HMS Neptune was a 98-gun second rate ship of the Royal Navy series. Throughout the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Neptune served on a number of different stations. She was also present during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Constructed in the early days of the Revolutionary War with France and then launched in 1797, HMS Neptune was commissioned on March 25, 1797, under the command of Captain Henry Stanhope, and was effectively the third ship of the Royal Navy. HMS Neptune was named. Stanhope sailed from Woolwich in June of the same year, flying to the River Nore with Commodore Erasmus Gower's broadside.

In an instant, she was almost involved in the Nore Mutiny. These were two of a series of mutinies that took place amongst Royal Navy sailors in 1797, along with the Spithead Mutiny. While the Spithead Mutiny was largely peaceful, the Nore Mutiny was very radical.

HMS Neptune, along with two other 64-gun ships, HMS Agincourt and HMS Lancaster, and a whole fleet of smaller gunboats were ordered to intercept and attack the rebel ships on the River Nore while they were stationary at Gravesend. Before they could begin, however, word came that the insurgents had begun negotiations with the Earl of Northusk, captain of the Monmouth. By June 9, the rebellion had completely disintegrated and disbanded. Overall, the attack was canceled and on September 21, 1797, Gower overtook Stanhope as captain of HMS Neptune. With the end of the Nore River Crisis, Neptune established contact with the Channel Fleet.

Gower served as captain for several years until he was promoted to the rank of white Rear Admiral. Herbert Sawyer served as Acting Captain for several months until Captain James Wasson was appointed on March 5, 1799, as Past Captain. Neptune spent the first half of 1799 in the Channel fleet, after which she was responsible for joining 14 other ships in the Mediterranean Sea as part of Vice-Admiral Lord Keith's fleet. HMS Neptune then spent the remainder of the French Revolutionary War in the Mediterranean.

A few years later, in 1804, HMS Neptune was piloted by Captain Sir Thomas Williams. She was once again deployed to the Channel Fleet and tasked with blockading French Atlantic ports. However, as HMS Neptune continued to blockade ports, Sir Williams' health deteriorated dramatically, and he eventually had to return to England in May 1805. He was replaced by Captain Thomas Fremantle and Neptune was ordered to blockade Ferrol. This followed the arrival of the Farsi fleet after the Battle of Cape Finisterre, in which some 39 Englishmen lost their lives and 476 Farsi. A further 800 fell ill, but the whole battle was effectively inconclusive due to the bloodshed, with both Admirals claiming victory.

Thereafter, Neptune became part of the weather column at the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21st. It was the leading third ship, located between HMS Temeraire and HMS Leviathan. Neptune sailed into battle as Fremantle unleashed a devastating force on the French flagship Bussenthal. Neptune fired her cannons on the port side, further disabling Bussentor. Moments later, Fremantle turned and fired another overhead shot from less than 100 yards, sinking her quickly.

Fremantle then spotted the huge Spanish four-deck Santisima Trinidad and noted that she was sailing. Fremantle took the line of attack, turning to the Spanish vessel on the starboard side, hoping to skim the stern. Neptune opened fire, scattering debris over the sea. The two ships exchanged fire for over an hour before Neptune was helped by many other British ships, namely HMS Leviathan.The overwhelming force was too much for Santisima Trinidad, who was too badly wounded to continue. Santisima Trinidad surrendered to the British with 205 casualties and 103 wounded.

After this battle, Neptune had to endure another confrontation with the French ship Intrepid. Neptune was severely damaged, with most of her rigging cut to pieces and her hull taking on water. However, Neptune never went down, but she did cause ten casualties.

Years later, in 1810, Neptune came to Plymouth. Her hull was damaged and she was soon deemed unfit for service. A proposal to convert Neptune into a prison ship was made in 1815 and accepted by the Admiralty. Neptune spent the last three years of her life as a prison ship before she was dismantled in October 1818.

HMS Neptune's story is one of sheer toughness and determination. She has died and caused a lot of damage. But through every struggle, HMS Neptune continued to sail.

The models being built reflect this legacy well. These pictures above demonstrate the level of complexity required, especially in the early stages. It is a steady and careful process, but good progress is still being made in ensuring the accuracy of the model. The hulls are strong and wide and they make an excellent base for the rest of the model. We are all very much looking forward to the final product and are confident that it will be very satisfactory!

Morigi Mayflower ModelIt is an artisan boat model manufacturer dedicated to boat model making, with 32 years of boat model making history, and countless display boat models for major shipyards, and will treat the boat model business with the spirit of craftsmanship in the future. Please contact us by phone if you need any help!