Spanish pirate galleon "Neptune" 1:100 (scratch build)

[Michael Mash]

Excerpts from “el comunicado” sent to Radék de la Sol del Santa Crúz de Brazil…

“…Marzo Anno Domini 1669…


. . . How did we come into possession of your famous self-brewed rum? . . . . . you may not have known . . . after you were robbed by the sea devil Captain Henry Morgan, not all of the 20 barrels of your most famous rum went up in flames with HMS Oxford. Captain Morgan somehow escaped the blast, fire and destruction with his life, his blade and pistol, and 5 barrels of the rum. Being in desperate circumstances, the Captain sold it to a Portuguese coastal trader from Cuba. Sometime Later . . . While I was cavorting in the market in Santiago . . . and while avoiding the scrutiny from sentries of the abhorrent English . . God forbid . . , I recognized from the strong odor of it, to be the rum of Radek Del La Sol! It cost me dearly. The scurvy dog black market trader, smelling of old fish and West Indian tobacco, refused to part with it for no less than 10 gold cruzados!!…………. Blessed Mother Mary forgive me, I paid for it. Now my shipwrights, blacksmiths and trabalhadores will not work without a daily allotment of the stuff. They swear by the royal crown of King Afonso VI that yours is the finest. I threatened them every one with famishment if they do not keep it far removed from open flames God help us all !!

Tu fiel aliado,
Miguél De Nevado Norte

Posdata: . . . Por supuesto! . . . unknown to Miguél De Nevado Norte . . . the “el communicado” sent to Radek Del La Sol “…Marzo Anno Domini 1669…” would not reach its intended recipient for some time if ever, after the interruption of Senhor Del La Sol’s voyage aboard the Flor de Mayo by the “god-abandoned” Captain Thomas Bartholomew Redd!!

[RdK]

Hi everyone,

@Ab: yes, indeed a good brand of pizzas! My favorite at the moment is the one with pepperoni, mozzarella and pesto! Mmmh…I think I will run quickly to the shop and buy one now…I am running out of building material…


Now that the dark, cold, wet, and gloomy time arrived again here in Finland, it is time to continue the journey of Radék de la Sol…

I took the Nepune off the shelf and started to take a better look at what I have done so far…and realized that I have done a lot of mistakes…

For one, I was lazy and have drawn the window mutins with a pen (pic. 1). Then I remembered how DORIS said that it is possible to cut from the self adhesive foil stripes as thin as a hair! So I gave it a try and made the windows anew from the foil, partly painted with a marker in black, and taped on a translucent part of a minigrip plastic bag with satisfactory results (pic. 2 to 4)… at least for me it seems now better than before.

While continuing to do the other inner part of the upper deck (pic. 5 & 6) I used a bit too much oil paint to alter the wooden appearance, when experimenting with brown paint on the part instead of on a template…lesson learned!

Another mistake I made was with the gun ports, I tried to make a strip from pizza card as long as the side of the ship, but after gluing the wooden tape in the right places, altering it with black oil paint and waiting until it was dry (several days) I just noticed that I could not glue the stripe to the inner side of the hull part. So had to abandon that idea and try instead individual small pieces around the gun port (pic. 7 & 8).
I made three to test my approach but realized that the inner parts were painted red in the real ship. Also the card I used is only 1mm and makes it a bit more difficult to glue. So I am preparing now a bit thicker card (2mm) with the wooden foil, first altered with black and then with red paint to imitate the wooden appearance (tested on a template first ). More on it in another post.

I also run into trouble with the cannons, cutting 80 pieces of card out just to realize that when rolled together, they are not as thick as I would like to have them. So I had to try again to find the right dimensions for a cannon of the caliber I want, but that will be soon explained in the next post, when Radék de la Sol finally arrives in Habana…
Some of the gun carriages that I glued onto the lower decks seem to be too low as well and need to be redone…

Picture 9 shows the model in its still rough state at the moment. I still need to add some minor details to the inner parts and finish all the gun ports, before gluing these pieces finally to the hull and give the Neptune its true shape.

So much for now!

Rgds,
Radek



“…Marzo Anno Domini 1669…

…Upon arrival at the entrance to the Gulf of Venezuela on March 9th, which was made up by a string of islands and shoals making the entrance to the Laguna, the buccaneers realized that the Castillo San Carlos de la Barra (pic. 10) was manned again since their last raid by Spanish soldiers and that the guns were welcoming them with a proper thunder!

