Model of the ship San Genaro (the second ship with this name), 72 guns, later Ulysse and Tourville

The model is a full-rigged ship with standing and running rigging and sails. The San Genaro was built at a time when new guidelines for naval shipbuilding were being established. Gautier’s arrival and the building of the ship San Juan Nepomuceno in Guarnizo led to the structures of the 2 ships being discussed at length, as we shall see.

The San Genaro was built at the Cartagena naval base together with the Genoese company Monticelli, under the supervision of the engineer Eduardo Bryant. It was built to the standards established in the English system, recommended by Jorge Juan and adopted in 1752. However, the ship was later modernized with the addition of a stern that was not engraved, as was standard for all ships from June 27, 1782. The keel was laid down on September 12, 1764; it was officially named by Royal Order on December 11, and launched on December 23, 1765. It was very similar to the Velasco but, as ordered by Bryant himself, who was in post from February 4, 1765, its filling timbers were bolted to the floor timbers with their respective futtocks, with spaces between each frame of between 2 and 3 inches, as decreed in the Royal Order issued on March 28, 1764.

The ship played a key role in a large number of historical events throughout its history. On one occasion it carried the Marquess of Esquilache, who was fleeing Cartagena for Naples following the riots that took place in Madrid in March 1766. These riots were a protest against the unpopular measures put in place by the marquess while serving as a minister. Under the command of Captain Diego de Argote, it underwent structural repairs in Cádiz, setting sail from there and navigating between the Cape of St. Mary and Cape St. Vincent. It later traveled to Ferrol with the San Fernando, as ordered by a Royal Decree issued on November 11. Together with the Campeón, it sailed around the Galician coast and the Cantabrian sea, transporting supplies from Cádiz to Ferrol in early 1767.

The model has been part of the royal collection since 1770, when it was sent there from Cartagena naval base. It arrived together with a list of its component parts, signed by Manuel Salomón, whose numbers correspond exactly to the numbers marked on the model. It was given to the Infante Gabriel of Spain, who was a keen maritime enthusiast, so that he could study naval shipbuilding. On his death, it became part of the royal collection until Isabella II ordered its transfer to the Museum on June 8, 1847, and it was accessioned into the collection later that same month.