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The frigate 'de Brak' (1661)

Ab,

I learn from every model you present to us. Beautiful, just beautiful. I've used a lot of Emiel's seascapes as computer desktops just to keep me inspired.

KirkM said:
If I am not mistaken, this ship was recovered in the late 1960’s or early 70’s just off of the coast af Leeds Delaware. One side of hull planking and ribs ,I believe.
Click to expand...
Last fall I moved to a town just a few hours north of Lewes, Delaware. Before that, my wife and I spent a weekend in Lewes (pronounced Lewis, BTW) thinking it might be nice place to retire (it would be if it weren't so darned expensive!). Lewes takes its history seriously. While there I spent several happy hours visit the Zwaanendael Museum which highlights Delaware's Dutch (and Swedish) history. They have a permanent exhibit on British 'Debraak,' as it's labeled (see here). I believe the museum (or maybe the Lewes Historical Society?) now has control over the artifacts recovered from the wreck.

I know, I know... a bit off topic.
 
Not really off topic @jsk, but part of the story. Thank you for your compliments.
Good to keep history alive. Pity that the museum did not invest in a decent model of Braak and shows a rather wreckish model, of which the only similarity with the ship is that it carries two masts. That can easily be improved. I bet Lewes holds a modelmaker within its borders who can make a model of such a simple vessel. Just for stimulation: here are the drawings I used:

braak.jpg

The top shows the ship in its original Dutch one-masted shape, below the English 'improved' looks.
There is a very good article by Bjorn Denjens in 2015, telling the story of the ship in all its details. I will be happy to send it over.
 
I'd certainly enjoy reading the article!

I also noticed the museum calls her a sloop-of-war (on the web site and a brig on the museum label). I could very well be wrong but I thought that designation in the 1790s in the Royal Navy would indicate a smaller ship rigged vessel under command of a master rather than a rated captain so technically not considered a frigate. I don't know when the exhibit was installed or how old the model may be. Maybe it needs a refresh.
 
If you don't mind, I will send the article over as a personal message, because I don't know the author personally and I cannot find out if he agrees with me bringing it out in public. It seems to me that he was a history student in Leiden University in 2015, but that's all I can guess.

I wonder if this Braak was known as a frigate. It certainly was not qualified as one in its Dutch career. But that's all stuff beyond my knowledge and capabilities.:-)

By the way, in the Denjen's article I see a picture of Braak in the Lewes museum. I read it a long time ago and so I forgot about it (age). Conclusion: The museum picture shows the model rather damaged, probably the state it is in at the moment, but in the article she still looks fine and undamaged.
Conclusion: I was too hard in my judgment of the museum's collection, but the model deserves an update.
 
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