HMS Victory - Trafalgar 1805 - flags flown as it broke the Franco-Spanish line

[jongr90]

Sorry for the late reply.

Yes Nelsons famous signal was taken down long before the battle. As mentioned above correctly, signal Nr 16 was up until the frensh took it down with the rest of the mizzen. Here an contemporary source of what was set in general.

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Also at one point there was the message set "prepare to anchor" but I can´t recall to when this one was flown.

XXXDAn

PS: Here is Lt. Pasco looking for flags 1 and 6 ;-)

Much appreciated, Sir! This is exactly what I was looking for!

 

[jongr90]

It is my understanding that royal sails were very rarely used, if ever. That was certainly true of HMS Sovereign of the Seas in 1637. They were only used in the lightest of wind, usually only for show, and did little to contribute speed to the vessel.

Thank you. I'll continue down my path of not using the royal then!

 

[jongr90]

I cam across this picture of the the signal locker on Victory's poop deck, if it is of any use in your modelling. I have never seen it represented on a Victory model up to now.
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Here's my poor attempt at recreating the signal locker at 1:200 on the poop deck using extra bits of wood from the kit. The cheap Chinese kit I'm using as a base is missing a whole bunch of parts



Here's my progress so far - making my way through the standing rigging then off to the yards & sails next:

 

[Gjsharpe]

Here's my poor attempt at recreating the signal locker at 1:200 on the poop deck using extra bits of wood from the kit. The cheap Chinese kit I'm using as a base is missing a whole bunch of parts

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Here's my progress so far - making my way through the standing rigging then off to the yards & sails next:

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That's a great effort at such a scale. Looking good

 

[Uwek]

Hello,

I am currently working on a 1:200 scale HMS Victory. Eventually I want to turn it into a diorama (with the sea below, cannonball splashes around it, etc.) of the HMS Victory charging the Franco-Spanish line at Trafalgar. Perhaps eventually I'll be able to scratch-build a 1:200 Redoutable but I digress...

Does anyone know what flags were flown on the different masts at this particular moment? I've been looking at paintings of the battle and a number of them have different arrangements. Most have Nelson's final order "Engage the enemy more closely" consisting of signal flags 1 and 6 on the mainmast, the Admiral's rank flag on the foremast, nothing on the mizzen, the Union Jack on the fore t'gallant stay, and of course White Ensign on the stern. However, I have seen different combinations of this as well with additional White Ensigns, or perhaps the rank flag in the mainmast, etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Hallo @jongr90
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 

[jongr90]

Update on the flag situation. I've just completed mounting the yards, sails and flags on the mizzenmast. Per this group's advice, I have a large white ensign flying from the spanker gaff and signal flags 1 & 6 ("Engage the enemy more closely") on top of the mizzen.

Please forgive the lack of deadeyes, blocks, etc. Didn't think they'd be practical at 1/200 scale; instead I used various combinations of knots and small jewelry chain links to achieve the "look" of rigging.

Will post more pictures as I complete the rest

 

[jongr90]

Here's my Victory now with all flags flying based off the excerpt provided by dafi:

"The Whole Fleet fought under White Ensigns. The Ships in general had 1 Ensign at the Peak, 1 in the Main Rigging & a Jack on the F.T. Mast Stay..."

So I've got White Ensigns flying at the stern, on the mainmast and in the main rigging; signal number 16 flying on the mizzenmast; rank flag of a Vice-Admiral of the White flying on the foremast; and lastly a jack hanging on the fore t'gallant stay.

I thought it weird at first to have so many ensigns flying, but apparently this was favored by Nelson:

"In going into action it is the custom with the ships of all nations to hoist their national colours. Nelson at Trafalgar carried this to excess, for he hoisted several flags lest one should be shot away."

And so here we are. Thanks everyone for the help, and now on to the guns!

 

[jongr90]

Last update for this project. I finished the cannons and gun ports. I then added a papier-mache base to simulate water within a wood case finished with some lacquer. I used cotton balls to simulate smoke and some clear caulk to simulate splashes from the Franco-Spanish cannonballs.

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Last update for this project. I finished the cannons and gun ports. I then added a papier-mache base to simulate water within a wood case finished with some lacquer. I used cotton balls to simulate smoke and some clear caulk to simulate splashes from the Franco-Spanish cannonballs.

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Wow! I can almost hear the roar of the cannons!