Le Cyclope
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Caliber 6 16 guns brig (1804-1810) A brig is a two masted ship which wears a square rigging, that is to say with square sails. LE CYCLOPE was built in Genova in 1804, and striked off the navy lists in 1810. Well then she is a modest war ship commissioned with 16 small calibre guns, whose short career took place during the first empire under Napoleon the first. She was part of a series of 20 brigs built from 1800 to 1808 on the same draught established by engineer Pestel for the brig LE CURIEUX. Starting from these plans and a very fine genuine model namely LE CYGNE, belonging to the collection presented in the MNM in Paris, J. BOUDRIOT, famous historian, architect and naval archaeologist established a monograph of LE CYGNE, which constitute for the model maker a first class documentation as complete and accurate as possible on the historical point of view. |
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From this documentation and after some further researches in the navy archives at Vincennes, the model maker has chosen to built a slightly different model, but according to the same original plans. It was enough for this to install the artillery and the décor of the CYCLOPE, which had been picked out among various possibilities. Le CYCLOPE is commissioned with 16 caliber 6 guns, instead of the "carronades" of LE CYGNE.
The model here showed is that of the brig LE CYCLOPE of 1804. It is at the scale of 1/48, namely 2 cm for 1 m, which was at this time a very common scale for plans of ships. Based on the feet and inches system, this scale corresponds to one inch by foot.
The model is presented under full sail, head wind, starboard tack. The nearly entire sail is set up, including the staysails. The hull is covered with copper, in order to protect it from the attack upon shipworms, a kind of sea worms which ate the wood.
The various woods used for the building of this model are pear tree wood, boxwood for wood carving, and sycamore for the decks. Some parts are painted in black, yellow-ochre, or white. Some others stay in their natural wood colour.
The model as been built in 1982-1983 and required about 1600 hours of work.
The size of the model is as follows:
Length = 115 cm.
High = 95 cm.
Width = 27 cm.
The model here showed is that of the brig LE CYCLOPE of 1804. It is at the scale of 1/48, namely 2 cm for 1 m, which was at this time a very common scale for plans of ships. Based on the feet and inches system, this scale corresponds to one inch by foot.
The model is presented under full sail, head wind, starboard tack. The nearly entire sail is set up, including the staysails. The hull is covered with copper, in order to protect it from the attack upon shipworms, a kind of sea worms which ate the wood.
The various woods used for the building of this model are pear tree wood, boxwood for wood carving, and sycamore for the decks. Some parts are painted in black, yellow-ochre, or white. Some others stay in their natural wood colour.
The model as been built in 1982-1983 and required about 1600 hours of work.
The size of the model is as follows:
Length = 115 cm.
High = 95 cm.
Width = 27 cm.