Thank you to everyone for your kind comments.
Hi Allan, to answer your question about the black paint following the waterline…yes, the plans show black paint between the lower wale and the waterline for the HMS Vanguard build. The kit comes with the option to build three different versions of a 3rd rate 74-gun ship. Additional parts are included to build the HMS Bellerophon and the HMS Elephant. The paint scheme for the Bellerophon and the Elephant are different than for the Vanguard. The following drawing shows the paint scheme for the Vanguard. See lower right corner showing black paint between the lower wale and waterline.
The following two drawings show the paint scheme for the Bellerophon and the Elephant, which follows the sweep of the wales. In the first drawing instructions show the colors applied to the shaded areas with a note to paint the main wale black. Unshaded areas are to be varnished. Although not specifically mentioned I would assume the area between the lower wale and the waterline is also varnished. The second drawing for the Bellerophon and the Elephant shows areas that can be painted yellow as an alternative to varnished sides.
The following is the cover photo from the book Anatomy of the Ship The 74-Gun Ship Bellona, probably painted similar to the HMS Bellerophon and HMS Elephant.
What I found on the internet:
British naval ships were primarily painted in the yellow and black "
Nelson Chequer" scheme from approximately 1803 to 1815. Adopted by Admiral Lord Nelson to distinguish his ships from the enemies, the pattern featured yellow sides, black gunport lids, and black horizontal stripes, becoming popular throughout tne Royal Navy following the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar.
Nelson applied this style when he took command of
HMS Victory in 1803. It allowed for immediate, "greater certainty" in identification during combat. While associated with Nelson, other captains used variations. The style was widely adopted after 1805 but began to fall out of use after 1815 as white paint became more common. When gunports were closed, the alternating black lids and yellow paint formed a checkerboard effect.
HMS Victory retains this iconic color scheme today.
HMS Vanguard was part of the fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile, so I’m assuming the paint scheme would have been the same for all ships in his fleet. Admiral Nelson initiated a variation of the yellow-and-black "Nelson's Chequers" paint scheme on his ships during the Battle of the Nile in 1798, although it was not yet the standardized, formalized version seen later at Trafalgar.
The photo below is from the box cover for the HMS Vanguard kit.
