French Navy

The French Navy has a history of highs and lows, both in terms of successes in battle and in the number and quality of its ships. In the mid-1700s, after the defeats of the Seven Years’ War, the French Navy was at a nadir.…

Orient was of the Océan-class of ships. These were a series of 118-gun three-decker ships of the line of the French Navy, designed by engineer Jacques-Noël Sané. Launched on July 20, 1791, she was originally named the Dauphin…

1st Rate ships of the line were extremely large and powerful and were a true display of a Navy's power. They were, however, expensive to operate, so their service use was limited in times of peace. In the carronade era, a 1st Rate…

A 3rd rate ship, as defined by the British rating system, was a ship of the line which mounted between 64-80 guns. Usually, this would mean two gun decks. Despite their relative size and power compared to larger 1st and 2nd rates,…

FrigatesFrigates were perhaps the hardest-worked of warship types during the Age of Sail. A small warship with a perfect balance of speed, armament and resilience that made it one of the perfect vessels for single-ship action and…

Merchant vessels were not designed for combat. They were slow lumbering vessels designed to have a large capacity for transporting goods but at the sacrifice of manoeuvrability.In Black Seas there are many scenarios that…

This box set outfits you with three French Navy Third-Rate-Ships-of-the-line. Building upon the superb third rate plastic sprues, the box contains additional metal components to make the following famous vessels, all of which were…

Schooners are two-masted vessels with both masts having loose footed sails rigged on gaff and two or more headsails (staysails rigged in front of the fore mast). They were not designed for combat, being built mainly for cargo,…