History
Designed by the brilliant French Naval architect Pierre Morineau who also oversaw her construction L'Invincible was built at Rochefort France and launched in 1744. The second in an innovative new class of 74 gun ship which resulted in her being probably the finest warship in the world. She measured 1,793 tons was 171ft long with a 49ft beam.Shortly after her launch she was captured by the British Navy at the first battle of Finisterre in 1747 and then had a somewhat unremarkable career in the Royal Navy - this in no way was to be a reflection of her subsequent importance as the admiralty was then presented with a unique opportunity to study not only a prototype 74 but also the adapted type modified by experience.
This proved a seminal moment in the history of the Royal Navy and one which was of profound importance to the maintenance of British sea power, since her lines were copied and formed the basis for many subsequently successful ships.
Her career however was abruptly ended when she ran aground in the Solent whilst attempting to go about, loosing rudder control and rapidly approaching a large sandbank she subsequently ran aground and in spite of strenuous efforts to get her off, after two days she was finally abandoned to her fate, her remains now lying at the bottom of the Solent beneath the local sewage!! However, many artefacts were recovered and are now exhibited in Chatham Dockyard Museum, and various others around the country.
Model Construction
Construction was detailed in Model Shipwright 119 to 124.I chose to make a model of the Invincible because, to me, she was aesthetically one of the most beautiful ships of the type that I have seen, and because her importance in the development of the sailing Man of War is largely under estimated. Also I wanted to make a model to Museum standard, make it sailable and attract attention to this type of vessel and hopefully generate some interest in our fantastic legacy of Naval excellence - and in particular to this period of outstanding elegance in all things nautical.
She has been built entirely from scratch from plans drawn by myself from the only sources available on the ship and verified by copies of the original manuscript on her by her designer. She has been concieved especially to be sailed, using radio control to operate the rudder and the braces to the yards. I used R/C having 5 channels; rudder, servo, braces to the mainmast, braces to the foremast, two drum winches, all fore and aft sails armwinch, and one reserved for firing cannons, I hoped! I used re-sawing techniques to cut all the planks from a single larger plank of Pirana pine at a very reasonable cost; a wood not normally assosicated with working model building but which I had had experience of in model yacht making and which was a marvellous colour.
Yard control arrangement
Two drum servos under the deck
Static Details
Underway
