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HMS Beagle Model Ship Platinum

£3000.00  £2775.00

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Description ::
Handcrafted, scratch built and ready made. Absolutely nothing to do, except to remove from their boxes!
 
Clients of our model of the Beagle so far includes the BBC (TV programme "Our ancestors) ,Oxford University Museum of Natural History, American Museum of Natural History, Cambridge University, Addison Gallery of Art, Philips Academy (Gelb Science Center), Eton College Natural History Museum and MDM Props / English Heritage , Staatliches Museum Germany ,Danish Natural History Museum, Agder Natural History Museum , Botanical Garden Norway University of Witswatersrand South Africa and Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.
  
 
Rehaz
 
The ship is beautiful!  We are very excited, and cannot wait to see it.
Please extend our gratitude to the craftspeople and everyone else associated with this project.
We are especially thankful that your staff was able to complete this ambitious project on such a short time line.
 
Warm regards, Tom, Luczycki  Head of Exhibits Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History ,Buyer of HMS Beagle Model Ship (USA Sept 09)
Many thanks indeed.  Needless to say, I am looking forward very much to seeing it  to judge from the most recent photos, it looks very fine indeed! I have already had one person asking how she might be able to obtain a similar model for her own purposes (as we approach Darwin's bicentenary in 2009), so I hope that your craftsmen will be able to put their experience to good use!
 
Prof Simon Keynes Buyer of HMS Beagle Ship Model ( UK Feb 06)

Notes by SDK for the model of HMS Beagle to be made by Premier Ship Models February / March 2006
 
The basic specification for the model is provided by Karl Heinz Marquardt, HMS Beagle: Survey Ship Extraordinary (1997). Knowledge of the basic design of the Beagle, as originally built in 1820, depends on Admiralty drawings for 10-gun brigs; see Marquardt, pp. 24 and 48 53.  The ship was subsequently modified, on two occasions.  First in 1825, when the Beagle was converted from a two-masted brig to a three-masted bark (better for sailing with reduced crew), when a poop deck was added (better for survey work), thereby creating a poop cabin (also essential for survey work), and when a forecastle was added (for extra storage),  And again in 1831, when Captain FitzRoy, raised the upper deck (8in aft, 12in forward) in order to increase headroom on the lower deck, and made other improvements.  For the Beagle after these modifications, see Marquardt, pp. 278 and 54 61. 
 
The model will represent the Beagle at the time of the voyage of 1831, i.e. after the 1831 refit; and of course the objective is to ensure that the model is as accurate as we can make it.  The generic designs and reconstructions are usefully supplemented by contemporary sketches of HMS Beagle herself (e.g. Marquardt, title-page, and p. 47), and by the drawings made from memory by Philip Gidley King (Midshipman, 1831), in 1890 (Marquardt, pp. 25, 29, 30), though these are not necessarily reliable in point of detail.
 
Interest in the design and layout of the Beagle began with the work of Lois Darling, David Stanbury and Keith Thomson:
 
Lois M. Darling, HMS Beagle, 1820 1870: Voyages Summarised, Research and Reconstruction, Sea History (NY, 1984); also published separately (1984)             David M. Stanbury, HMS Beagle and the Peculiar Service, Charles Darwin 1809 82: a Centennial Commemorative, ed. Roger G. Chapman and Cleveland T. Duval (Wellington, 1982), pp. 61100, esp. 84100 Keith S. Thomson, HMS Beagle: the Story of Darwins Ship (1995) These publications (cited occasionally below for my own purposes) contain various reconstruction drawings, which are now superseded by Marquardt is book.    

1. Poop deck Marquardt, pp. 801 [D5/1]
The poop, added in 1825, was built over the aft end of the quarter deck (itself forming the aft part of the upper deck); the poop deck provided the platform essential for surveying work.  The essential drawings are in Marquardt, pp. 65 and 81 (D5/1); see also photographs of his own model, p. 44. I cannot tell from the images of the built model how this is treated in the gold model, but no doubt the features are present in some form. 
 
