Posted: Wed May 02, 2007

As I usually like to do, I will start with some historical informations about the ship. The source of these informations are from a Peter Goodwin book. Peter is keeper and curator of the HMS Victory museum. After that I will introduce the kit and his manufacturer. Finally I will show the model.

Good reading .....

The 136-gun ship Santìsima Trinidad

Nuestra senora de la Santìsima Trinidad, meaning ‘Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity’, was the seventh ship to bear this name in the Spanish Royal Navy. The first Santìsima Trinidad served with the great Armada sent by Philip II to invade England in 1588. The Trafalgar Santìsima Trinidad was initially built as a three decked 120 gun ship designed by Matthew Mullen, although it has been suggested that her design could be attributed to Pedro de Acosta.
Irish by birth, Mullen had migrated to Spain from England with his son Igniatius in 1750 to take up a position in La Carraca dockyard at Cadiz. Mullen had been hired along with many others to improve Spanish ship design.
When Mullen married a Spanish noblewoman in 1754 they modified their names to Mateo and Ignacio Mullàn. Ignacio soon equalled his father as a ship designer and constructor.
On 11 November 1766 Mullàn received orders to supervise ship construction in the Royal Arsenal of Havana and, before his departure in April the following year, he submitted his plans for building a large 112 gun ship.
Once San Luis (80) had been launched at Havana on 30 September 1767 work on Mullàn’s ship began but he was never to see his concept materialise. Dying of the ‘black vomit’ on 25 November 1767, the design and construction of this great and yet unnamed ship was transferred to Ignacio.
Mullàn’s ship was named Nuestra Senora de la Santìsima Trinidad by royal proclamation on 12 March 1768.
Built at a cost of 140,000 pesetas the Santìsima Trinidad was launched at 11.30 a.m. on 3 March 1769.
Measuring almost 213.66 Burgos feet on the waterline and about 57.75 Burgos feet in breadth, some 360,000 cubic feet of timber was consumed in her construction. At 50 cubic feet per load, or tree, this volume of timber equates to 7,200 trees taken from about 120 acres of land.
Like all spanish ships built in Havana, the Santìsima Trinidad was built with Cuban mahogany and cedar. Timber for her masts and spars was imported from the Baltic as the more local supply of pine from the forests of Mexico had already been depleted.

(To be continued ….)

Posted: Thu May 03, 2007

Another step in the history of this great ship ....

1781: Còrdoba took Santìsima Trinidad to sea again on 23 July and joined forces with the French fleet of 20 sail under Admiral the Comte de Guichen. Now comprising over 50 warships, the intention of this combined fleet was to recapture Minorca. Over the next few months Santìsima Trinidad was involved in the capture of a British convoy off Sisargas and supported the blockade of Gibraltar from Algeciras. Returning to Cadiz on 23 September, Santìsima Trinidad went into dock on 5 October to have her hull careened and her bottom coppered in compliance with recent legislation authorised by the Spanish navy.

1782: After Santìsima Trinidad was undocked on 23 April she rejoined the combined Franco-Spanish fleet and took part in the battle against Admiral Lord Howe’s fleet off Cape Spartel on 20 October. During this action the ship suffered one man killed and four wounded.

1783: After peace had been signed on 23 April, Santìsima Trinida returned to Cadiz where she was withdrawn from service although she remained under the command of Brigadier Pedro Autràn.

1796: Under Brigadier Rafael Orozco’s command and flying the flag of Admiral Juan Làngara, Santìsima Trinidad sailed from Cadiz with a squadron for the Mediterranean, cruising off Corsica and Italy. Going into Toulon in November, she sailed again in October, escorting Rear-Admiral Villeneuve’s ship bound for Brest. Having cleared the convoy, Santìsima Trinidad went into Cartagena on 20 December. Command of the Spanish squadron was now superseded by Leutenant-General Don Josè de Còrdoba y Ramos who hoisted his flag in the Santìsima Trinidad, although Orozco still held command of the ship.

