BB730 Billing Boats - Esmeralda - Special Edition

The ship is the sixth to carry the name Esmeralda. The first was the frigate Esmeralda captured from the Spanish at Callao, Peru, by Admiral Lord Thomas Alexander Cochrane of the Chilean Navy, in a bold incursion on the night of 5 November 1820. The second was the corvette Esmeralda of the Chilean Navy which, set against superior forces, fought until sunk with colors flying on 21 May 1879 at the Battle of Iquique.

These events mark important milestones for the Chilean Navy and the ship‘s name is said to evoke its values of courage and sacrifice. Construction began in Cádiz, Spain, in 1946. She was intended to become Spain‘s national training ship. During her construction in 1947 the yard in which she was being built suffered catastrophic explosions, which damaged the ship and placed the yard on the brink of bankruptcy. Work on the ship was temporarily halted.

In 1950 Chile and Spain entered into negotiations in which Spain offered to repay debts incurred to Chile as a result of the Spanish Civil War in the form of manufactured products, including the not yet completed Esmeralda. Chile accepted the offer and the ship was formally transferred to the ownership of Chile in 1951. Work then continued on the ship. She was finally launched on 12 May 1953 before an audience of 5,000 people. She was christened by Mrs. Raquel Vicuña de Orrego using a bottle wrapped in the national colors of Spain and Chile. She was delivered as a four-masted topsail schooner to the Government of Chile on 15 June 1954, Captain Horacio Cornejo Tagle in command.

Features

Lasercut Wooden Schooner Kit
For Expert Modellers
Parts in Wood, Brass and Aluminium
Wooden Hull
Illustrated Step by Step Instructions and Plans
Designed in Demark

Safety Notice: Warning! This product is not suitable for children under 36 months, it contains small parts with sharp edges which can present a choking hazard.

Specs

Series: Expert
Height: 56.00
Length: 113.00
Width: 14.00
Scale: 1:100

Model: BB730
Shipping Weight: 2.5kgs
Manufactured by: Billings Boats

Expert

These large and impressive models are for Expert Modelers. They are suited to modelers with great skill and perfect technique gained from building model boats.

About Billing Boats

Billings Boats have been in business since the early ‘50’s. The company was started by Mr Ejnar (Ed) Billing, a former WWII RAF pilot, working as an Architect in the town of Esbjerg in Demark. Ejnar Billing developed boat kits that were constructed in the same way that you would build a real ship. And the “plank on frame” concept, pioneered by Billing, is now used by all model boat manufacturers around the world today. Over time ABS plastic hulls were introduced to the range for modelers who wished to use their models with Radio Control (R/C).

Today the Billing Boat company is known as the first and finest manufacturer of model boats, producing some of the finest model boats in the world, using the latest technology and Danish craftsmanship and know how.