by Dan Thompson
1/150 HMS Kestrel (Scratchbuilt)
Your Text Here: Captain John Schanck, RN, (1740-1823) was an innovator in naval technology. For instance, he developed a system of sliding carriages that permitted a single broadside of guns to be fired from either side of the ship. However, his most important innovation is undoubtedly the sliding keel or, in modern terminology, the centerboard. Having proven the usefulness of the sliding keel in small craft, Capt. Schanck designed larger vessels with sliding keels, including the cutter “Trial,” built at Plymouth in 1790.
In his novel “A King's Cutter” (1982), Richard Woodman supposes that in 1798 Capt. Schanck fitted another cutter, the “Kestrel,” with sliding keels. The "Kestrel" is described as an ordinary cutter with lines similar to the "Trial's," but having a length of seventy five feet. I decided to model a vessel to fit this description.
For a complete description and many more pictures, go here.