1797: Receiving orders to sail for Cadiz, Còrdoba put to sea on 1 February with his fleet, comprising 27 ships of the line, twelve frigates, a brigantine and some smaller vessels. After re-provisioning at Cadiz Còrdoba’s fleet was to sail for Brest where it would join forces with the Dutch and French squadrons already assembled to invade England.
Besides Santìsima Trinidad the other ship that had sailed from Cartagena with Còrdoba on 1 February which would later fight at Trafalgar were Principe de Asturias (112), Neptuno (80), Bahama (74), and San Ildefonso (74).
The Spanish fleet fell in the Admiral Sir John Jervis squadron of 25 ships off Cape St Vincent on 14 February.
In the ensuing battle, Santìsima Trinidad was simultaneously engaged under concentrated fire from the 74 gun ships Blenheim, Excellent, Irresistible and Orion.
Despite her greater size and firepower Santìsima Trinidad would have struck her colours had it not been for the intervention of Real-Admiral Cisneros who arrived in time to give support and draw off British fire.
Under fire for nearly five hours, Santisima Trinidad sustained heavy damage, she was totally dismasted and her larboard side had been virtually destroyed.
Moreover she had been hulled by 60 round shot below the waterline causing her to take in three feet of water per hour. Her casualties amounted to 69 dead and 407 wounded.
While Còrdoba transferred his flag into the frigate Diana, Santìsima Trinidad under jury masts was partially escorted by the frigate Mercedes towards Cadiz.
After losing contact with Mercedes the ship was sighted by another British squadron en route. To avoid action, Captain Orozco hoisted British colours above the Spanish so the patrolling ships would think she had British prisoners on board. The subterfuge worked and the ship was able to get into Zafi, Morocco, where she remained until making sail again on 28 February.
That night Santìsima Trinidad was attacked by the frigate Terpsichore which was driven off by her four 24 and 36 pounder stern chase guns. She received more damage and suffered one man killed and five wounded.
Santìsima Trinidad finally reached Cadiz on 3 March.
Once in port Admiral Josè de Mazarredo, captain-general of Cadiz, questioned Santisima Trinidad ability in battle against smaller ships. Having also found her unseaworthy, Mazarredo proposed that Santìsima Trinidad be beached at Cadiz as a defensive gun platform.
Mazarredo’s recommendations were however overruled and the great ship was refitted and laid up until 1804.

1799: Because she had been extensively damaged during the battle of St. Vincent, Santìsima Trinidad had to go into dock in February for extensive repairs and was thoroughly careened.
While in dock she was modified by extending her planking between the quarter deck and forecastle to mount more guns and consequently became the world’s only four-decked fighting ship, although this alteration further compromised her sailing quality and handiness.
Already a colossal three-decked ship of 120 guns with a broadside weight of 1,204 pounds when built, she now had 16 additional gun ports.
When rearmed on 12 February this allowed her to mount six 4 pounder carriage guns in her waist and ten 24 pounder carronades on her forecastle.
This increased her a total broadside weight of fire by 132 pounds to 1,530 pounds. In all her firepower was 25 per cent greater than Nelson’s Victory.
Santìsima Trinidad’s dimensions at this time ware recorded as follows:

Length of the range of the gun deck: 63.36 m.
Length of keel for tonnage: 54.02 m
Extreme breadth: 16.67 m
Depth in hold: 8.26 m
Floor of the hold: 8.57 m
Displacement: 2,475 tons
Ballast: 20,000 quintals
Complement: 1096
Ordnance – lower gun deck: 32 x 36 pounders
Ordnance – third gun deck: 34 x 24 pounders
Ordnance – second gun deck: 36 x 12 pounders
Ordnance – quarter deck: 18 x 8 pounders
Ordnance – waist: 4 x 4 pounder howitzers
Ordnance – forecastle: 10 x 24 pounder carronades
Single broadside weight: 1,300 pounds

Note: Clowes lists Santìsima Trinidad as being armed with 130 guns which implies that the ship did not have the six 4 pounder carriage guns mounted in her waist until after 1797; therefore her broadside weight would have been marginally less than 1,530 pounds at this time.

1804: When Spain allied herself to France and entered the war against Britain, Napoleon virtually doubled the size of his operational navy to support his plan to invade England. Fitted for sea Santìsima Trinidad was placed in commission under the command of Don Francisco Javier de Uriarte y Borja.

1805: Lying in Cadiz harbour ready to sail with Villeneuve’s combined fleet, Santìsima Trinidad clearly stood out from her consorts.
Besides having four gun decks, her sides were painted, according to Lieutenant William Lovell serving on British Neptune (98-gun) at Trafalgar, ‘ …. with four distinct lines of red, with a white ribbon between them …. ’.
After hoisting the flag of Rear-Admiral Bàltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, Santìsima Trinidad sailed from Cadiz with the combinet fleet on 19 October, Captain Uriarte in command.
Only Santa Ana (112) with her completely black hull could equal her majestic appearance.

(to be continued … next Trafalgar !!)

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007

Today, let’s have a change in the way to manage this log.

Instead of continuing in writing about the history of our Santìsima Trinidad, I would like to write something about the model I am building.

As I said before this model is not scratch built and it is not a kit. It is a model that is built around a magazine of naval matters and history published periodically by an italian company: De Agostini.

Every week there is a new issue in the newspaper stand. Alternatively there is the possibility to have a monthly postal shipment directly at home. In the latter case every shipment contains four issues.