“We will besiege this little fortress and storm it in the night! But we do not have to sacrifice our best men for that,” said Captain Henry Morgan –

“Captain Redd! Take the crew from the captured Portuguese ship along and let them storm first!”

Meanwhile the Portuguese crew, including Radék de la Sól de la Santa Cruz was united again, for somehow the old Flor de Mayo was so much rebuild that only the original crew was able to work it, but Captain Morgan gave the command over it to the brutal Bartholomew Redd and a few of his soldiers.

The brave Spanish soldier defended the small 11-gun fortress hard. But as the Portuguese landing party advanced, they quickly communicated to the Soldiers that they are captives of the pirates.

“Mi amigos! Come quick through the side entrance in, while we keep the pirates afar, quick! Quick!”

Inside, the garrison commander showed them the new cannons they had, which were supplied by the famous Miguél de Nevado Norte from Habana, and which were very capable of keeping the buccaneers at bay! So Radék got a first taste of what is to come for his Neptune!

“…But these are only the small ones señor de la Sol. Miguél has even larger ones!
We cannot have the pirates get these new models of guns for fear the british dogs could steal our invention and use it against us! We need to spike them and escape while there is still a chance!”

And so the commander spiked the cannons with a very long fuse so all had enough time to escape. When Captain Redd realized that something is not right when the cannons stopped thundering, he advanced with a few men into the Castillo and saw the fuse burning…

“Scuvvy dogs!! I will put that fuse out!”

But every time he thought he trampled it into the dust, it ignited again… So he tried again….and again…and again... Until it made a last loud thunder and all the cannons exploded in a great fire ball (pic. 11)!

And this is how Captain Thomas Bartholomew Redd got his wooden leg…(pic. 12)

Of course, later the story was told completely different by a certain Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin in his treaty on the Caribbean pirates, that Sir Morgan was “amazed to find no defenders” and that “the fuse has been extinguished about an inch away from the powder!” and of course that it was Sir Henry Morgan’s assault-column that spiked the guns while the Spanish cowards fled, leaving even their dinner behind!

While Radék de la Sol at least escaped from the hands of the pirates, he and the others were by no means in safety yet, for “the buccaneers then sent raiding parties out into the surrounding country side with complete liberty and no resistance, rounding up scores of prisoners and torturing them brutally to reveal their riches…”

...tbc...“

[Michael Mash]

Originally Posted by RdK

Hi everyone,

For one, I was lazy and have drawn the window mutins with a pen (pic. 1). Then I remembered how DORIS said that it is possible to cut from the self adhesive foil stripes as thin as a hair! So I gave it a try and made the windows anew from the foil, partly painted with a marker in black, and taped on a translucent part of a minigrip plastic bag with satisfactory results (pic. 2 to 4)… at least for me it seems now better than before.
Radek

...tbc...“[/I]

Hello Radek:
Absolutely fine work with the foil (tip from Doris) to make the mutins.
Authentic filigree work indeed. Now that the dark, cold, wet, and gloomy time arrived again in Finland, there is at least the work with your ship to look forward to.
Best Regards,
Mike

[Michael Mash]

“…Aprile Anno Domini 1669…

………after his escape from the pirates, it was a risky and dangerous journey for Radék de la Sol del Santa Crúz de Brazil, before he could securely dock his vessel in the safety of Habana harbor. Praise the saints at last he could relish some protection before his much-anticipated meeting with Senhor Miguél…………where he could conclude his negotiations for Neptune’s new armament.


At his Astillero, hidden away deep in the wilds of Rio De Jaruco . . . . east of Habana . . . . . Miguél De Nevado Norte played host to his guest, the esteemed Senhor Radék de la Sol del Santa Crúz de Brazil… after his escape from the pirates and the events at Castillo San Carlos de la Barra……………..

Amidst the sounds and sights of the various dancers and entertainers, and as he wiped away the dripping rum from his chin, Senhor Radek said to his host: “At last you can tell me more about the new larger heavy weapons being created for Neptune!”

………….”Indeed” , replied Miguél De Nevado Norte. . as he wiped away the dripping rum from his chin, . . . “Our trusted metalúrgico . . . a student of the principal iron weapons master for Swedish King Adolphus, our own Dominic De La Armas De Hierro, asked me to tell you marvelous news Senhor Radek De La Sol. While tinkering with his iron formulations, he discovered a new scheme to reduce the weight of each piece of heavy iron artillery. These will weigh even less than the smaller versions you witnessed at Castillo San Carlos de la Barra. With Dominic’s reformulated metal, your new ship will be lighter still. With good seamanship, it may outmaneuver and outflank the larger more heavily armed 104 cannon bearing Le Soleil Royal of the abhorrent French. And perhaps also now it can outfox the mad dog Captain Thomas Bartholomew Redd.”

