Model, of 18-gun brig

A brig is a two-masted, square-rigged vessel. This wooden model represents an eighteen-gun brig from around 1804, at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. It was built to a scale of 1:16 by Mr J Gray of Edinburgh.

The model is based on contemporary data of the 1800 period. The hull of a typical 18-gun brig is illustrated in 'Elements and Practice of Naval Architecture' by David Steel, published in 1805. The rigging of this model is based on information in 'The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor' by Darcy Lever, 1808.

During the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815), brigs were used both by the British and French navies. They served as auxiliaries to the main fleet, carrying messages between ships-of-the-line or performing other duties suitable to lightly-armed, fast vessels. Their construction left little headroom between decks and, as they carried a large complement of men, life on board must have been very uncomfortable.

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