooners

'Sloop' - Carlos Parrilla Penagos

 https://www.carlosparrillapenagos.es/pintura-naval/

What would be described in the Royal Navy as a Cutter, this fine picture provided the inspiration for my Spanish model of these handy and fast little craft.

It was back in September that I concluded my three post series looking at scratch building a sloop/corvette from the Warlord model brig as part of a series of posts focussing on my small ship collection to allow me to create games summarised in the handy little booklet by C.A. Sapherson and J.R. Lenton which pulls together 100 Small-scale Actions covering the years 1793-1801 from the original source, 'The Naval History of Great Britain 1793-1815' by William James.

All at Sea - Let's Build a Sloop, Part Three

In that post I outlined my project to build a broad enough collection to allow me to create any of the one-hundred scenarios contained within it thus making a very handy solution to the occasional need to create a game with an historical background without too much effort and the summary of the spreadsheet I created for those scenarios is illustrated below showing the various types by nationality required.

My collection building plan for my small ship collection based on the vessels used in the Sapherson-Lenton scenario book, with ninety-six of the hundred collated, the other four I think being US -French actions from the Quasi War.

My collection had four obvious deficiencies outstanding, namely a topsail schooner and cutter for my Spanish and French, which would be remedied as soon as I had finished the other stuff I needed to get done, such as a few 28mm AWI British infantry and Indians, some 28mm Vikings, oh and a little Trafalgar game in Nottingham.

Those other projects safely navigated to completion, I turned my attention to these four small models.

A typical French privateer topsail schooner and just the sort of target to attract HM Brig Racoon

There are five scenarios involving a French schooner and three with a cutter, however as well as these there is another need for these models which involves the cruise of the 18-gun HM Brig, Racoon in 1803 in the Caribbean under her 'enterprising' captain, Commander Austin Bissel, who between the 5th to the 10th July captured four French vessels which included three schooners off St Domingo.

Then on the 11th July she captured the French brig Lodi off the disputed French island in the Leogane Roads after a half hour exchange of fire with both ships anchored on spring cables.

Then in August she was off Santiago de Cuba hunting French privateers operating out of Cuban ports, capturing two French schooners, the 3-gun Deux Amis and the 3-gun Trois Freres.

On the 17th August she met and destroyed the French 18-gun corvette Mutine off the Cuban coast, forcing the Frenchman to beach herself and become a complete wreck, with the action allowing another French schooner in company with the Mutine to make the best of things and escape during the fight.

Between the 13th and 14th of October the Racoon captured four French schooners and a cutter. The schooners were the Jeune Adelle and Liza, plus two others whose names were not recorded. The cutter was the Amitie (or Amelie), of four guns and six swivel guns.

The Jeune Adele and Amilie were part of a group of three naval vessels, including the brig Petite Fille.

William James in his inimitable style recounts the capture of these French vessels;

'On the 13th of October, in the afternoon, the Racoon, still commanded by the same enterprising officer, while cruising off Cumberland harbour (better known today as Guantanamo Bay) in the island of Cuba, observed several vessels to windward coming close alongshore, all of which, before sunset, hauled in towards the harbour. 

Having heard of the evacuation of Port-au-Prince, Captain Bissell anchored in a small bay, in the expectation of seeing those vessels pass him in the night. Daylight on the 14th discovered eight or nine sail, a few miles to windward, nearly becalmed. The Racoon instantly weighed, with a fine land wind, and proceeded in chase. 

At 6 h. 30 m. a.m. a brig, a schooner, and a cutter, all apparently full of men, hoisted French colours, and fired guns to windward. The brig attempted to get in-shore of the Racoon, and her two consorts, with the assistance of their sweeps and boats, endeavoured to join her. The land breeze, however, carried the Racoon within gun-shot of the brig; which, after receiving one or two broadsides, struck, and proved to be the Petite-Fille, French national gun-brig, having on board 180 troops, including about 50 officers of all ranks.

