Master Korabel Deck-Boat St. Gabriel 1728, 1st Kamchatka Expedition of V. Bering by the decree of Peter the First, 1:72 Scale
A detailed woden kit, reconstructed following archive documents and drawings. An original, easy to build internal hull design allows the kit to be built even by non-experienced model builders. The kit has double planking, with pre-cut planks, both draft and finish.
The Decree of the Peter the First dated December 23, 1724 lays the foundation of the expedition to explore Kamchatka. The chief of the expedition was designated the captain of 1st rank Vitus Bering, Dane on the Russian service.
The First Kamchatka Expedition 1725-1730 was the first one of big naval scientific expedition in the history of Russia, made by the decision of the government. It might solve the questions of the national importance: explore the path to America, adjoined to Asia and find out who is the closest neighbor of Russia on this continent. Peter the First defined by himself that the vessel type would be a deck boat.
As the result, 4 years later the boat which was floated off in June 1728 and named Saint Angel Gabriel, was laid under the direction of Bering by the Fedor Kozlov master in Nizhnekamchatsky Ostrog on April 4, 1728. Bering and his crew made two navigations on this boat in 1728 -1729. During these navigations the coast of North-East Asia from the body of Kamchatka river to the mull Serdtse-Kamen with length of 1.5 thou. km, West and East coast of Kamchatka and the island was put on the map. The sea path from the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Okhotsk was found, the south frontiers of Kamchatka were defined, the absence of mystic lands to the east and south of Kamchatka was proved.
The notification of Bering should be considered as the first one published in the world that proves the existence of sea gate between northeast of Asia and north-west of America that was found as the result of his actual cruise, named after that by the name of the expedition chief.
But it was only beginning of the long and glorious history of the boat St. Gabriel.
In August 1732 the boat was the first boat the visited the coasts of Alaska and in June 1739 it was the first vessel that achieved the coast of Japan. For a long time, the boat made the scheduled navigations to Sea of Okhotsk and only in 1755 the vessel was recognized as unsuited for the sea navigation.
The built model has the following dimensions:
Length: 350 mm
Width: 150 mm
Height: 300 mm
Scale: 1:72
This wooden kit features:
- A special hull design, that compensates the materials deformation
- Pre-cut double planking
- All details are laser cut
- The marked bevel on frames
- Detailed text, photo instruction and drawings
- Patterns and cloth for sail sewing
The dinghy MK0102 (75 mm) can be used as a lifeboat for this ship model.