|
| |
AIAX
English Frigate of 1765
History:
Launched in Plymouth in 1765, Aiax was completed, armed and supplied
five years later, whon it sailed for its first trip to North America.
In 1786, during a winter mission in Atlantic, it runned into a terrible
tempest which seriusly damaged it, demolishing the mizzen, the mainsail
and the foremast. The tempest lasted
threedays and with some summary reparations made by the crew, it
was ready to leave to Scotland, where it arrived 45 days after. A few months
later, once ready to navigate again, it
sailed to Plymouth.
Aiax navigated for still 12 years and then it was disarmed in the
same navy yard where it was born and there it was abandoned untill 1801,
when the Admiralty, in order to potentiate
the floot,decided to utilize again sone disarmed ship like Aiax.
It was therefore beached and works started.
In order to make it lighter to increase the caliber of the guns
on the deck, one replaced the quarter boards with protective lements made
by the hammocks mattresses.
The guns of 4 libras on the deck were replaced by the most modern
two-mast sailing-ship of 8 libras. A further lightening was obtained by
eliminating all the sculptures from the poop
and in port also from the lateral windows. The sculptures were replaced
by decorations painted in ochre yellow. The immersed side was covered with
copper slabs against the
corrosion of the planking due to the mollusks, and according to
the last requirements of the building technics of the age.
Regarding the masting, the main modification was to substitute the
mizzen by the peak and the boom.
Also the gaff was replaced by another one with a wider surface.
The veiling surface was considerably increased by increasing the stay and
the further weils. All this improoved the
speed of the ship, speed wich, at that moment, was already remarkable,
being equal to 10 miles per hour.
The hull was painted again in black with a yellow ochre band in
correspondance of the battery, with a white border on the railing. Also
the coach boxes and figure-head were in white.
At the end of 1802 the ship sailed with the Mediterranean fleet
and partecipated to the Tolone siege, with other English ships, among which
the famous " Victory ", commanded by
Admiral Nelson. On 21st October 1805 Aiax partecipated to the Trafalgar
war, where it damaged a Spanish ship and sinked a French one.
Other details of the ship are unknow, after the war and the end
of the war against Napoleon, as well as year in which it was definetly
disarmed.
 
Peculiar feature of this kit:
|
CONSTRUCTION KIT
|
REF. 99/005
|
|
PLANS
|
REF. 66/005
|
|
MAXIMUM LENGHT
|
mm 760
|
|
HULL LENGHT
|
mm 640
|
|
MAXIMUM WIDTH
|
mm 390
|
|
HULL WIDHT
|
mm 150
|
|
MAXIMUM HEIGHT
|
mm 720
|
|
APPAREL / GUNS
|
38
|
|
SCALE
|
1:72
|
|