The main features are as follows:  Deep-sea sounding winch (Marquardt, pp. 81 [D5/1, no. 4], and 84 [E3, no. 1]); see also Stanleys sketch, in Marquardt, p. 46.  Skylight for the poop cabin or chart-room (Marquardt, p. 83 [E2]), immediately aft of the mizzen mast.  NOTE The top of the skylight should slide or lift up or off, in order to reveal details in the poop cabin below, at upper deck level.  Azimuth compass (Marquardt, p. 84 [E3, no. 4]).  Wooden breast rail directly in front of the compass.  Stowage blocks for the two whaleboats (Marquardt, pp. 65 [A5/8, no. 5], 74 (no. 14), and 127 [K7 and K8]).  Hand rail on the port and starboard sides of the poop deck, but not at the stern or at front.  Marquardts drawing, p. 81 [D5/1], shows the structure of the rail on the two sides: an iron rail, plus rope or netting. (Thomson, p. 120: no evidence of a massive wooden rail; probably iron rail with netting.)
 
2. Quarter deck / Upper deck Marquardt, pp. 25, 74 5 (1) From the stern to the main mast
 
NOTE One of the most important features of the model will be the treatment of the poop cabin, revealed when the roof of the skylight on the poop deck is raised or removed.  This cabin, also known as chart room, is where Darwin spent much of his time (mainly being seasick). I hope that it will be possible to incorporate the main internal arrangements of the poop cabin; but I am not yet sure how large the room would be, at this scale, and therefore how much detail might be possible with the platinum specification.  See Marquardt, pp. 27, 29, 81 (D5/3). (Further discussion in Thomson, pp. 65, 118, 119, 1245; also Darling diagram of the layout, p. 12.) 
 
A coloured diagram of the internal layout of the poop cabin, based on Marquardt, is available online at: www.aboutdarwin.com/voyage/voyage02.html
The main features which might be included in the model are as follows:
 
 Poop cabin.  Inside the poop cabin [revealed when the skylight is lifted], the main feature would be the chart table (approx. 6 ft by 4 ft), set immediately behind the mizzen mast (which rises up through the room), bookshelves against the starboard wall, more bookshelves against the stern wall, a chest of drawers and lockers against the front wall, and a small cabinet to the left of the table (looking forward).  There should be a chair in the front left-side corner of the room (where Darwin sat), another chair in the front right-hand corner (where Midshipman King sat), and a third chair between the stern bookcases and the table (where the Captain or Mr Stokes sat).  (If possible, it would be nice to provide seated figures; but I hope we can discuss such details further.)  Darwin hammock was hung over the left-hand side of the table, and Midshipman Kings hammock was hung on the right-hand side of the table.  (Note Sulivan sketch of Darwins hammock slung over the left side of the table: Thomson, p. 119, and discussion, p. 124, citing letter from Sulivan to Francis Darwin, in FD, Life & Letters, i. 218 19 (though with wrong reference).  Cf. Stanbury: CD sometimes on his own.)
 
  Outer (forward) side of the poop cabin.  Kings drawing looking aft, reproduced in Marquardt, p. 29, shows the outer side of the poop cabin, with an arrangement of pistols and other armaments.  Stanbury accepts this detail, though Marquardt, p. 25, is sceptical.  It is difficult to believe, however, that King could be mistaken, and it would be nice if this detail could be represented in some way.
 
� Cabins, doors and ladders in the vicinity of the wheel.  Looking aft (King, in Marquardt, p. 29; see also p. 81 [D5/2]), there would be a door ahead to the right, which can be closed in the model [in fact it led into storage space, and the officers lavatory], and a door ahead to the left, which should be open [leading into the poop cabin itself].  There would be ladders to each side of the wheel, leading from the quarter deck up to the poop deck (Marquardt, pp. 60, 65 [A5/8], 81 [D5/2]).  As in Kings drawing, the feet of these ladders should be on flag lockers.  There would be small rooms to each side of the wheel, underneath the break of the poop deck and thus immediately astern of these ladders.  Each room should have its own (closed) door (D5/2); but of course in the model the more detailed internal arrangements will not be visible.  For the wheel itself, see further below.
 
