Build log · Phase 7, Fitting out the gun deck

All three hatches on the deck

23 December 2019 · Milestone

The first hatch with its ladder has been glued to the deck. A week ago I consulted the forum about the deck beam that ran underneath this hatch. Piet had advised leaving it in place and hiding it with strips of veneer; Hans thought sawing it out was no problem as long as the deck was firmly attached. I removed the supporting beam after all and covered the sides with a thin strip of wood. The sides of the hatch now run straight through and it made for a neater whole, I thought.

The first hatch with ladder, glued onto the gun deck
The first hatch with ladder, glued onto the gun deck
The side where the deck beam was, finished off with a thin strip of wood
The side where the deck beam was, finished off with a thin strip of wood

After that things went quickly. An hour later all three hatches were ready and fixed in place: the gratings in their coamings, the shot garlands around them and, at the middle hatch, the ladder going down.

The three hatches in a row
The three hatches in a row
Hatch with grating and shot garland
Hatch with grating and shot garland
The gun deck with the hatches in place
The gun deck with the hatches in place

The next job is finishing the head, with Diana’s figurehead. That had been waiting for parts for a while, but they have since arrived from England, so I can carry on.