La Salamandre – Bomb Ketch 1758
Scale: 1/48
Dimensions (L x W x H): 62 x 20 x 20 cm
Built: 2020-2023 using plans from Jean Boudriot’s monograph, in Ancre editions.
Bomb ketchs were invented by the French in the 1660s in order to bombard port towns on the Barbary coast more efficiently. La Salamandre was armed with 8 guns of 6 pounds and the main armament consisted of two 12 inch mortars firing forward. For this reason, the rigging had to be changed – the foremast was removed and chain was used for the main stay. Firing the mortars required massive frames and beams than other ship type of this size.