  Whale-boats.  The two 28-ft whale-boats were stowed over the quarter deck.  I cannot tell from images of the built model whether these are part of the gold specification; but certainly the boats are an essential part of the Beagle, and are well covered in Marquardts book.  See further below (Ships boats).  (Kings view, looking aft [Marquardt, p. 29], is taken, as it were, with the whale-boats removed.)  
 
The quarter deck, i.e. the area from underneath the break or overhang of the poop deck (with the wheel, etc.), and presumably considered to extend forwards past the Companionway (but perhaps not far beyond that); and the upper deck.  All or most of the main features on the quarter deck / upper deck, moving forward from the wheel, would presumably feature in some form or other on the gold model).
 
  Wheel.  The wheel is positioned underneath the break (or overhang) of the poop deck: see Marquardt, p. 83.  Marquardt's model, p. 42 (bottom picture), gives a good idea of the general appearance of this area, with the wheel sheltered underneath the break of the poop deck, and with the two binnacle compasses in front of the wheel, just behind the skylight of the Captain's cabin.  Similarly, the drawing in Marquardt, p. 60, shows the wheel well inside the break of the poop deck, and the two compasses also underneath the overhang.  It should be noted, however, that King comments specifically that 'the binnacle compasses were outside the break of the poop, and the wheel was a little more forward than shown [in his own drawing]', i.e. the wheel might have been a little further forward than shown by Marquardt. 
NOTE If possible, the wheel should turn and the details (inscription, and Neptune on the hub should be painted on it [depending on scale].
 
 Two compasses on binnacles, immediately in front of the wheel (Marquardt, pp. 65 [A5/8, no. 8]) and 84 [E3. no. 3]); to be positioned just outside the break of the poop (above).
 
 
  Skylight to the Captains cabin (Marquardt, pp. 60, 74 [no. 54, apparently mislabelled companion hatch] and 83 [E2, nos. 35, captains cabin skylight]).  NOTE If possible, the skylight to the Captains cabin would slide or lift up or off, in order to reveal basic details in the Captains cabin below, at lower deck level.  (This may be asking for too much  unless in fact it presents no problems.)
 
 Companionway athwart ship (Marquardt, pp. 60, 74 [no. 52, labelled companionway] and 83 [E2, nos. 3 6, shown in front of the cabin skylight]).  As the drawings show, this was positioned directly ahead of the skylight, with a ladder leading down, giving access to the Captains cabin (aft) and to the mess room (forward).  According to Marquardts drawings (p. 83/E2, nos. 3, 5 and 6), looking forward, the top right-hand lid opened upwards, and the hatch-doors on the right side opened outwards, revealing the staircase down below.  NOTE If possible, the right-hand lid, and both hatch-doors, should be shown open, showing the ladder down.
(Kings drawings, in Marquardt, pp. 25, 29 and 30, show a rather simpler structure: just a ladder leading up from below, and two rails athwartship in front of the skylight; but of course it must have been watertight, so some form of cover is necessary.  Further discussion in Thomson, pp. 1267.)
 
  Mess room (or gun room) skylight [E2, no. 2].  (This is the skylight shown in Earles drawing of Crossing the Line.  Cf. Thomson, p. 127 n.)  NOTE If possible, the roof of the skylight to the mess room would lift up, to reveal table and chairs in the room below. (This may be asking for too much  unless in fact it presents no problems.)
 
 Two 6-pdr and two 9-pdr cannon were also stowed on the quarter deck / upper deck, as shown in Kings drawing (Marquardt, p. 25); see further below.
 
 Skid-beam or boat-beam athwart ship (Marquardt, pp. 60 [no. 26], 72 [no. 22] and 74 [no. 25]), on which the upturned bows of the two 28ft whale-boats are able to rest.  It is not clear from Marquardts drawings what kind of structure this was; but its construction is shown most clearly in the photographs of his own model, p. 42 (top and bottom).
 
