Plastic kit from Revell. She was effectively the last galley built by France, launched around 1694 and became the flag ship of the French galley fleet, before the whole lot were laid up in 1720.
(https://i.imgur.com/t909ehb.jpg)
I say, that's brilliantly
Superb!
Very, very nice 8)
It looks great, I had no idea that Galleys were still a thing so late on...
Very nice indeed
Take care
Andy
Quote from: FierceKitty on 20 December 2018, 01:58:34 PM
...done.
Perhaps Lemmey has been round many times before, like Trevor, and it's now catching up with him.
Damn fine job, on that.
Cheers - Phil
:-bd =D> :-bd =D>
Muchos grassy ass for all the kind comments. Earlier statements were somewhat incorrect, La Reale was laid up in 1720, the galley fleet wasn't dispensed with until 1748.
Very nice work!
Was there a good reason for the French to have galleys at this point in history? Vanity project for the King, or something more sensible?
Galleys were cheaper to build and maintain than sailing warships and were useful as a counter to pirates. They needed less timber to build, were simple to design and they carried fewer guns. Flexible enough to be used for naval ambushes and amphibious operations. They needed fewer skilled seamen to operate, were difficult for sailing ships to catch and essential for hunting down and catching other galleys and oared raiders in shallow waters or conditions of little or no wind.
France and Spain had the largest galley fleets in the 17th century. By the 1650s, France had become the most powerful state in Europe. It expanded its galley forces under the "Sun King" Louis XIV. By the 1690s the French "Corps des Galères" reached its zenith, with over 50 vessels manned by over 15,000 men and officers, the largest galley fleet in the world at the time.
Thanks Ithoriel - very informative :-bd
Quote from: Ithoriel on 21 December 2018, 03:04:07 AM
Galleys were cheaper to build and maintain than sailing warships and were useful as a counter to pirates. They needed less timber to build, were simple to design and they carried fewer guns. Flexible enough to be used for naval ambushes and amphibious operations. They needed fewer skilled seamen to operate, were difficult for sailing ships to catch and essential for hunting down and catching other galleys and oared raiders in shallow waters or conditions of little or no wind.
France and Spain had the largest galley fleets in the 17th century. By the 1650s, France had become the most powerful state in Europe. It expanded its galley forces under the "Sun King" Louis XIV. By the 1690s the French "Corps des Galères" reached its zenith, with over 50 vessels manned by over 15,000 men and officers, the largest galley fleet in the world at the time.
This is an accurate summary. Indeed the entire judicial and penal systems of France and Italy were geared to provide the human resources. It was also the fate of Prisoners of War until the early 18th Century.
Some linguistic clues survive. Do a google of the old Italian word for Gaol. (galera = galley).
Very nice model.
And interesting history, I hadn't any idea galleys were in use so late on (which is what comes from an anglo-centric view of history...) Where they mainly used in the Med?
Quote from: fred. on 21 December 2018, 09:36:47 AM
Very nice model.
And interesting history, I hadn't any idea galleys were in use so late on (which is what comes from an anglo-centric view of history...) Where they mainly used in the Med?
Cheers.
Best thing I've read on the subject is '
Gunpowder and Galleys' by John Francis Guilmartin.
Quote from: fred. on 21 December 2018, 09:36:47 AM
Very nice model.
And interesting history, I hadn't any idea galleys were in use so late on (which is what comes from an anglo-centric view of history...) Where they mainly used in the Med?
Good question! Yes, the Med would be the TAOR for the galley. The Battle of Djarba (1560) is a classic. What struck me when I studied the Siege of Valetta (1565) and pre siege war between Christian alliance v Ottoman empire was how quickly a fleet of galleys could be built ad fitted out.
The galley had a shallow draft so in shore waters perhaps? I will leave this one to naval wargamers with more specialist knowledge of this area.
As examples:
Spanish galleys operated in Dutch waters during their tussle over who, exactly, The Netherlands belonged to.
France sent galleys to Scotland to support the Auld Alliance.
Galleys and Galleases operated as part of the Spanish Armada.
The Ottomans used galleys to counter Portuguese activity in the Indian Ocean - proving they were no match for the Portuguese carracks on the open sea in the process!
Normally, however, they were operating in the comparatively shallow and calmer waters of the Med.
Thanks chaps, very informative
Quote from: Ithoriel on 21 December 2018, 01:47:26 PM
As examples:
Spanish galleys operated in Dutch waters during their tussle over who, exactly, The Netherlands belonged to.
France sent galleys to Scotland to support the Auld Alliance.
Galleys and Galleases operated as part of the Spanish Armada.
The Ottomans used galleys to counter Portuguese activity in the Indian Ocean - proving they were no match for the Portuguese carracks on the open sea in the process!
Normally, however, they were operating in the comparatively shallow and calmer waters of the Med.
And didn't Argyll watch (and/or flee from?) the Battle of Inverlochy (1645) from the safety of his galley? (hopefully, d-guy will confirm).
As to Argyll at Inverlochy, he didn't stay for the battle, having damaged his arm tumbling from his horse, but instead retired to a galley waiting on Loch Linnhe.
The Islesmen used galleys for raiding and trading.
Kishmul was legendary pirate or "reiver" who plied his trade in the 14th century on the north east coast of Scotland, among the Hebrides.
In some stories he appears as a sort of sea-faring Robin Hood...stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
The Bennachie is a range of hills northeast of Aberdeen.
Quote from: Ithoriel on 21 December 2018, 04:29:43 PM
As to Argyll at Inverlochy, he didn't stay for the battle, having damaged his arm tumbling from his horse, but instead retired to a galley waiting on Loch Linnhe.
The Islesmen used galleys for raiding and trading.
These are birlinns, more like Viking longships in design, a different thing entirely. It's the ship on the arms of Clan Donald.
Kishmul was legendary pirate or "reiver" who plied his trade in the 14th century on the north east coast of Scotland, among the Hebrides.
The Hebrides are on the North WEST of Scotland. Kisimul castle is on the island of Barra.
In some stories he appears as a sort of sea-faring Robin Hood...stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
The Bennachie is a range of hills northeast of Aberdeen.
Bennachie is the name - no 'The' in it.
;)
Quote from: SV52 on 21 December 2018, 04:53:07 PM
The Islesmen used galleys for raiding and trading.
These are birlinns, more like Viking longships in design, a different thing entirely. It's the ship on the arms of Clan Donald.
Kishmul was legendary pirate or "reiver" who plied his trade in the 14th century on the north east coast of Scotland, among the Hebrides.
The Hebrides are on the North WEST of Scotland. Kisimul castle is on the island of Barra.
In some stories he appears as a sort of sea-faring Robin Hood...stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
The Bennachie is a range of hills northeast of Aberdeen.
Bennachie is the name - no 'The' in it.
Birlinns are shallow draught, oared ships so seemed to me to fit with what was being discussed but you're right you wouldn't confuse them with the traditional Med galley!
Oops! Yup, West not East. Can you tell why I wasn't allowed to sit Geography "O" Level? :)
The line in the song, as I know it, is "High on The Bennachie, on the day of days ..." but, since I couldn't point them out on a map, I stand corrected :)
THanks for the fixes.
A far better song to use is 'Whaur Gadie Rins'
'O gin I were whaur Gadie rins,
Whaur Gadie rins, whaur Gadie rins,
O gin I were whaur Gadie rins
At the back o' Bennachie.'
I live in Aberdeenshire and nobody here calls it The Bennachie.
Quote from: SV52 on 21 December 2018, 09:34:13 PM
I live in Aberdeenshire...
Och, ye puir wee laddie!