Internal and External Painting on 18th C Frigate

[IntrepidBear]

Hi,

Can someone give me a definitive description of internal and external painting of a 36 Gun frigate in 1812?

Many thanks
James

 

[Jim Fortnam]

Are you looking for colours, or details of what was painted and what was not painted.

J

 

[AndyA]

I doubt that you can achieve "definitive." While there are some general patterns, what got painted what color depended on a number of factors, including:

• preferences of the ship builders, captains, and bos'ns
• availability of paint of various colors
• mission of the vessel
• location

Remember that the painting of a wooden vessel is almost a continuous process and that the color scheme of a vessel may vary over its lifetime. So perhaps a more nuanced question would be: What was the likely paint scheme of [vessel] during [period of time] when she was engaged in [service] in the area of [location]?
Fair winds!

 

[AllanKP69]

mission of the vessel

This is an interesting comment. The only example I can think of is that Nelson's fleet at Trafalgar replicated his own paint scheme. Any other examples would be very interesting.

Looking at contracts most of them address painting hull, bulwarks inboard, cabins, and more. Very few mention colors are given, but there are exceptions.

One example with no mention of color



From a contract for a 36

BOTTOM to be payed

The Bottom to be payed with tar boiled to a strong consistency or as shall be directed and to paint the sides from the Wales upwards with three good coats of paint, the last coat to be of a yellow colour.

PAINTING

To treble paint the Great Cabin, Steerage, and all the Cabins, Rails, Stantions, Ladders, Gratings, Gangways, Bulkheads, Capstans, Upper Deck Beams and Knees, and all the Work in Wake of them, and without Board for finishing and completing the Hull of the said Ship, shall be done in a workmanlike Manner, equal in all respects to those of His Majesty’s Ships of the like Quality in the King’s Yards.

From a 1776 contract for a 28 gun
To Grave the ship with the usual Graving with white stuff under the Water taking care to bream and dry the bottom very well before it is laid on & to pay the sides from the upwards with Rosin and Tallow or Lawes varnish as fine as shall be had. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To treble paint the ship without board with good oil colours, & in like manner the Great Cabbin, Steerage, & all the Cabbins, Rails, Stantions, Ladders, Gratings, Gangways, Bulkheads, Capstands, upper deck Beams, & knees, & all the work both within and without board for finishing & completing the Hull of said ship, shall be done in a workmanlike manner, equal in all respects to those of his Majesty’s Ships of the like Quality in the King’s Yards. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you study contemporary models, there is very little painting done, especially the hull above the water line. Some 36 gun models can be seen here to give you an idea of what others did 250 years ago
https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/search/36 gun models

Two examples





Allan

 

[AndyA]

The only example I can think of is that Nelson's fleet at Trafalgar replicated his own paint scheme. Any other examples would be very interesting.

That's a wonderful example. I do recall a fictional example. In one of Patrick O'Brian's Aubry/Maturin series of books, Jack painted his vessel to look like another t fool the enemy. I'll have to try to track down the reference. Of course, this is fiction but I believe that O'Brian did a lot of research and based incidents in his books on real events. Fair winds!

 

[DAWarden-(Jaager)]

If I had to live in the interior closed gun decks I would want the ceiling, beams and decking underside between the beams to be white. It is enough of a cave without having a coat of red ochre on those surfaces to suck up what dim candle lantern light that was allowed.