  Main jeer bits and winch, immediately aft of the main mast (Marquardt, pp. 74 [no. 26] and 85 [E5]).   (2) From the main mast to the foremast
All or most of the main features on the upper deck (moving forward from the main mast) would presumably feature in some form or other on the gold model.
 
 Pumps, immediately in front of the main mast (Marquardt, pp. 29, 60 [no. 30, showing top protruding above upper deck], and 85 [E4]).  (Of course, only the protruding tops need to be shown.)
 
  Main hatchway (Marquardt, pp. 601 and 86 [E6]).  NOTE If possible, the hatch should be shown open, with ladder down into mens mess room below; otherwise closed, with no detail below.  (King, in Marquardt, p. 30, shows the ladder leading down from the back.)
 
 26-ft yawl, with the 23-ftcutter inside it, was stowed here amidships, extending over the two hatchways leading down into the men mess room (Marquardt, pp. 745).  Marquardt, p. 86 (E8), shows a drawing of the boat stand; see also the photograph of his own model, p. 44.  For the boats themselves, see further below (Ship boats).
 
  Fore hatchway (Marquardt, pp. 61 and 86 [E6]). NOTE If possible, the hatch should be shown open, with ladder down into men mess room below; otherwise closed, with no detail below.  (King shows the ladder leading down from the front.)
Kings upperdeck sketch (Marquardt, p. 25) indicates that the bow and stern of the yawl stowed amidships reached over the main and fore hatchways; cf. the other drawing (M, p. 30).  Certainly, it must have been a tight fit, and it is not entirely clear how the crew got down into the men mess room, when the 26ft yawl was in this position, unless (as Darling suggested) there was no companion at the main hatch and a companion athwartship at the fore hatch.  It will be interesting to see what problems emerge on the scale model.  (Discussion: Thomson, pp. 126�7.)
 
 Windlass, positioned immediately aft of the foremast (Marquardt, pp. 75, 80 [D3/2], 87 [E10]), following King (M, p. 25).  (Marquardt differs in positioning of windless from earlier reconstructions by Darling and Thomson: see pp. 25, 301; and the built model seems correctly to follow him.)
 
  Spare booms and spars, and cannon.  Kings drawing (Marquardt, p. 25) shows that there would be spare booms and spars stowed on deck, either side of the yawl, and two 6-pdr cannon, either side of the fore hatch.
 
3. Forecastle deck Marquardt, pp. 55, 57, 61, 80 [D3/1]
The main visible features of the deck are the carronade, and the chimney protruding through the deck from the ship galley on the lower deck.
 
 Carronade (shown on the built model), see Marquardt, pp. 61 and 91 [F2/3], and the photographs of his own model (p. 44).
 
  Galley chimney.  There is some dispute about the location, below deck, of the ship galley.  Stanbury (following King) placed it under the forecastle, but Darling (pp. 8 9) and Thomson (p. 126) placed it on the lower deck, aft of the foremast, and so with its chimney emerging above the upper deck at the same point.  Marquardt, on the other hand, places the galley on the lower deck, forward of the fore mast (p. 61), with its chimney emerging through the forecastle; and we should follow his reconstruction.  The chimney protruding on the forecastle is not shown on the built model.  It is, however, shown by Marquardt (p. 80 [D3/1, no. 4]), and its addition would presumably present no particular difficulty.
 
 
4. Hammock rail Marquardt, pp. 42, 44, 545, 60 1, 64 5, and 74 5 When not in use, the crews hammocks would be rolled and folded, and then stowed in the hammock rail which extended along the gunwale from the poop deck to the forecastle, with a break for the gangways (opposite the main mast).  This would give extra height to the sides of the ship, above the upper deck; and, in a fighting ship, this would afford extra protection from small-arms fire.  To judge from Marquardt, p. 61, the combination of bulwark plus hammock rail on the Beagle seems to have risen about 6 ft above the level of the upper deck; so with hammocks in place even a tall person would not have been able to see over the side, when the ship was level.  (Augustus Earles drawing of Crossing the Line, confirms this impression of an enclosed space on deck.)
 
