HMS Indefatigable

HMS Indefatigable was a powerful frigate, originally built in 1784.   This famous ship is always associated with Captain Sir Edward Pellew who, many years later, became an admiral and was raised to the peerage as Lord Exmouth.

Pellew took command of the Indefatigable in 1795. At that time he was the most distinguished frigate captain in the Navy.  Indefatigable's most famous battle was the fierce engagement against the French Les Droits de l'Homme, a 74-gun ship of the line.  The battle ended with Droits de l'Homme being driven onto shore in a gale, all but 200 of her crew of 1,300 being killed.  Despite also being embayed and having damaged mast and rigging, Indefatigable was able to repair the damage and beat off the lee shore, showing excellent seamanship.

In October 1804, Indefatigable, commanded by Graham Moore, with three other frigates  intercepted a Spanish treasure fleet carrying bullion from the Caribbean back to Spain.  Moore required the Spaniards to change their course and sail for England.  The senior Spanish officer refused and a short fight ensued, during which one of the Spanish ships blew up.  The remainder surrendered and were escorted to Plymouth.  The value of the treasure was over a billion in today's  value. 

Indefatigable was selected by C. S. Forester as the ship on which his fictional hero Horatio Hornblower spent most of his time as a midshipman in the novel Mr. Midshipman Hornblower.  The Spanish flotilla incident is the one referred to by Forester in the novel Hornblower and the Hotspur, although it would be expected for much more to have been made of the matter bearing in mind Hornblower's early career with the ship. This incident also is also fictionalized in Post Captain, the second of the Aubrey–Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian in which Captain Aubrey is in temporary command of HMS Lively.  HMS Indefatigable is also mentioned in a novel by Alexander Kent.

This Indefatigable masterpiece features:

• Scratch-built

• Double plank-on-frame

• All parts are wooden or metal

• Masterly painted

• Beautiful solid wood base

   39" long       $1,200     S & H is $130

For display case, please click here:  https://www.modelshipmaster.com/products/accessory/displaycase.htm

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