Art Print HMS Surprise | S. J. Lucas
£54.00
ADMIRALTY SHIP MODELS
HMS Surprise Ship Model (1794 GB) | Large Scale
Overall size: 102 cm (L) x 76 cm (H)
SKU: 178
£0.00
£3,846.00
Share the love with your friend
Complete the form below and we'll email your friend about this product
Be one of the first to know!
We’re sorry we’re out of stock but we can let you know as soon as it's available if you enter your email address below.
Overall dimensions:
Length: 40.15" (102 cm)
Width: 13" (33 cm)
Height: 30" (76 cm)
Every aspect of this HMS Surprise model, from the carefully crafted rigging to the ornate figurehead and detailed wooden carvings on the stern, is designed to bring the history and majesty of HMS Surprise ship to life. A detailed Master and Commander HMS Surprise from the Patrick O'Brian novels.
A double planked handcrafted large ship model with copper-plated hull.
This HMS Surprise model has very detailed wooden carvings on the stern.
- Hand carved wooden figurehead.
The Surprise model is sold fully built and ready for display.
Very detailed handcrafted large model ship of HMS Surprise.
Supported by a solid wooden stand.
Not a kit.
Dispatched from Bristol or free Click & Collect.
Please contact us to request delivery charge to the UK or abroad.
The HMS Surprise was a 24-gun sixth-rate frigate of the British Royal Navy, launched in 1794. She is most famous for her role in the Napoleonic Wars and her fictionalized portrayal in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, which brought her back to life in popular culture. However, her real-life history is equally intriguing.
HMS Surprise was originally a French corvette named Unité, launched in 1794. She was a 24-gun vessel, lightly armed and designed for speed. The French used her for various missions, including transporting military dispatches and engaging in light skirmishes with enemy vessels.
In April 1796, Unité was captured by the British frigate HMS Inconstant off the coast of the Mediterranean. After her capture, she was commissioned into the Royal Navy and renamed HMS Surprise. The British decided to keep her in service because of her excellent sailing qualities, especially her speed, which made her ideal for carrying out reconnaissance and patrolling duties.
HMS Surprise was quickly fitted out for service, and her first significant duty came when she joined Admiral Sir John Jervis's fleet during the Mediterranean campaign against France. She served as a dispatch ship and escort, but her most notable action came in 1799 during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Under the command of Captain Edward Hamilton, HMS Surprise carried out a daring raid to rescue the crew of the HMS Hermione, a British frigate whose crew had mutinied and handed the ship over to the Spanish. The mutineers had taken the Hermione into the harbour at Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, where it was heavily guarded by Spanish forces. On the night of October 24, 1799, Captain Hamilton led a surprise boarding party from HMS Surprise and recaptured the Hermione in a remarkable feat of naval bravery, with minimal casualties.
For his actions, Hamilton was lauded by the Admiralty and knighted, while HMS Surprise gained a reputation as a formidable and daring vessel.
HMS Surprise continued to serve in various capacities during the Napoleonic Wars, primarily focusing on patrolling, escorting convoys, and engaging French privateers. By 1802, however, she was deemed too small and outdated for the increasing demands of naval warfare. She was eventually decommissioned and broken up in 1802, after a relatively short but eventful career.
I purchased HMS Surprise as a ‘companion model’ to my HMS Agamemnon. Again, I can only reiterate my delight with the quality and craftsmanship and for the level of skill & detail that’s gone in to producing this equally outstanding model. Indeed, I understand that Surprise figurehead and the motif on her stern have both been hand-carved!