There will be an overall number of 165 issues, and, at the end of the collection I will have completed two models:
1) the complete model, in 1/90 scale, of the Santìsima Trinidad,
2) the main cross section of Santisima Trinidad.

Every issue contains 3 things:
1) the magazine itself,
2) material for the construction of the model,
3) detailed building and assemblying instructions of the model.

The collection started about 15 months ago and today the issue 62 is available. The following pictures in this forum will give you an idea of the collection.

Honestly the amount of work contained in each issue is not too much as well as it is not too difficult. This fact leaves me enough time to build two other models in the same time. But this is another story.

Now you know that I started this model more than one year ago and that I receive four issues every month. This means at least two things: a) I have to reconstruct a log of the last year and b) for the future I will update this forum monthly.

Regarding a) I have made many photos during the time so I believe to describe and show the progress quite easily. So in the next days I will try to add regularly new things.

Surfing on the internet I have found a kit from the Spanish OCCRE that is very, very similar to my Santìsima Trinidad. I believe that my model is a variation of the OCCRE kit. With some interesting enhancements.

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007

The second picture in this WIP is taken, as well as the history, from the book "The Ships of Trafalgar", author Peter Goodwin. It is written in English.
Very interesting book with also some interesting pictures/plans like the following.
Regards.
Jack.

Thanks Tony for you comment, I'm continuing with new mwssages here below

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007

The following three photos are from the issue number 1. This first issue contains in detail the explanation of how the collection will be published, the timings and so on. In this issue there is also a DVD that shows in generals how the model is built.

The first 140 issues will deliver instructions and materials to construct the Santisima Trinidad full model, while the remaining 25 will be dedicated to build its cross section.

Please note the great similarity with the OCCRE model pictures shown before.

The DVD was sometime very helpful to understand better some future activities.

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007

This last photo shows the folder where it is possible to keep all the building instructions in perfect order, ready to use.

Posted: Mon May 07, 2007

The following photos are dated May 9th, 2006. Three week later the previous images.

Here, the bulkheads are all in their right place and the quarter deck is very close to completion.

The planking of the decks is also terminated. The last photo shows the poop deck in place.

Please note the three holes for the masts. They are all ready and fit perfectly.

Posted: Wed May 09, 2007

Two weeks later (July 25th, 2006) I made the following three photos.

As you can see I have installed the last four stripes of plywood at the quarter deck level. This completes now the upper part of the hull. The inside area of these stripes was previously coloured with water and aniline.

Just to anticipate some things, all this upper area of the hull will be planked, as well as the lower part, with strips of soft wood of mm. 2 x 5.

Here for the first time you can see my "artisanal" keel clamper. It's very easy but it works well. Today I no more use it for this model so I have transferred this clamper to the SAN JUAN where it is still in use.

I have also built and installed three gratings on the decks. They are not very well visible in these images.

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007

September 2006 - new activities on the Santisima Trinidad ...

A lot of activities done:
1) Planking the upper side of the hull,
2) planking the inside of the bulkwarks,
3) new gratings,
4) stairs,
5) initial planking of the lower side of the hull.

Upper side of the hull:
The strips I used were of mm. 2 x 5 of a softwood called "ramin".
With the exception of three planks is was quite easy to manage but ... ... here you understand REALLY what it means 140 guns.
I had to cut out 70 gun ports per each side during the planking ... fortunately that it was a matter of soft wood !! My fingers still remenber these days ...

The inside of the bulkwarks:
This was an unplanned work, in the sense that was not part of the project from the magazine. The original plan was to colour this area with aniline before applying the bulkwarks. But I didn't like very much so I planked the inside with strips of a very old walnut of mm. 1 x 5.

New gratings and stairs:
One of the many deviations from the main street planned by the magazine. Instead of continuing with planking I had to build new gratings, many stairs and mounting and paint many quarter deck guns. I have no photos of the guns but I think everybody knows how is a gun.

Initial planking of the lower side of the hull:
Last I started to plank the lower part. Same strips of the upper part but here the matter was much more complicated. The last photo shows details of the stern with four planks istalled. I had also to install two very small stealers.

Posted: Sun May 13, 2007

December 2006: The first plank layer is completed !!!

Finally after some weeks I have terminated to plank the hull. It's only the first layer but it was exciting. This was a new method explained in the magazine, especially developped when the double planking is selected. I cannot explain it now because I have no photos to show, I will do that for the second layer in the future. It's quite easy and intuitive.

After I spent some hours with sandpaper, sanding blocks and so on in order to made the hull as smoothest as possible. Samewhere some filler, of the same colour of the wood.

Finally I have mixed some glue with much more water and I have painted the complete hull. When dry it not visible, completely adsorbed by the wood, but the wook becames more strong. Then another work with sandpaper ...