Model of a Gunboat

Entry

Rigged wooden block model of a two-masted, flat-bottomed gunboat mounted on a stand.

The model has one gun mounted on a pivot on the foredeck, one carronade on a pivot on the afterdeck and four pivot guns in the sides. The bow can be opened and the stem lowered on hinges to operate the gun. The foredeck and afterdeck are slightly lower than the main deck, which has eight thwarts, a deck light and two hatches, a double railing with gangways and twenty-two rowlocks. The model is partly panelled below deck and has a ship’s galley. On the foredeck two gangways and a pump are positioned. The afterdeck has a railing with netting. The stern has a square tuck. The straight, broad rudder has a rudder quadrant, but there is also a helm port in the tuck. The sheer is flat, the model has one wale and leeboards. Seventeen oars and one anchor have been preserved. The model is rigged without sails, the foremast and mainmast have sprits. The bowsprit can be removed, the foremast can be placed to either starboard or port.

This type of gunboat, 14.15-metre-long, was first developed in Denmark and introduced in the Dutch Navy in 1830. A number of these gunboats were used from 1830 to 1833 on rivers at Nijmegen, Grave and Den Bosch. They were not satisfactory: the rigging proved to be impractical, not enough speed could be generated when rowing, there was not enough room for the crew and the risk of water entering through the gun port in the bow proved too great.

Scale (derived) approx. 1:22.