HM brig Racoon in action with the French schooner Jeune Adele and the cutter Amelie

Scarcely had the Racoon sent an officer and a small party of men to secure her prize, than the schooner and cutter, having got nearly within gun-shot, commenced firing. Calms and baffling winds prevented the Racoon from getting nearer until 10 a.m., when the sea-breeze set in. At 11 a.m. the two vessels bore up together, evidently with a determination to board the Racoon, the cutter steering for her bows, and the schooner hauling out to pass astern. 

The British brig shortened sail to receive her two opponents, but kept herself under sufficient command to counteract their design. When the assailants had arrived within pistol-shot, the Racoon fired a broadside at the cutter, who speedily returned it with long guns and musketry.

The Racoon then wore round and fired her opposite broadside into the schooner; and so, alternately, maintaining a running fight, and preventing either from boarding. This mode of engaging lasted more than an hour, both schooner and cutter keeping up an incessant fire of musketry; nor was it until she had been literally beaten to a wreck, and had lost many men in killed, that the cutter struck her colours. She proved to be the Amelie, a national vessel, carrying four carriage-guns, with (six) swivels, and upwards of 70 troops.

I have plenty of British brigs ready to stand in for the Racoon to refight her action with French schooner Jeune Adele and the cutter Amelie and to stand in for the Privateer brig Rover versus the Spanish privateer schooner Santa Rita as recounted by James below.

Having taken possession of the cutter, the Racoon crowded sail after the schooner, the Jeune-Adele, carrying six small guns and 80 troops; and which vessel, on being approached within gun-shot and fired at, surrendered without further resistance.

Standing in-shore to rejoin her first prize, the Racoon soon discovered that the Frenchmen on board, while the latter was engaging the cutter and schooner, had overpowered the prize-crew, and run the brig on shore among the rocks. Captain Bissell, however, got back his officer and men. The loss on board the cutter and schooner was about 40 in killed and wounded; that of the Racoon was only one person wounded, Mr. Thompson, the master, who in the early part of the action had received a violent contusion, which completely disabled him.'

The French commanders disclosed that they knew that Racoon was in the area and that the three French vessels had sortied from Cumberland Harbour with the intent to take Racoon by boarding, using their superiority in numbers. Bissell was of the opinion that had the wind remained as calm as it was early in the morning, they might have succeeded, though at great cost.

My interpretation of the schooner Jeune Adele and the cutter Amelie

I have always thought the cruise of HM brig Racoon, off St Domingo and Cuba in 1803, might make an interesting mini-campaign of linked games or scenarios using 'To Covet Glory' and these two models will certainly help facilitate that idea.

As well as the French, my Spanish collection was also in need of a similar reinforcement with three scenarios using a schooner and one a cutter, that being the action fought with 6-gun HM cutter George, commanded by Lieutenant Michael Mackay.

'Encounter in the Parana Guazu' - Carlos Parrilla Penagos
The 2-gun merchant sloop Mercedes, engages a British patrol in the Gazu River, June 2nd 1807.

William James described the action thus:

'On the 3rd of January, at 6 a.m., the British armed sloop or tender, George, of six guns (3 or 4 pounders) and 40 men, commanded by Lieutenant Michael Mackey, being on her passage from Demerara to Martinique, discovered on her lee bow, and at once bore down upon, two sail, which proved to be Spanish privateers; one, a cutter, of 12 guns and 109 men, the other a schooner, of six guns and 68 men.

An action immediately commenced between the George, then on the starboard, and the two privateers on the larboard tack. At the expiration of 40 minutes, the two latter evinced an intention to board. 

The helm of the George was instantly put a-lee, in order to preserve the weather-gage: but the sloop unfortunately missed stays, and, in the act of wearing, fell on board the cutter. The schooner having now gained a position on the George's weather-quarter, both vessels immediately grappled the sloop, and made two vigorous but unsuccessful attempts to board.

My cutter HM Entreprenante should make a good stand in for HM cutter George

Having, in these assaults, killed the George's sailing-master and seven men, and wounded her commander and 10 men, the two privateers, at the third attempt, carried the British vessel; but not without having paid dearly for their victory, their united loss amounting to 32 men killed, and many more wounded.

