David Nelson's Web Site

Home Views of Model

 

 

Up       

 

Quarter Deck and Fore Deck

The Quarter deck planking is now installed and the bulkheads fitted.  At the rear is the Captains day cabin.  Forward of the day cabin is his dining cabin on the port side and his sleeping cabin to starboard.  There are two smaller cabins on each side of the wheel.  The one on the port side is for the Ships Master and the one to starboard is for the Secretary.  The table seen in front of the Masters cabin will be placed in the Masters cabin and has marine maps on it.  Forward of the wheel is the railing around the main companion way which leads down to the Upper deck.

View of the top decks of the model.  From the bow looking back we see the beakhead deck, which is an extension of the upper gun deck, the foredeck with the 68 pound carronades, the waist (the open area near the center of the ship), the quarter deck where we see the main companionway and binnacle which houses the compasses and, aft of the quarter deck we have the poop deck.

The Catheads, which extend from each side of the beakhead were used to raise the anchors out of the water.

The fore deck was the location of the largest guns on the ship, the 68 pound carronades.  The timbers and bitts between the carronades were used to belay some of the rigging. 

 

 

The waist was where the ships boats were kept.  They sat in cradles on the timbers which cross the waist.  Two ladders on each side provided access to the upper gun deck 

The ship belfry is seen at the forward end of the waist.  The bell was used to communicate time to the crew and indicated when a new crew was to come on duty.

The quarterdeck was the domain of the fleet and ship commanders.  It is here that Admiral Lord Nelson was mortally wounded during the Battle of Trafalgar.  At the aft end of the quarter deck we see the binnacle, which housed the ship's compasses,  and behind it is the wheel.

 

 

The Quarter deck with the hammock nettings  and standing rigging in place.  We can see the main channel with it's deadeyes and their chains.  Above the channel are the deadeyes at the lower end of the main mast shrouds.

At the time this picture was taken the standing rigging is fixed to the masts but only temporarily lashed in place at the channels.  The loose lines seen on the channel is for the temporary lashing that is in place.

 

View of the ships boats in the ship's waist.  these boats were used to transport men and materials between ships and between the ship and shore.  They would also the used to tow the ship in calm seas and to shift and move the anchors. 

The boats were not considered to be life boats.  In most cases the crewmen could not swim and if someone fell overboard a boat could not be but into the water in time to save them.

 

 

The Quarter deck showing the rigging belayed there and how the loose ends of the rope was coiled to keep it neat and contained.

 

View from the Quarter deck looking aft on the completed model.  Note the wheel and binnacle at the center of the picture.  The fire buckets hanging from the rail at the front of the Poop deck would have been filled with sand and/or water on the actual ship.

 

The Poop deck.

 

 

The officers quarters with the stern windows of the model removed.  The model is build the way the HMS Victory would have been in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalger.  In this picture, the upper deck was Captain Hardy's quarters, the middle deck was Vice Admiral Nelson's quarters and the lower deck in the picture was the junior officers quarters.

 

 

Closer view of Captain Hardy's quarters.  In the foreground is his day cabin.  Beyond the pillars is his dining cabin and through the open door on the right is sleeping cabin.  Note the cover over his sleeping cot.  The closed door on the right leads to the quarter gallery where his washroom facilities would be located.  There was a doorway in the front of his dining cabin that would allow Captain Hardy direct access to the Quarter deck.

 

 

A view of Admiral Nelson's quarters.  There layout was the same as Hardy's quarters but each room here was larger.  A stairway at the front of the dining cabin lead to the Quarterdeck just behind the wheel.

 

 

 

View of the ward room.  The sleeping accommodations were in cabins along the port and starboard sides of the ship.