The history of the Chebec Le Requin
In 1749 a proposal was made by the commander of the Toulon dockyard to build four chebecs as an effective protection against the Barbary pirates. The corsairs primarily relied on fast and agile chebecs, while the frigates and sloops-of-war of the French navy proved ill-adapted to fight them. So it was logical to confront them with the same type of ships. The chebecs were shallow-draught vessels with concave waterlines in the bows and sides sloping outwards. They were rigged with lateen sails on all three masts and carried 20 - 40 guns.The chebec Le Requin was built in 1750 - 1751 by Majorcan shipwrights at the Royal Dockyard in Toulon for the French navy. She was launched on 14 March 1751. Her crew were 220 men, her armament were twenty-four 8-pdr-guns. She was to show excellent sailing qualities and served in the French navy until 1770.
A more detailed history, plans and photos of a contemporary model are shown in a book by Jean Boudriot.
This ship model was built to plans by Jean Boudriot, in admiralty style with sides unplanked to show the inner timberwork of the ship. The guns and fittings are handmade of brass and burnished. The frames and planks are Swiss pear, Maple and ebony wood. The carvings are made from boxwood. It was built in almost four years.
Scale 1:48
Length 124 cm
Width 26 cm
Height 82 cm
Greetings
Lucius
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