The hammock rail (which originated with the 1825 refit) is shown by Marquardt, pp. 4 5, 54 5, 58 9. 60 1, 63 (A5/3, no. 7), 72 3 (external hull), 74 5 (no. 24, from above).  The rail itself is shown as an open trough in a cross-section drawing, pp. 65 [A5/7]), 86 (E7).  Kings drawing, in Marquardt, p. 29, and Marquardts model, pp. 42 and 44, show the crew hammocks folded up and stowed in the open trough of the hammock rail. The hammock rail is shown, on the built model, with diamond designs painted externally on each segment.  Marquardt, p. 55, indicates that this diamond design was not in fact part of the external view (upper drawing), but was only visible on the inside of each rail (lower drawing); see also the photographs of his own model, p. 44.  (Darling, p. 8, suggests that the inboard diamond pattern on the boarding may represent netting (perhaps for circulation of air).)  NOTE. If possible (depending on scale), the hammock rail should be modelled as an open trough, as in the drawings; and perhaps we could devise some way of representing the hammocks themselves, inserted in the trough, as in Marquardts model.  The inboard diamond patterning requires further consideration.  
 
5. Lower deck Marquardt, pp. 30 [profile], 60 and 81 [D4] NOTE If possible, as suggested above (as part of the platinum specification), the lids of the two skylights on the upper deck level, when raised or removed, would reveal the Captain cabin under the one, and the mess room (or gun room) under the other.  Again, if possible, there would be ladders reaching down from the main and fore hatchways to the mens mess room below.  (Thomson, pp. 125 6.)  The Captain cabin (Marquardt, p. 81 [D4, no. 3]) would have a table with chairs, and raised areas for sofa and bed to each side.  The mess room would have table with chairs.  It would be nice to have the men mess room visible under the main and fore hatchways; but perhaps that would be impossible.
 
6. Bow and Stern Marquardt, pp. 76 and 77 Bow.  For the Beagle figurehead at the bow, see Marquardt, pp. 32, 76, 104.  Curiously, no figurehead is shown in a contemporary drawing by Conrad Martens, showing the Beagle laid up ashore; but Kings sketch seems very deliberate.  But please follow Marquardt, p. 104, with forelegs and no hindlegs, rather than the creature seen on the images of the built model. Stern.  Please note that the large window on the stern, lighting the poop cabin, visible on the images of the built model (gold specification), should be replaced by plain planking: see Marquardt, pp. 4 and 77.  There were false quarter galleries on the side (Marquardt, p. 73).
 
7. The ship boats Marquardt, pp. 32 5, 74 5 and 125 7 and photographs of his own model, pp. 43 4.NOTE Several if not all of the ships boats are visible on the images of the built model, but I hope the platinum specification will ensure that they can be represented as accurately as possible, showing appropriate variation in design and size.  According to FitzRoy account (Marquardt, pp. 32 5; Darling, pp. 4 5; Thomson, pp. 122 3), the ship carried seven boats (taking them from the stern): 
 
  Dinghy or jolly boat (about 15 ft) carried over the stern.  For the dimensions and design of this boat, see Marquardt, p. 126 [K6].  For its stowage on davits, see Marquardt, pp. 73, 127 [K11]; see also p. 43 (model).  (Lug-rigged: p. 127 [K12].)
 
 Captain double-ended whale-boat (25 ft) carried on the starboard quarter, and the gig (25 ft) carried on the port quarter.  For the dimensions and design of the whale-boat, see Marquardt, p. 127 [K7, upper drawing]; and for the design and dimensions of the gig, see Marquardt, p. 126 [K5].  For their stowage on davits, see Marquardt, pp. 73, 127 [K10]; see also p. 43 (model).

