Charles Grant (1810); Cargo vessel; East Indiaman

Scale: 1:48. A full hull model of the 'Charles Grant' (1810), an East Indiaman cargo vessel, built plank on the solid and gauged out internally. Model is decked and is shown with its launching poles rigged.

The ships of the East India Company became the elite of the merchant navy and in fact the term 'the merchant service’ was taken exclusively to mean East India Company ships; the sailors called them, less grandly, ‘Jonny Company’s’ ships. The armament of these ships varied widely. In this model the lowest tier of gunports are dummy ones painted on the ship’s side to give the impression of a three-decker. On the lower deck proper an armament might sometimes be carried should the political situation demand it. The upper deck armament usually consisted of 18-pounders.

Measuring 163 feet along the upper deck by 41 feet in the beam and a tonnage of 1252 burden, the 'Charles Grant’ was one of the largest class of vessel built in Bombay. Once the trading monopoly had come to an end in 1833, the 'Charles Grant’ was sold and was later broken up in 1838.

Object Details

ID: SLR0665
Collection: Ship models
Type: Full hull model
Display location: Not on display
Vessels: Charles Grant (1810)
Date made: circa 1810
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Caird Collection
Measurements: Overall model: H580 mm x L1320 mm x W300 mm; Weight:18kg