Building the Model of the 34-Gun Frigate "Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes"

This model of the frigate "Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes" is open on the starboard side, where it was hit by the cannon shot from the English ships, revealing the inside. The interior parts of the frigate can be seen, including the powder magazine (shown on the left of this photograph), which was where ships stored their gunpowder or other explosives. The area has a metal lining of lead plates to protect the gunpowder from moisture.

This model was built for the temporary exhibition that was held at the Naval Museum in Madrid in 2014. In 2012 a team made up of a ship model builder, their assistant, a naval engineer, and an apprentice built the model. Model maker Miguel Godoy led the construction, which was based on a study of Spanish naval shipbuilding in the 18th century, led by Professor Fernández González. The model is identical to the original, and was built using plans drawn in 1782, the plans of the frigate "Santa Casilda," and the 1784 guidelines written by Engineering Director José Romero y Fernández de Landa (although others were used in the original design and construction).