Wednesday, December 23, 2015

La Real (1571)

My latest 1/350 model by master modeler Julián Fernández de Sevilla Campos of ModelJShip is the Spanish Royal Galley La Real.  She served as the flagship of Don John of Austria at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.




La Real was built in Barcelona at the Royal Shipyard. I saw the replica of la Real on a visit to Barcelona in June 2014 and a Blog entry earlier on this Blog shows some photographs of the full-size replica. 
La Real was very large for a Lanterna or command ship and was in fact the largest galley of its time. The galley was 200 ft long and 20 ft wide, had two masts, and weighed 237 tons empty. It was equipped with three heavy and six light artillery pieces. La Real was rowed by a total of 290 rowers. 
She carried 400 sailors and soldiers at Lepanto. 
The soldiers were positioned thus:
50 men were posted on the upper deck of the forecastle,
50 on the midships ramp
50 each along the sides at the bow
50 each on the skiff and oven platforms
50 on the firing steps along the sides near the stern
50 on the stern platform behind the battle flag. 

To help move and maneuvre the huge ship, it was pushed from the rear during the battle by two other galleys.
The galley was very ornate with Renaissance paintings by the artist Juan de Mal-Lara. You will see miniature versions of his paintings on the poop deck of this model.
Julián used the hull of a resin galley by Old Glory. The rest of the ship is scratch built using parts and figures by Langton Miniatures. I believe this is Julián's most beautiful and complex conversion so far.