I love the pre-dreadnought era of naval history, with its giant flaring brass ventilator shafts, underpowered guns, white paint and coal funnels. The fleets are so charming and picturesque looking. It’s a great pity (from a naval history enthusiast’s point of view) that there really are no great clashes of Great Powers during the late 19th century– sure, a few minor scrapes like Lissa, Yalu and the Fashoda scare, but no substantial clash of cordite and steel until the great battle of Tsushima, which occurs right on the cusp of the Dreadnought class of warship.
Thanks to the “pre-dred” Yahoogroup, I’ve discovered a paper model of the HMVS Cerberus, a pre-dreadnought ship christened by the pre-federation Australian state of Victoria. The Cerberus was ordered in 1868 by Victoria to provide protection for Port Phillip Bay. Cerberus was the first major warship to rely on steam propulsion alone. She was a breastwork monitor, her turrets being raised on an armoured breastwork to improve her sea-keeping. Cerberus arrived in Port Phillip Bay in 1871 and never left. Sold for scrap in 1925, she was sunk as a breakwater in the bay in 1926.
Here is a picture of the Cerberus as launched:
The model is available HERE and can be configured in the paint scheme she launched in (for free download), or as a purchased model that depicts her later appearance.
Model Details
Scale Length/Width Pieces Sheets Difficulty (1-5)
1:250 27cm/7cm 340/700 5 x A4 3/4 [?Help]
Third Point of Singularity 