by Hank Ghittino
Categories:
- Build type: [Kit][Mantua/Panart][Plank-on-bulkhead]
- Material: [Wood]
- Scale: [1:47]
- Subject Type: [Vessel][Pleasure / Sport][Cruising][Luxury]
- Era: [1700-1815]
- Nationality: [England / United Kingdom]
- Propulsion: [Sail]
Royal Caroline, named after the wife of King George II, was the principal royal yacht during the reigns of George II and George III. The yacht was launched in the Deptford shipyards in 1749 and broken up in 1820. This was a time when England, under the Hanoverian monarchy, was becoming a world sea power. Royal Caroline was not only a very beautiful yacht; perhaps the most splendid ever built, but also represented an important stage in the refinement of British shipbuilding. The Admiralty used Royal Caroline as the prototype for a long series of frigates of various classes between 1750 and 1800. While it is surprising to find a yacht connected with the design of warships; the size of Royal Caroline was not far from the smallest class of frigate.