Model of a 74-gun vessel under construction

Created circa 1780, this model of a 74-gun vessel under construction is a key historical source on shipbuilding. In Rochefort’s shipyard, ships were usually built on a slipway, a slightly sloping plane on the riverbank, in anticipation of launching operations. The base of the slipway was composed of strong lengths of wood on which the keel, the ship’s backbone, was laid. This long, horizontal wooden component was extended by the bow at the front and the stern at the back. The curved framework that shaped the hull was then set perpendicularly to the keel.

An educational scale model

In addition to providing an idea of what a shipyard was like and showing these first steps in construction, the model presents two states of completion on either side of the hull. To port, only the main frame is in place, while to starboard, the filling timbers have also been installed. The skirting, which covers the hull’s exterior, has not been applied. As its construction progressed, the ship was kept upright by shores, kinds of wooden struts.