Soleil Royal (1670)
The flagship of Admiral Tourville the Soleil Royal (Royal Sun) was a French ship with 104 guns. They built her in Brest sometime between 1669 and 1670. She was built by an engineer named Laurent Hubac and they launched her in 1670. She sat in the Brest harbor for years. When the War of the Grand Alliance broke out in 1688 they re-commissioned her with 112 guns and 1200 men. She was the flagship of Escadre du Ponant which meant (squadron of the Ponant).
It was told she was a good sailing ship and a sight to behold with decorations that were some of most elaborate of all baroque flagships. Louis XIV chose the emblem of the “SUN” as his personal symbol.
The Soleil Royal departed Brest on 22 June 1690 as flagship of Anne Hilarion de Tourville. She spent three days in Camaret-sur-Mer waiting for favorable wind before sailing to Isle of Wight where the English fleet was thought to be anchored.
The Battle of Beachy Head (known in french as "Bataille de Béveziers") began in the morning of the 10 July 1690 when the French surprised the English ships anchored. Soleil Royal led the centre of the French formation.
The Soleil Royal left Brest May 12, 1692 in the lead of a 45 vessel fleet. By surprise they met and English and Dutch fleet 97 ships strong known as the Battle of Barfleur. Greatly outnumbered the French attacked causing the enemy to flee with huge losses.
The Soleil Royal was severely damaged in spite of the tactical victory and returned to Brest. There she was beached in Cherbourg for repairs with the Admirable and Triomphant.
The Soleil Royal met her end in the Battle of La Hougue sometime during the night June 2nd and 3rd at the Pointe Du Hommet. She was attacked by 17 ships and she did manage to repel them with artillery fire. But, a fire-ship set her stern on fire and the fire soon reached the powder rooms. Even with the population of Cherbourg coming to the rescue, there was only one survivor among the strong crew of somewhere between 883 and 950 men.
The Soleil Royal lies buried beneath a parking space next to the Arsenal today.
A beautiful ship in any collection we have located a few models for your viewing pleasure.
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 Soleil Royal Limited French Gun Ship Model 32 Replica  US $699.99
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 Le soleil royal high quality wooden model wood ship 40 US $499.99
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 Soleil Royal Wooden Tall Ship Sailboat Model 36 Boat US $439.99
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 Soleil Royal Tall Ship Wooden Model Sailboat 28 Boat US $299.99
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USS Constitution
A three-masted heavy frigate had a wooden hull The USS Constitution belongs to the United States Navy. American President George Washington named her after the Constitution of the United States. She still holds the title of the oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat in the world. The Naval Act of 1794 authorized six frigates to be built and in 1797 the Constitution was one of them. The frigates were to be the Navy’s capital ships, Designed by Joshua Humphreys. The USS Constitution and her sister ships were very heavily armed which made them larger than the standard frigates of the day.
Edmund Hartt’s shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts built the USS Constitution. With the newly formed United States Navy her first duty was providing protection for American merchant shipping. This occurred during the Quasi War with the France defeating the Barbary pirates in the first Barbary war.
The War of 1812 against Great Britain was her most famous era of naval warfare. The USS Constitution defeated five British warships; HMS Cyane, HMS Guerriere, HMS Levant and the HMS Java. It was the battle with the HMS Guerriere that she earned the nickname of “Old Ironsides”.
The USS Constitution served as the Nations Flagship. She circled the world in the 1840s. She served as a training ship during the American Civil War for the United States Naval Academy. In 1881 she retired from active service and served as a receiving ship until she got the designation as a museum ship in 1907. She made a 90 port tour over three years in 1931 and then again in 1997 she sailed again for her 200th birthday under her own power.
To this very day she still has the mission to promote understanding of the Navy’s role in peace and war time. She does this through educational outreach, active participation in public events and historic demonstrations.
To this very day the USS Constitution is still a fully commissioned US Navy ship. She carries a crew of 60 officers and sailors that participate in special events, ceremonies and educational programs. They also provide free tours year round keeping her open to visitors. All the crew and officers are all active duty US Navy special duty.