“So my old friend”, continued Miguél, “ you can sleep tonight confident that we remain safe here God Willing in the wilds of Rio De Jaruco . . . . east of Habana”.
Wiping away the dripping rum from his chin, Miguél, told his guest this story:
“Some time ago …………. The mad dog Henry Morgan had a raid planned for Habana God Forbid!
But word of it reached the Colonel Don Del Valle De Cumberland and his Spanish garrison . . . . . . . . . . so they created an extravagant trap for him. Regrettably, the whole business did not go as intended. Morgan decided Habana was very heavily defended, and he believed it wise to avoid an encounter with the Colonel Don Del Valle . . . . . . . so the rogue shifted his attention to a less risky target. God willing he will soon catch the same fate as the merciless vagabond devil François l'Olonnais”.

“I must tell you” replied Senhor Radék de la Sol, I was quite impressed with the gentleman you sent to lead us here through the forest. The trabalhadores call him: “ El Observador De Aves” . . . but what is his real name?” “Ah Por Supuesto” replied Miguél, he is our best most trusted guide, Glen De Los Pájaros Montaña who showed you the way through the lush selva tropical to my Astillero. Senhor Glen knows all the sounds and ways of the wild creatures . . . . . . . and he speaks with the birds I swear by it!! No sea or land pirate can ambush you while you are under his protection. Also, during your visit, our trusted metalúrgico . . . Dominic De La Armas De Hierro plans to exhibit the accuracy of the new larger iron weapons he proposes for your Neptune Galleon . . . . . . for your appraisal and approval.
“Ah Excellente!” replied Radék de la Sol del Santa Crúz de Brazil.

So ………… with the aroma of pigs roasting on the fires, and the festive sights and sounds of the dancers and entertainers gamboling around them, the two old aliados continued to exchange tales and las noticias well into the humid tropical night. . . . . and of course, Señor Radek revealed further details of his dramatic escape from the pirates and the events at Castillo San Carlos de la Barra.

. . . . . . . . . tbc . . . . . . . . . .

[Michael Mash]

“…Aprile Anno Domini 1669…


Early The Next Day . . . .

At the prepared clearing on the banks of the Rio De Jaruco, the morning was clear and bright and the dark river was calm as conditions were perfect for the performance Dominic De La Armas De Hierro had planned, to demonstrate the new heavy weapons being purchased by Radék de la Sol del Santa Crúz de Brazil. Arrayed in a perfect line were seven new, “gleaming in the sun”, heavy iron guns, proudly displayed by Senhor Dominic.

However . . . . As Dominic explained the advantages of the new weapons to Senhor Radék de la Sol, and as the weapons were being prepared for demonstration, one of the trabalhadores noticed something . . . perhaps a vessel . . . rounding the headland at the mouth of the river . . . slowly approaching the Rio De Jaruco . . . THE THING WAS FLYING THE JOLLY ROGER!!!! . . .

“PIRATES GOD FORBID!” cried out Senhor Radék de la Sol. “THEY FOLLOWED ME HERE!”

“What are we going to do Senhor Miguél ” said Dominic De La Armas De Hierro, as Miguél extended his monocular and studied the approaching vessel. Just then, sudden flashes of light, and smoking flaming booming cannonade of shot echoed across the surface of the river from the renegade vessel . . .

But the shots fell short!!

“THEY ARE SHOOTING AT US!” cried out one of the trabalhadores. “WE MUST RUN!!”

“They do not know the range or our new heavy weapons”, proclaimed Senhor Miguél . “SWIFTLY ARM THE CANNONS AND AIM FOR THAT VESSEL” he called out . . . as the pirates continued shooting . . .

The gunners scurried to load shot and prepare the fuses . . .

“LIGHT THE FUSES”, yelled out Dominic De La Armas De Hierro.

A smoking flaming booming cannonade of shot reverberated across the surface of the river . . . the percussion knocking the hats off Radek and Miguél . Five of the shots hit the water . . . but one pierced a hole in the bow of the pirate vessel . . . . A second smashed through the forcastle, sending the bowsprit crashing into the water amidst a tangle of rigging and shattered debris.

