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.

The Battle of Morat, 1476

Many years ago, on a business trip to Zurich, I visited the Schweiz Landesmuseum near the Bahnhof. There is a very large model in the museum of the Battle of Morat, often also called Murten, in traditional Zinnfiguren or "flats". The battle was fought on June 22, 1476, between Charles Duke of Burgundy and a Swiss confederate army trying to relieve the Burgundian siege of Murten, 30 km. from Bern. The Swiss army launched a surprise attack which overwhelmed the Burgundian besiegers.

These scans are from postcards purchased by me at the museum.

I have recently been playing a Morat scenario in the STEAM computer game "Pike & Shot" by Slitherine. The game does a good job of showing the siege lines and capturing the feel of a surprise attack. I recommend it highly. 

Herzog Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria von Österreich-Este

Gräf & Stift Bois de Boulogne phaeton 

On June 28 1914 at 10:45 am Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot and killed by Gavrilo Princip whilst riding in the back of this car with his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg who was also killed.

The car is housed at the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Vienna, where I took this photograph on July 4, 2009.

Within a few weeks, a chain of events would precipitate the commencement of the Great War, 1914-18.

In the words of British Foreign secretary Sir Edward Gray on August 3, 2014 "The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time". The British Empire entered the War at 23:00 GMT August 4, 2014.

Chaloupes, Chasse Marees and other small craft

The Jersey Maritime Museum features an interesting collection of small un-rated vessels from a Cutter down to a Peniche. Photography was very difficult in a darkened room through a glass case but I hope these unusual small boats will be of interest.

HMS Cruizer (1797)

A fine model of the brig-sloop HMS Cruizer (1797) can be found at the Jersey Maritime Museum in St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands.

The Cruizer (aka Cruiser) was the first of a class of 105 such brig-sloops. She was armed with 16 x 32 pounder carronades and 2 x 6-pounder chase guns. The model appears to show her as originally equipped, with 18 x 6 pounders.

The details of the crew and dockside are very fine indeed.

The Museum is located in a series of preserved warehouses and contains many interesting exhibits concerning Jersey's long maritime history.

Royal Galley of John of Austria at Lepanto, 1571

The Royal galley of John of Austria, Real, was built at the Drassanes Reials de Barcelona (the Barcelona Royal Shipyard).  This galley was his flagship at the Battle of Lepanto 1571. There is a magnificent reproduction of this galley at the Barcelona Maritime Museum.

El Port de Barcelona

The "MUSEU MARÍTIM DE BARCELONA" is housed in the old Barcelona Royal Shipyard. The shipyard itself is a series of galley "sheds" built of stone in the 16th Century. The buildings were added to and modified over many centuries from 1285 until 1749. The shipyard built galleys for the Aragonese Armada. 

The following photos are of an impressive diorama of the Port de Barcelona in the 14th Century.