  Two 28-ft double-ended whale-boats, stowed upsidedown, with their sterns resting on the two stowage blocks on the poop deck and their bows resting on the skid-beam or boat-beam athwart ship (as indicated above).  For the dimensions and design of these whale-boats, see Marquardt, p. 127 [K7, lower drawing].  For their stowage over the quarter deck, see Marquardt, pp. 43 (top left) and 127 [K8]), and further references given above (skid-beam).  It would be best to leave one or both of the whale-boats off the main model, i.e. not in their stowed position above the quarter deck, so as not to obscure the details in the vicinity of the wheel; but I hope it would be possible simply to remove them, in order to see the detail, and then to put them back in their stowed position. (For the rig of the lug-rigged whale-boats, see Marquardt, p. 127 [K9]; so evidently it is one of the whale-boats which is shown in the sketch by Conrad Martens of the entrance to Port St Julian, in Keynes, Beagle Record, p. 181.)
 
I should like to discuss the possibility (at additional cost) of ordering an extra 28-ft whale-boat, following the pattern of Marquardt, p. 127 (K7, lower drawing), lug-rigged in the manner of the drawing, p. 127 (K9).
 
  26-ft yawl, stowed amidships between the foremast and the mainmast, with a 23-ft cutter stowed inside it.  For the dimensions and design of the yawl, see Marquardt, p. 125 [K1]).  For the dimensions and design of the cutter, see Marquardt, p. 125 [K2]).  For their stowage on the upper deck, see Marquardt, p. 126 [K4]; see also p. 44 (model).  (Rig: Marquardt, p. 125 [K3].)  Again, I hope it would be possible to remove the yawl and the cutter, in order to admire the ship with an uncluttered deck.   
 
8. Gun-ports and guns Marquardt, pp. 4 5, 25, 30, 31 2, 54 5, 62, 72 3, 90 1 The images of the built model show the ship bristling with guns emerging from the eight gun ports on each side.  This needs modification; but the necessary modifications simplify rather than complicate the specification.
 
Gun-ports.  The Beagle had six potentially-operational gun-ports on each side (two between the mizzen mast and the main mast, and four between the main mast and the fore mast), opening from the upper deck.  There seem also to have been two false gun-ports on each side: one beneath the poop deck (which cannot have been used, since on each side the gun-port would open into the small space behind the ladder up to the poop deck), and one beneath the forecastle (which would have been difficult to use, for lack of space). Marquardt drawings (e.g. pp. 4 5, 72 3) show the eight gun-ports (as in contemporary drawings); but the stern ports must have been planked over (since there were cabins behind these ports), and there cannot have been much space for guns behind the bow ports (within the forecastle).  It is presumed, therefore, that the gun-port under the poop was false, and that the gun-port under the forecastle was not used.  The gun-ports would normally have been kept closed.  (Thomson, p. 123.)
 
Guns.For the surveying voyages, the normal complement of guns seems to have been reduced to the 6-pdr boat carronade on the forecastle (see above), four 6-pdr brass carriage guns carried on the deck (Marquardt, pp. 74 5, nos. 19 and 35), and the two 9-pdr brass carriage guns bought by FitzRoy, also carried on deck (Marquardt, p. 74, no. 22).  The model should have these guns (with differentiation in scale between the 6-pdrs and the 9-pdrs), but need have no more.  They should be stowed inboard, loose (in effect) on the upper deck (as indicated above).  The gun-ports themselves should be closed (see below). The images of the built model (gold specification) show full lids, all raised with guns protruding.  The gun ports are described by Marquardt as having halfport lids (pp. 54 5, and drawing, p. 73 [C1/2, no. 6]), so that excess water could be allowed to drain out from the deck (p. 30). The drawings in Marquardt, pp. 4 5, 59, 72 3, 102, and 113, suggest how the halfport lids work.  The question arises whether it might be possible to provide the model with halfport lids: not operational of course, at this scale, but at least showing externally as such, as in Marquardt drawing (pp. 4 5).
 
