Scale: 1:96. A contemporary full hull model of the 'Atalanta' (1775), a 16-gun sixth-rate sloop, built in bread and butter fashion and finished in the Georgian style. Model is partially decked, equipped, rigged and is complete with its original baseboard and display case. The name ‘Atalanta’ is on the stern. Built in the Royal Dockyard, Sheerness, the ‘Atalanta’ measured 97 feet along the upper deck by 27 feet in the beam and a tonnage of 300 (builders old measurement). As one of the larger class of ship-rigged sloops introduced in the 1760s, the ‘Atalanta’ carried 16 guns as well as a number of swivel guns on the quarterdeck. She was captured by the American 36-gun ship ‘Alliance’ in 1781 but was retaken by the British shortly after. She was eventually sold for breaking up in 1802.

By comparing the original plans of this ship held in the NMM collection, there is no doubt that this model is an accurate representation of an 18th-century sloop. An Admiralty order issued in 1772 stated that the names were to be painted on the sterns of ships in large letters. The model significantly illustrates this point as can be seen on the stern counter. The unusually small scale of this model would suggest it was made for presentation purposes, possibly a gift to the person performing the naming ceremony. A fair amount of both the standing and running rigging has been replaced.