This a handcrafted model of the US privateer "Rattlesnake". The Revolutionary War privateer USS Rattlesnake was designed in 1779-80 by John Peck, a Boston naval architect. The original Rattlesnake was built in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and in style resembled a miniature frigate, which had a separate quarterdeck and forecastle. These features are rather unusual for a privateer. She carried up to 20 guns (probably six and nine pounders) and had a usual complement of 85 men. The original USS Rattlesnake was commissioned by the Continental Congress of the fledgling United States and helped to win the Revolutionary War by bringing in captured British ships. Privateer action in the North Florida area was intense as Georgia was held by the American Patriots and Florida was held by the British. Little is known of her career except that it was brief.
This model took 100's of hours of meticulous hand work to construct and was recently refreshed in our own restoration shop. A collector's dream!
