Building the Model of the Frigate "Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes"

This photograph is from the temporary exhibition, "The Last Voyage of the Frigate Mercedes," held at the Naval Museum in Madrid in 2014. It shows the model of the frigate "Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes," built the same year in the Naval Museum in Madrid. It is open on the starboard side, where it was hit by the cannon shot from the English ships, revealing the inside. A small section of the underwater hull can also be seen, sheathed with copper to protect the wood from being damaged by mollusks or ''shipworm''.

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).

In the background is the Spanish Royal Navy flag of the ship "Príncipe de Asturias," from 1805, which was designed in accordance with the Royal Decree of May 28, 1785. This flag, initially designed for the Navy, later became Spain's national flag.

The presence of a naval flag meant that the "Mercedes" had the status of a State Ship, meaning that it was on an official mission: bringing the Royal Treasury's riches back to Spain from the Americas.