HMS Victory carved from HMS Victory.

Sculptor completes a model of HMS Victory after 17 YEARS... using a piece of wood from Nelson's flag ship

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 5:52 PM on 14th October 2010

Dedicated sculptor Ian Brennan has spent 17 years carving a perfect replica of HMS Victory - out of a block of wood from the famous ship.

The artist has put in more than 5,000 man-hours into creating an exact copy of Lord Nelson's flagship that helped defeat the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar in 1805.

It contains 200ft of tiny wooden rope, 104 guns, 37 wind-filled sails, and flags spelling out Nelson's famous battle cry 'England expects every man to do his duty'. 

Detail: The 1:66 scale ship is accurate right down to the 37 billowing sails and 200ft of rigging, giving a marvellous impression of the ship racing to Trafalgar

Painstaking: Artist Ian Brennan has spent 17 years carving the model of Nelson's famous flagship HMS Victory out of one of the massive 400-year-old original timbers

Mr Brennan, the official sculptor for the British Royal Household, had hoped to finish the model by 2005 - the bicentenary of the battle.

But the oak wood from Victory's lower gun deck was so hard it was like carving concrete and the labour of love took far longer than expected.

While Ian was working on the HMS Victory restoration programme in 1991, replacing the carved entrance port, two large rotten oak beams were removed from the lower gun deck.

 

They were considered unsuitable for restoration and were given to Ian to see if it was possible to produce ‘anything useful’ from them. 

The beam he used to make his model even had the hook in it from where the mess table hung.

Within the 400-year-old oak, the 60-year-old found enough good timber to create the 47 inch ship - a 1:66 scale model.

The real thing: HMS Victory docked in Portsmouth. Lord Nelson's flagship helped defeat the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar in 1805

It weighs 44lb and during its creation Mr Brennan has worn out four sets of overalls and cut himself numerous times.

He began carving with gougers - often against the grain - before finishing with scalpels. The wooden ropes were rolled on his leg and smoothed with a sharp blade.

His research is impeccable and the configuration of the sails and the rigging is accurate - and there is even a dolphin in the water.

The Victory is depicted in full sail as she slowly made her way to battle on October 21, 1805. Next week marks the 205th anniversary of the historic battle.

Mr Brennan, from Warsash, near Southampton, Hants, who makes crests for the Garter Knights and St George's Chapel, has discovered his ancestor was killed on Victory during the battle.

He said: 'Some years ago I did some restoration work on Victory. I virtually lived on her for about a year. They always try to use original timbers when doing restoration work, but some are just not good enough.

'I was given a timber and had it for some time until I decided there was enough good wood to make a scale model of Victory.

'I started in 1993 hoping I would have it completed before the bi-centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005.

'But I couldn't work on it full time and the wood was so hard it took me a lot longer than I thought it would.

'It blunted my tools and I have gone through four sets of overalls. I roll the wood for the ropes on my knee to smooth it with a scalpel and it tears the material.

'I have also cut myself many times and there is always a handy packet of plasters nearby.

'I had thought of cutting it up and gluing it together like many model-makers would, but in the end I decided to do it from one section.

'I have researched the ship and have made sure the sail configurations are correct and that the numbers of guns and rowing boats and rigging are accurate.

'I only had one chance at this - there will never by another piece of timber from Victory that I could use.'  

Mr Brennan hopes to ultimately sell the replica.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1320476/Sculptor-spends-17-years-carving-replica-HMS-Victory--using-wood-real-thing.html#ixzz12MpUgtS6