I originally modelled a 6 man crew for the merchant brig which transported Jacobite siege artillery across the Forth in January 1746. However, when I modified that same brig to represent the French transport, La Renommée, I gave it six guns. I therefore needed more crew for its original merchant brig role.
When I wrote my original post about the capture of HMS Hazard in Montrose Harbour in November 1745, I understood that the French ship involved was the 26 gun French Frigate “La Renommée”, which is what Christopher Duffy said on page 527 of his “Fight for a Throne”.
However, I have since had an online conversation with David Stockman, the author of the excellent (and free) PDF booklet on that famous French Frigate. He kindly shared the original French report of the action at Montrose with me, which makes it clear that the vessel involved was a much smaller 12 gun chartered French merchant transport, also of that same name. I therefore amended my original post and also needed a model for that merchant vessel.
As recorded in my earlier post here, the French captured HMS Hazard in Montrose Harbour, on the east coast of Scotland, in November 1745, sailed her to France and renamed her as “Le Prince Charles”, sailing under French colours.
In March 1746 she was chased into the Kyle of Tongue, in the far north of Scotland, by a British Frigate, HMS Sheerness. Le Prince Charles ran aground and her crew abandoned her, taking with them £13,000 in gold, worth £25 million today. The crew and most, but not all, of the gold were captured by a force of Loyalist Highlanders (one company of Loudoun’s 64th Foot and two Highland Independent Companies of MacKays).
Rod's Wargaming 