She is still a real beauty to this very day. We have located a number of wonderful reproductions and models of the USS Constitution to add to or start a collection.
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 USS Constitution 44 Wooden Ship Model 185 Sail Boat US $1,299.00
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 USS Constitution 44 Wooden Ship Model 185 Sail Boat US $1,299.00
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 USS Constitution Limited 38 MUSEUM Model Ship Replica US $599.99
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 USS Constitution Limited 38 Scale Ship Model 1812 War US $599.99
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 Tall Ship Model USS Constitution War of 1812 38 1 50 US $599.99
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 Mamoli wood ship kit USS constitution model MV 31 US $469.00
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 USS Constitution Wood Tall Ship Model Sailboat 38 Boat US $439.99
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 Copper USS Constitution Tall Ship Model Sailboat 38 US $439.99
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 USS Constitution Limited 30 MUSUEM Model Ship Replica US $399.99
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RMS Titanic
An Olympic class passenger liner the RMS Titanic was owned by the White Star Line. She was constructed at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. She was the largest passenger ship in the world in her day.
The RMS Titanic was designed to compete with Cunard Line’s Lusitania and Mauretania. The grand plan was for The Titanic with her sister ships the Olympic and to build soon Britannic, were to be the largest, most luxurious ships to ever set sail.
The most advanced technology of the day was used to build The RMS Titanic. She was believed to have been described and an unsinkable ship.
It was during The TMS Titanic’s maiden voyage she hit an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic two hours and forty minutes later. 1517 souls were lost from the 3547 on board due to her sinking. The shipping regulations of the time did not require lifeboats for everyone on board.
Real media frenzy ensued after the sinking of The RMS Titanic because of all the famous victims. Many legends spawned about the sinking. So good did come out of it though. Many changes to maritime law concerning safety of passengers have been added to the books since.
Since Dr. Robert Ballard’s discovery September 1, 1985 of the wreck much interest in the fame of The RMS Titanic lives on today.
The Construction of The RMS Titanic was funded by American J.P. Morgan and his International Mercantile Marine Company. The Hull of the Titanic was launched May 31, 1911 and she was completely outfitted by the following year. Her dimensions were 882 feet and 9 inches long and 92 feet wide. She topped the scales with a register tonnage of 46,328 tons. From the water line she reached into the sky 59 feet.
She was powered by two reciprocating four-cylinder, triple-expansion, inverted steam engines and one low-pressure Parsons Turbine, which turned three propellers. She had 29 boilers fired by 159 coal burning furnaces that made a top speed of 23 knots (26 mph). Only three of the four 62 feet smoke stacks called funnels were functional. The fourth, which served only as a vent, was added to make the ship look more impressive. The ship could carry a total of 3,547 passengers and crew and, because she carried mail, her name was given the prefix RMS (Royal Mail Steamer) as well as SS (Steam Ship).
In her day, Titanic surpassed all rivals in luxury and opulence. She offered an on-board swimming pool, a gymnasium, a Turkish bath, libraries in both the first and second-class, and a squash court. First-class common rooms were adorned with ornate wood paneling, expensive furniture and other decorations. In addition, the Café Parisian offered cuisine for the first-class passengers, with a sunlit veranda fitted with trellis decorations.
With the mystery surrounding the Titanic she will make quite the conversation piece for any den or upscale Restaurant or old-world Hotel.
We have located some of the top classic RMS Titanic models to add to your collections.
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 RMS Titanic Wood Model Ship BIG 36 Length US $785.00
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 RMS Titanic 40 Model Ship with LED Lights NO KIT US $499.99
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 Titanic X Large 140cm Hand Built Model Ship US $498.29
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 TITANIC 40 wooden ship model RMS display cruise boat US $425.00
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 TItanic 40 Limited Fully Assembled Cruise Ship Model US $399.99
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 RMS TItanic 40 Limited Cruise Model Ship Scale Replica US $399.99
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 Large TITANIC Cruise Ship Model Handmade Detailed 33L US $299.00
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 titanic ship model US $249.99
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 Titanic 40 wood model ship White Star boat AMAZING US $249.99
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