A more heroic defence than this little affair exhibits has seldom been witnessed. The George, at the moment her colours were struck, had lost more than half of her crew (8 dead and 17 wounded); that crew having been originally less by three-fourths than the number of her opponents.'

Another interesting encounter occurred between the British (or perhaps that should read Canadian) privateer brig Rover of 14-guns under the command of Captain Godfrey and the Spanish privateer schooner Santa Rita of 12-guns, in September, 1800, as described by James;

'On the 10th of September, as the British privateer-brig, Rover, of Liverpool, Nova-Scotia, armed with 14 long 4-pounders and 54 men and boys, under the command of Captain Godfrey, was cruising near Cape Blanco on the Spanish Main, the Spanish schooner Santa-Rita, mounting 10 long 6-pounders and two English 12-pounder carronades, with about 85 men, and accompanied by three gun-boats also under Spanish colours, and which, as well as the schooner, had the day before been equipped by the governor of Puerto-Caballo, on purpose to capture the Rover, came out from near the land to fulfil their orders. 

The privateer brig Rover out of Liverpool, Nova-Scotia
http://retireinliverpoolnovascotia.blogspot.com/2011/04/privateer-brig-rover.html
There is a brilliant ballad to the Rover linked on the blog above

The light breeze which had been blowing having died away, the schooner and two of the gun-boats, by the aid of a number of oars, gained fast upon the brig ; keeping up as they advanced a steady fire from their bow-guns, which the Rover returned with two guns pointed from her stern, and, as her opponents drew near, with her small-arms also.

Apprised, by their motions, that the schooner intended to board on the starboard quarter, and the two gun-boats (the third appeared to keep aloof) on the opposite bow and quarter, the Rover suffered them to advance until they got within about 15 yards of her: she then manned her oars on the larboard side, and, pulling quickly round, brought her starboard broadside to bear right athwart the schooner's bow; upon whose decks, then filled with men ready for boarding, the brig poured a whole broadside of round and grape.

Immediately after this, her active crew passed over to the guns on the opposite side, and raked the two gun-boats in a similar manner. The Rover then commenced a close action with the Santa-Rita, and continued it for an hour and a half; when finding her opponent's fire grow slack, the Rover, by the aid of a light air of wind, backed her head-sails, and brought her stern in contact with the schooner's side. 

The British crew then rushed on board of, and with scarcely a show of opposition carried, the Santa-Rita. The two gun-boats, seeing the fate of their consort, sheered off, apparently in a very shattered state.

Notwithstanding this long and hard-fought action, the Rover had not a man hurt; while, on board the Santa-Rita, every officer, except the commander of a detachment of 25 soldiers, was killed; the whole of the killed, as found on the deck, amounted to 14, and the wounded to 17. The prisoners, including the latter, numbered 71. These, being too many to be kept on board, were all, except eight, landed; the Rover's captain having previously taken from them the usual obligation not to serve again until exchanged. 

This was an achievement that did great honour to Captain Godfrey, his officers, and crew; and proved how well the hardy sons of British America could emulate their brother-tars of the parent country.'

So these last four 'small ships' pretty well conclude this little project, although I still have two Polacre and two Xebecs to add and they may well go on my Xmas list, whilst for the time being I return to some larger ship builds with my two Spanish first rates to finish off the Spanish Cape St Vincent collection and some other models that will have to remain 'TOP SECRET' for the time being, but will be revealed in due time, before I start work on some models for my mate Bob who has put in an order with JJ's Shipyard.

Still to come here on JJ's, mine and Mr Steve's battlefield walk in Devon and Cornwall, and I will have a Vassal update as both Jason, Steve M and I have been battling away in the Trafalgar Campaign in the GMT game 1805: Sea of Glory, started on Trafalgar Day and the Battle of Leipzig from Operational Studies Group which has now gone into the third day of battle as more and more troops arrive befor the city to settle the fate of eastern Europe.

More anon

JJ