All the trabalhadores started to cheer . . . as the renegade vessel began to turn to port . . .

“She is turning out to sea, Senhor Miguél !” yelled one of the gun crew.
“BUENO BUENO! HIT THEM AGAIN”, called out Senhor Miguél .

The gunners scurried to load more shot and prepare the fuses.

“LIGHT THE FUSES ”, yelled out Dominic De La Armas De Hierro.

Brilliant flashes of gunpowder preceded a second volley of smoking flaming booming cannonade of shot reverberating across the surface of the river . . . the percussion knocking the hats off Radek and Miguél . One shot smashed through the decorated stern of the pirate vessel, sending a shower of shattered glass and splintered wood into the river and igniting a small fire.

Amid the chaos, smoke and excitement, the gunners and trabalhadores began to jump and cheer wildly . . . dancing around the smoking cannons . . . as the smoldering battered pirate vessel limped back out to sea . . . away from Rio De Jaruco.

Miguél De Nevado Norte . . breathed a huge sigh of relief . . . and ordered the trabalhadores to break open a barrel of Radék de la Sol’s famous self-brewed rum. Then he turned to his guest . . . wiped the sweat from his brow and said, “Those criminals will not come to Rio De Jaruco again. They did not know the range of these new weapons. Perhaps the scoundrels will meet their end on the reef northeast of Habana . . . god willing”.
“Yes indeed god willing” replied Radék de la Sol del Santa Crúz de Brazil. “I swear by the King’s crown, the criminals are everywhere. Take care Senhor Miguél to hide the new weapons securely, until such time as they can be placed securely aboard my ship”. “Indeed” replied Miguél, as the two old allies walked through the Astillero. Miguél continued: “Glen De Los Pájaros Montaña will guide you through the lush selva tropical back to Habana and your ship. When you report this incident to the Colonel Don Del Valle De Cumberland and the Spanish garrison in Habana, please give the Colonel my warmest regards”. “Por Supuesto” replied Radék de la Sol. Miguél, “And perhaps the colonel will dispatch spies to discover the location of those bandits”.

……..tbc…….

[Tapcho]

Such a joy of a build thread this is. I've been reading it back and forth many many times. Thing is that when I build samething it's never just building. I grave for more knowlege of all things related and I just love let my imagination fly as you guys de here. Thanks for the duetto Radel and Michael!

Next ship I'm going to do will be scratch built. This looks so much fun.

BR Tappi

[RdK]

Hi and thanks, Tapcho!

I did not want to post anything here before I finish gluing the sides of the ship to the frame and start planking them, but it seems to still take a while. There’s a lot to do before I can start planking the hull.

What I like about scratch build is how it humbles you down. You think you’ve got it all figured out, make the parts, glue them in place, and then you notice that something is not according to your ideas… (See pic. 1). It is a lot of trial and error, dry fitting, tapering, dry-fitting again, before the final gluing (pic. 2)…

Currently I am busy with the guns and the gun port stops, which also give the imitation of a thick hull. I will tell more about it in the next post. Here only a little update: So far it goes well but slow. I managed to make the lower gun deck on one side (pic. 3). I tried to paint them in red - but not the shiny bright red, but more of a darker, dirty red. For that I painted some foil strips red, after altering with black oil paint. Drying of it took several weeks (down side of oil paints, but I just love them!). The cut sides of the 2mm thick card were then painted with acrylic markers, first brown and then red, but I removed a bit of the red straight away with my fingers, otherwise it would be a too intense, shiny red color. Acrylic marker paint dries within seconds.

Some wonder, why the red color on the gun-ports??

Explanations range from “…intimidating the enemy…”, “…conservative properties of a lead-based paint…”, which was also used to protect exterior ironworks, to the famous explanation (although never proved if right), that the red paint was chosen so that in the heat of the battle the sailors were not demoralized by the many bloodstains of the own comrades.

-But this makes no sense, because then they should have painted the deck also red, because most of the blood landed on the deck in pools of blood! Say some…

-Yes, most blood did end up on the deck, that’s why they spread so much sand on the decks, so the other gun crew sailors would not slide on the slippery blood! Despite, the gun decks were full of sand and black gun-powder, so the pools of blood were not so visible there in that dirt and filth anyway! Say others…

-And every time they would scrub the deck clean, they’d also scrub off the paint! Say I…

The Age of Sail must have been a truly brutal world. These are some of the historical encounters one makes, when trying to learn a bit about the own model. But it is always interesting to get to know the world around us, including its history and past…

@Tapcho: Thanks again for the Pizza we had last time! Maybe when the situation allows, we could repeat it again some time!

