Caldercraft Mary Rose 9004

The Caldercraft H.M.S. Victory wooden ship model is an accurate reproduction of the real life ship. Faced with the ever present threat of the French Navy as well as a strong potentially hostile Scottish fleet Henry VIII embarked on a program of naval building including the Mary Rose and the Peter Pomegranate. From a technological point of view these ships were a radical departure from those of his father (Henry VII). They were carvel rather than clinker built and equipped with heavy guns mounted near the waterline. The introduction of the carvel hull also facilitated the construction of watertight gun-ports. The Mary Rose is believed to have been named after the King's favourite sister Mary and the Tudor emblem the Rose. The Mary Rose is thought to have been constructed in 1510 at Portsmouth but while the loss of the Mary Rose is well documented the construction of the ship is not. There are however a few documents that provide important clues as to where and when she was built.
There are also a number of possible explanations for the sinking of the Mary Rose in the Solent on the 19th July 1545 but it is believed that the ship began to heel as soon as the sails were raised - either due to bad seamanship or poor ballasting - and water entered the ship through her lower gun ports, still open after firing. The Mary Rose lay on her starboard side at an angle of approximately 60 degrees. She had sunk through the soft upper sediments and had come to rest on the clay below. The hull acted as a silt trap for the Solent currents and the surviving portion of the hull filled rapidly leaving the port side to be eroded by marine organisms and mechanical degradation. Because of the way the ship sank nearly the whole starboard side survived intact, excluding the bow and a portion of the aftercastle. Internally between half and one third of the orlop main and upper decks along with a fragment of the castle deck were intact as were ancillary structures such as the companionways, stanchions and cabin partitioning. During the 17th and 18th centuries the entire site was covered with a layer of hard gray shelly clay which minimised further erosion.

Kit components CNC cut in walnut and walnut ply, Double plank on frame construction in lime and walnut, Tanganyika deck planking, Rigging thread and all rigging blocks, Brass etched and white metal cast fittings, 8 sheets of full size plans, Comprehensive construction manual including The history of the Mary Rose by David Vine BSC. Curator of the Mary Rose Museum . When complete this wooden boat kit measures 735mm in length, beam 255mm and with a heigth of 520mm.

Manufacturer: Caldercraft
Model: 9004 H.M.S. Victory
Scale: 1/80