Swallow (1853); Ariel (1853); Falcon (1853)

Scale: 1:48. A plan showing the half stern board, starboard quarter gallery, bow, headrail, head and proposed figureheads for Swallow (1854) and Ariel (1854), both 9-gun screw sloops, and Falcon (1854), a 17-gun screw sloop. All three sloops were built at Pembroke Dockyard.

The top figurehead relating to Swallow and Ariel is a bust of a male facing forward. He is wearing an ancient Greek chiton (loose pinned tunic) with a broach on his right shoulder. He has a five-point star in his hair above his right eye. Below the scroll at the top of the trail-board is a wand with a star on the top. The plan includes the dimensions for the ship’s head to help the carver design the figurehead. The plan also includes stylised foliage ‘drops’ between the stern and quarter gallery windows.

The bottom figurehead relates to Falcon and shows a falcon perched on the top of the lower cheeks of the trail-board. The falcon’s wings are spread wide and the tail feathers splayed as if preparing to swoop on its prey. The plan includes the dimensions for the ship’s head to help the carver design the figurehead. The plan also includes stylised foliage ‘drops’ between the stern and quarter gallery windows.

Signed by Oliver Lang [Master Shipwright, Pembroke Dockyard, 1853-189]. The plan includes Admiralty Letter Book numbers S6361 / 6536.

Object Details

ID: DIC0130
Type: Technical drawing
Display location: Not on display
Date made: 30 January 1854
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Overall: 382 mm x 552 mm