So much for now.

Rgds,
Radek



“…Mayo Anno Domini 1669…

-So, tell me Señor de la Sol, how did you escape the pirates again? Asked the friendly Italian merchantman by the name Tapanillo Giovanni Cassini in the local tavern of Olinda.

-Arr…, Aye, so… while we were on the shores near Maracaibo, here, near the Anaconda Bay (pic. 4), word reached us, that Spain’s Armada de Barlovento reached the Bar of Maracaibo with a fresh load of Señor Miguel de Nevado Norte’s guns and reoccupied the fortress.
The armada consisted of the 412-ton Magdalena of 38 guns, the 218-ton San Luis of 26 guns, and the 50-ton Nuestra Señora de la Soledad of 14 guns, all manned by 500 officers, troops and sailors, led by Admiral Alonso de Campos y Espinosa. He send a letter to Captain Morgan calling on him to surrender or else he had “…orders to destroy you utterly and put every man to the sword. This is my final resolution: take heed, and be not ungrateful for my kindness. I have with me valiant soldiers, yearning to be allowed to revenge the unrighteous acts you have committed against the Spanish nation in America.”

-What remarkable guns they are, these new Spanish cacafuego, har har..! Please, have another slice of this Pizza with spicy pepperoni! It is my own creation, interrupted Tapanillo.

-Cacafuego, ha! What fitting description! - replied Radék del Sol de la Santa Cruz de Brazíl – So, the pirates did not think of giving up their hard won treasures and replied: they will fight to the death rather than hand over their spoils to the Spanish!
And after a week’s preparation, Captain Henry Morgan, that sneaky bastard, sailed in the early morning towards the Spanish Armada, with its large Cuban Prize, flying an admiral’s regalia, straight at Campo’s flag-ship as if they were about to board it. But when the Spanish soldiers surged over the bulwark, they found the ship empty, lined with wooden dummies, while some dozen of buccaneers hastily decamping over the far side. In that moment, a barrel of my stolen Rum fell over near the hot burning stove and the whole ship burst into flames!

-Oh no, the stove? Asked Tapanillo…

-Yes! And MY STOLEN RUM! Replied Radék del Sol. Can you imagine??

-Oh, that is why I was asked to deliver some new stoves (see here and here), more fire-proved to the admiralty in Cuba! Wondered Tapanillo…

-The other Spanish vessels, now in panic, cut their cables to run for the safety of the fort’s guns, pursued by a swarm of angry pirates, only to run aground in the shallows and set themselves ablaze to prevent capture.
In all the chaos and bloody mess on the gun decks, the crew of the Flor de Mayo managed to pick us up from the shore and escaped safely under its neutral Portuguese flag, while Miguél’s guns in the fortress hammered Morgan’s pirates, hindering them from leaving the Bay... (pic 5).
So they had to retreat back to Maracaibo, those sneaky dogs! Har har!!

-So… I hear word, Captain Morgan is back in Port Royal, or, at least on his way there. How did he escape I wonder? ...Wondered Tapanillo…

-I can tell you, my dear Tapanillo, but let us now eat and drink and celebrate our freedom! Our dear friend Miguél de Nevado Norte gave me some of my rum with, which he purchased for a pretty penny in Cuba! Said Radék del Sol, while happily eating a Pepperoni Pizza with his friend Tapanillo Giovanni Cassini.

(Parts from: Pirates of the Americas, Vol.1 by David F. Marley)

…tbc…”

[Michael Mash]

Hello again Radek,
No need to hurry the work.
Like fine wine . . . it will develop over time.
I enjoyed reading about the many reasons (stories) for the red gun ports.
Mike

[RdK]

Hi,

Thanks Mike!

Like fine wine...or fine "Rum" ?

The reasons for red gun ports I describe is only what I found while trying to find out why and when they have been painted red? From contemporary paintings it appears that the red color came gradually, around the change from 1500s to 1600s.

But if anyone finds other reasons or even a clear documented description of why they are red, please post your findings. It would be interesting to get to the bottom of this aspect of the old sail ships!

Rgds,
Radek

PS: Ab, thanks for the regards!

[abhovi]

As a first reaction to your question about red gunports: I would like to see proof that it was indeed a rule to paint them red. Is there any proof at all?

I 'used' Tapcho to send you my regards. Hope you had a good time together.
Ab