MODELMAKER'S CORNER
HMS 13eagfe Revisited by Karl Heinz Marquardt
hen I chose HMS Beagle as the subject for my next contribution to Conway Maritime Press's "Anatomy of the Ship" series, my belief that it would be an easy task to research such a well known and fairly modem ship was quickly shattered. To get the illustrations I required for the book, I decided I had to design and build the model myself. Not having been an ardent "Beagler" before, I took on thi s project with an open mind and was grateful for research done by such previous hi storians as Lois Darling, Keith S. Thomson, David Stanbury and others. However, I realized that some of their conclusions regarding the ship's appearance conflicted with firsthand descriptions and artistic renderings, and, in building my model , I reassessed their findings in 1ight of contemporary evidence. HMS Beagle, launched in 1820, was the forty-fifth vessel built from Sir Henry Peake's 1807 design for a IO-gun brig. A slightly modified plan was developed in 1817, which was used to build Beagle and several other vessels. The brigs had a poor reputation in the Royal Navy, but many of them, after conversion to packet and survey ships, had long and successful careers. Beagle sailed only once as a brig, in an 1820 naval parade, and lay at the
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Woolwich Naval Yard, where she had been launched, until 1825. At that time, she underwent a refitting that transformed her from a two-masted brig to a three-masted bark-a change made to earlier bri gs that had greatl y improved their sailing ability and allowed them to operate with a smaller crew. Originally a flush-deck vessel, Beagle also acquired a poop cabin and forecastle. Thus, she made her first surveying voyage to South America as a bark, returning to England in 1830, where, under Captain Robe rtFitzRoy , she soon underwent another refit in preparation for her second surveying voyage-the one on which the young Charles Darwin sailed. The changes ordered by FitzRoy included raising the maindeck, replacing the capstan with a windlass, replacing the open-galley fireplace with a Frazer 's patent stove, and adding several small boats for exploring in shallow waters. The second voyage lasted until 1836. Beagle made one more surveying voyage, from 1837 to 1843, and was then stripped and turned into a fixed coast watch vessel. In 1870 she was sold to "Murray and Trainer," probably scrap dealers, and disappeared from the record . My reconstruction is based on the second refi t done in 1831 , just prior to the famous Darwin voyage. As no actual
drafts of the ship after her refit are availabl e, it is no wonder that my search for models met with little success. However, orig inal drafts of Sir Henry Peake's 1807 des ign are extant, as are drafts of changes to the class ordered in 1817. Written descriptions and artisti c impressions by contemporary witnesses such as Beag le captains John Lort Stokes and Robert FitzRoy, First Lieutenant Graham Gore, Charles Darwin, Midshipman Philip Gidley King, official arti sts Conrad Martens and Augustus Earle, and HMS Britomart's captain Owen Stanley, also provide a good base to work with if they are used in the proper perspective. Sweep of Sheer Let us first consider the ship 's sweep of sheer. Here, confusion reigns supreme and none of the reconstructions come close to the available watercolors and pencil sketches. The questions may stem from a literal interpretation of Robert FitzRoy 's letter to the Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty 's Navy, 9 July 1831 , in which he asked them to increase the height of the maindeck by eight inches, a request that, in the end, came to 12 inches forward and eight inches aft. He wrote: "The BEAGLE is ordered to carry only two six pound guns, therefore raising the deck will not be of
Th e author developed these plans-side elevation (top left) , profile ofdeck and interior (bottom left), rigg ing configuration and sail plan (below )--based on the original drafts ofthe I 0-gun brig and contempora1y accounts and artists' renderings of the refits in 1825 and 1831. All photos by the author.
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SEA HISTORY 83, WINTER 1997-98