HMS Indefatigable – 1794

HMS Indefatigable was one of the Ardent-class 64-gun third-rate ships-of-the-line designed by Sir Thomas Slade in 1761 for the Royal Navy. She was also the first to carry that name in the Royal Navy. She was built as a ship-of-the-line, but most of her active service took place after her conversion to a 44-gun razee frigate. She had a long career under several distinguished commanders, serving throughout the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. She took some 27 prizes, alone or in company, and the Admiralty authorised the issue of four clasps to the Naval General Service Medal in 1847 to any surviving members of her crews from the respective actions.

Indefatigable was finally paid off in 1815. She was broken up at Sheerness in August 1816.

S. Forester chose Indefatigable under Pellew as the ship on which his fictional hero Horatio Hornblower spent most of his time as a midshipman in the novel Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. The Spanish flotilla incident is referred to by Forester in the novel Hornblower and the Hotspur. Indefatigable is featured even more prominently in the Hornblower television series. Patrick O’Brian fictionalises this Spanish Flotilla incident in Post Captain, the second of his Aubrey–Maturin series of novels. In this novel, Captain Aubrey is in temporary command of HMS Lively, one of the other ships in the British squadron under the command of Moore. Also mentioned in “The Yellow Admiral” with reference to being cut down from a two-decker.

Scale – 1:64
VM12
Length Overall – 52.75″ (1340mm)
Hull Length – 34.6″ (880mm)
Height Overall – 34.7″ (882mm)
Width Overall – 19.7″ (500mm)

Kit includes:

• Laser cut parts in MDF, and clear acetate for gallery windows. All visible parts are laser cut in pear wood sheet.
• 51 laser cut sheets, with 37 sheets being in pearwood
• Laser cut pear wood ladders and gratings included as standard.
• Engraved ply sub decks to aid planking.
• High quality Red Alder supplied for deck planking.
• All of the areas at and above deck level are pre-cut.
• 6 sheets of photo etched brass, in three different thicknesses.
• High resolution 3D-printed cannon and carronade barrels (black) along with black acrylic cannon balls of the correct diameter.
• Gun port positions built into frame and inner bulwarks cut to fit those positions.
• Double planked hull in limewood for first planking and pear wood for second planking.
• Walnut dowel for mast and yards.
• Multiple sizes of both black and natural rigging thread along with all necessary blocks and deadeyes.
• The full colour instruction manual is our most comprehensive yet, along with THIRTY-ONE plan sheets which include all masting and rigging drawings.
• Highly detailed laser-cut and engraved stern decoration and 3D-printed Indefatigable figurehead.
• 3D-printed lanterns for stern, with glazing.
• Five highly detailed ship’s boats in pear wood.
• Stern cabins with chequerboard-engraved floor and a full suite of furniture!
• Fine black chain for rudder.
• Highly detailed 3D-printed ship’s stove with brick plinth.
• Pellew figure included.
• Each Indefatigable kit takes 15 full hours to produce.

**This model comes with standard blocks**