"22 Gun Xebec - GHQ 1:1200" Topic

Hi guys, I wanted to share some more pictures – this time it's GHQ's 22 gun xebec. This is the first time I've worked on this (relatively) exotic type of rig. I'd definitely like to get a few more done for Barbary pirate encounters.

If I were doing another xebec though I'd like to make a model that would work well for the Spanish El Gamo, the famous opponent of Cochrane's HMS Speedy. Can anyone point me toward good visuals of El Gamo? Am I right in thinking it must have been a polacre rig? These xebecs lie so low in the water, and Cochrane is supposed to have bested the Spanish by getting Speedy so close to the enemy ship that their guns could not be lowered enough to hit the British. Speedy's gun crews supposedly would then elevate their guns, fire up through the Spanish deck, and back off before a boarding party could be organized. So Gamo must have sat fairly high in the water, no?

Anyway, more pictures of this model can be found here if you're interested:
link

Regards,
James

That is pretty. Richard

Beautiful work!

Beautiful!

Xebecs are my favorite sailing ships. They look like greyhounds with their low lines and lateen rigs.

Fantastic!

Very pretty!

Thanks very much guys, glad you like the model.

I hear you jpattern2, they are awfully sleek looking ships!

- James

Very nice James. You are amassing quite the small vessel fleet.

Here is a painting of El Gamo:

"The Action and Capture of the Spanish Xebeque Frigate El Gamo by Clarkson Frederick Stanfield"
Here's another one:

"HMS Speedy Capturing Gamo"
And another:

"Speedy takes El Gamo, May 6, 1801."
Last one:
link
"HMS Speedy (14) under Lord Thomas Cochrane takes the Spanish frigate El Gamo (32)"

None of these paintings show the El Gamo as the normal Polachre or Felucca rig. The El Gamo had when captured 32 guns:
22 × 12-pounder guns
8 × 8-pounder guns
2 × 24-pounder carronades

Thanks for the pictures Vol, I had only seen the first of those before. The only hint of xebec-ness in any of those is perhaps the uncommonly high ornate stern of that first picture, but any accounts I've read of the battle always have the ship as a xebec. Guess the artists weren't too particular?

James,

A while back, I had many of the same questions as you regarding the Gamo. After a bit of research, I've concluded that the "xebec frigate" derives its name from a combination of xebec-like hull form (narrow, high poop; sharp bow), and frigate/ship rig (three square-rigged masts, plus bowsprit). Apparently the frigates did NOT have lateen sails (and no, they don't seem to have switched back and forth, a la "Master and Commander", either). True xebecs and polaccas had pole masts, while the "xebec frigates" had the same stepped lower/top/topgallant masts used by conventional frigates.

Anyway, Langton sells a 32-gun xebec frigate in their Spanish range… but with xebec rig! I guess you would have to swap for a proper frigate sail set if you were doing things properly ;)

Love the red sails on your frigate, btw. Thanks for sharing!

Very interesting KniazSuvorov, I guess I was too quick to cast aspersions on the attention to detail of the artists of the pictures Vol linked to. Can you recommend any reading? I'd love to get further in to the subject.

I'll definitely pick up Langton's 32 gun xebec frigate sooner or later, but as for whether I switch out the masts… that may be a question of the mood my wallet is in at the time…

Thanks for the info – James

James, I so enjoy reading your posts (and the replies of so many other guys I know…Vol…) and I love your painting. The sails on this xebec are just beautiful! So, here's an offer: if you want to try your hand at the Spanish 32 gun, I'll give you the standard rig sail set so you can kit-bash it…but you have to promise to put the pix on here once it's done. Just let me know if you want to try it out.
Best wishes,
Rob

Yes, James, please accept Rob's offer. I want to see it, too. Lovely work …..

Very nice offer Rod! What do you have for the Speedy?

My bookshelf is on the other side of the planet at the moment, but off the top of my head:

For ship design, Robert Gardiner's "Warships of the Napoleonic Era" is an outstanding and quick read.

For descriptions of small-vessel actions, James Henderson's "Frigates" and "Sloops & Brigs" (available now in a single volume, I see) are pretty inspiring.

Can't really recommend anything else offhand

Vol, for the Speedy I would go with Langton's brig model. It's available with brass sails set at anchor, easy sail/all plain sail, easy sail/courses furled, full sail, studding sail, and full complement (where, I might say, you have wayyyy more sail than ship!!). The only way it comes with white metal sails is at easy sail/courses furled. I'm currently working on one…very slowly…and it looks to me like it would work just fine for the Speedy.

Vol,
I have done two of Langton's brigs. They are fun to do. I had the white metal sails. The rigging did make me sweat. I'm scared of trying brass sails (as you know). I hope to give they a go next year, with in-shore fleets of the Baltic O.M.G.!!!!
Be safe
Rory

Thanks for the reading recommendations KniazSuvorov, they sound like good ones. I'll have to pick up a few of those.

Rob, that's an awfully kind offer – methinks too good to refuse. I'll email you about this :)

Sorry to raise a thread from the grave, but I'm about to start purchasing some 1/1200 Napoleonic's, predominantly from Langton but might get some ghq. How does this look against the 32 gun Langton xebec for size.

Also how do you rig your ships as it looks like it isn't thread?. Also I love the red sails is this a wash over a cream colour sail?

Hi Cammster, glad to hear you're diving in, welcome to the addiction.

This xebec definitely looks petite compared to Langton's 32 gun xebec frigate, but that is understandable as the latter is intended to represent a larger vessel. This model is close in size to Langton's standard xebec/ polacre, which mounts 22 guns.

This model was rigged with monofilament nylon thread ("invisible" quilting thread) painted the appropriate color after mounting. Nowadays I don't use that though, I've switched entirely to using nylon paintbrush bristles, since that way I don't have to tie anything. It is less tricky, and you don't have to worry about the thread sagging if the tension is not enough or pulling masts out of alignment if the tension is too much.

I did indeed use washes for the sails. I started with a light beige and washed with a red and a reddish brown wash. it took a number of coats to take it down to a shade I was happy with.

I'm not sure if this image has been posted yet but:

i.imgur.com/L88hK70.png

Looks ship-rigged to me. Of course, it's hard to be sure since "artist's license" is probably involved…

Cool thanks for the response. I was thinking about using the 22 gun and the 32 gun as differing sizes to make up a Barbary fleet so wondered if they mixed well in scale. Your ships look awsome