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The British Admiralty
commissioned a sixth rate Swan Class sloop in August of 1775. The keel
was laid in January, 1776 and H.M.S. Fly slid off the launching
ways on September 14, 1776. She displaced 300 tons, measured 97' and 7"
on deck and carried a crew of 125. Sixteen cannon and 16 swivel guns
served as armament. Sleek hull lines and lavish ornamentation
contributed to her beauty. Not much remains about her career history,
except that she captured two French privateers. She was lost off the
coast of New Foundland in 1802.
Amati Models kit is
based on original Admiralty plans plus many contemporary sources. Double
plank-on-bulkhead construction uses high quality birch for structural
parts. Other wooden parts are walnut and basswood. A comprehensive
fittings package includes 4, 6 and 8mm dowels for masts, boom and
bowsprit; 7 sizes of various blocks; 3 diameters of black and 6
diameters of beige rigging line. The rich ornamentation of the original
vessel is accurately reproduced. You’ll find cast metal figurehead,
stern ornamentation, quarter badge decorations and photo-etched brass
for hull and stern decoration, rudder gudgeons and pintles, window
frames, pillar moldings and more. Clearly written instructions plus 12
sheets of detailed plans (3 of them dedicated to rigging) pave the way
to a magnificent model.
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