HM Gunboat William Model Ship Kit – Caldercraft (9016)

Description

History

The 1700’s in Britain began peacefully. King George II led a relatively prosperous period in British history. It wasn’t until his grandson; King George III was crowned king that the British Empire came under threat from various regions throughout the world. King George III’s reign experienced the American Revolutionary War, the Seven Years War and the Napoleonic conquests.

This era of conflict led to the manufacturing and development of a whole variety of vessels used by the Royal Navy. HM Gunboat William was a new type of experiment, which utilised what was then an early form of turret. The ship had just one 24-pounder cannon onboard, which was mounted to this turret and was capable of rotating to different positions, depending on where it needed to fire.

The HM Gunboat William was not designed for wind propulsion and was instead fitted with one row of oars. Although the ship did have a mainmast, this could be easily lowered to deck level as it was mounted on a movable pivot. Lowering the mainmast meant the ship’s movement was not affected by wind and it also lowered the centre of gravity. These features made the ship extremely maneuverable.

The experimental guns and oar propulsion made this ship perfect for anti-invasion duties, tasked with protecting homeports and manning the coastlines. This duty was highly important, especially during a period, which contained so much conflict.

Details of the model boat kit

Caldercraft, who are a manufacturer of fine scale replica model boats, produces this kit. They use real ship plans and the latest technology to delivery highly detailed model kits for you to build. The kit features all fixtures and fittings necessary to finish the model. The kit uses double plank on bulkhead construction in lime and walnut and the decking is finished in high quality maple strip. Other fittings include the 24-pounder bronze cannon mounted atop a turret, just as described above.

Premier Ship Models have been established for 12 years and in that time have delivered model ship kits just like this one to hundreds of customers all across the world. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about this kit. To view other kits produced by Caldercraft, please click here.