9. Spars, rigging, and sails Marquardt, pp. 35 9, 94 (masts, spars), and 101, 107, 113, 117, 122 (rigging, etc.) The model is to be rigged as a three-masted bark, after the 1831 refit, in accordance with Marquardts drawings.  His drawing, p. 4, shows the ship fully rigged; there is a much larger version of the same drawing printed inside the dust-wrapper.  I note that on the built model, the mizzen mast seems almost to lean forward, rather than to rake back slightly (as in Marquardt's drawings). Marquardt is certainly right in this respect.   As I understand it, one can have the sails rolled up, as if the ship were at anchor, or unfurled, as if the ship were at sea.  The images of the built model show the sails unfurled.  I should like to discuss these options at a later stage, or whenever is necessary, perhaps when I have seen other models.  
 
10. Decoration Marquardt, dustwrapper, and pp. 4 5, 41, 47, 73 The painted white band along the side of the ship should be on a level with the false quarter galleries, and should include only the lower parts of the gun ports; and it should extend to the structure at the bow leading to the figurehead.  (Compare the built model, in which the white band has been placed slightly too high, extending right up to the hammock rail, and does not extend quite low enough.)
 
  11. Figures NOTE It would be much appreciated, as part of the platinum specification, if the model could be provided with a few figures of the appropriate scale, in order to convey a sense of scale.  E.g. seated figures representing FitzRoy and Darwin in the poop cabin.  Seated figures in the Captains cabin.  And two or three figures to place on the upper deck; for a sense of scale, see above, under Hammock rail.  I presume we can talk further about this, once it is known what the required human scale would be for a model of this size.  
 
12. Name Plates
Name plate:  H.M.S. Beagle (1831 6). 
 
Additional special name plate: Premier Ship Models (2006).       If all turns out well (as I am sure it will), it is possible that the model might be requested for display in one or other of the major Darwin exhibitions which will be held in Cambridge and London in 2009 (the 200th anniversary of Darwins birth, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species).  A model of the Beagle is currently on display in the major Darwin exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History, New York; but the curator of that exhibition (Joel Sweimler) has advised me that the model is not accurate in many points of detail, and drew my attention to your own model. If the new model is exhibited, full credit would naturally be given to Premier Ship Models.
 
History of the HMS Beagle 

HMS Beagle was originally launched as one of 115 Cherokee-class 10-gun brigs built by the Royal Navy between 1807 and 1830 and used in a variety of roles including surveying and antislaver patrols.

By the time of her first voyage Beagle had been converted to a bark rig. Her first major voyage was from May 1826 to October 1830 with HMS Adventure, to chart the straits and passages of the southern tip of South America; it was during this voyage that the Beagle Channel, skirting the southern edge of Tierra del Fuego, was explored and named. Under the stress of arduous conditions in the waters around Tierra del Fuego, Captain Pringle Stokes killed himself in August 1828. Short of provisions and with many of the crew ill, Beagle returned to Buenos Aires where Lieutenant Robert FitzRoy took command for the homeward voyage.

Six months after her return, Beagle was off to Australia under the command of Captain John Lord Stokes, a veteran of the FitzRoy-Darwin voyage. After surveying the western coast between the Swan River (Perth) and Fitzroy River (named for his former commander), she sailed around to the southeast corner of the continent. There, Beagle conducted surveys along both shores of the Bass Strait, and then in May of 1839 sailed northabout to the shores of the Arafura Sea opposite Timor.

Her crew named a number of geographical features, including Port Darwin (for their former shipmate) and the Flinders River, after the indomitable surveyor of HMS Investigator. In so honoring his predecessor, Stokes reflected that "monuments may crumble, but a name endures as long as the world."

Her work in Australia done, Beagle returned to England in 1843, after 18 years' hard service to her nation and the world. Transferred out of the Royal Navy in 1845, Beagle ended her days as the Preventive Service's stationary Beagle Watch Vessel (renamed W.V.7 in 1863) moored at Pagelsham Pool on the coast of Essex. She was sold and probably broken up in 1870.
 
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Size in cms
Size in inches
Sails