I'm almost at the end of the assembly line for the 1/2400th Napoleonic Naval ships, the penultimate launch being these sixth rate 34 gun Spanish Mahonesa class frigates alongside an unrated 18 gun Xebec, which as yet has no name. I really like the Tumbling Dice 28/32 gun frigate model (ASN11) which comes with an integral base and is easy to assemble. I've used it for the 34 gun frigates as it is just about the right size and layout compared to contemporary illustrations, as you can see from the painting.
One of Nelson's tougher battles was in the frigate Minerva against the Spanish Santa Sabina (40) in 1796 (e.g. https://morethannelson.com/minerve-vs-santa-sabina-20-december-1796/). At that time, Santa Sabina (https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_ship&id=7800) was under the command of Don Jacobo Stuart, a great grandson of James II. The Spanish frigate was slightly outgunned, as at that point she -- unlike Minerva -- did not carry carronades.
ReplyDeleteIndeed! One of these models was originally destined to be the Santa Sabina...
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