Chebecks are small Mediterranean vessels originating from the Barbary coast. Swift, with a shallow draught, very easy to manoeuvre and using oars in the absence of wind, they were used by pirates to attack merchantmen.

Their lines are very tapered and close to those of galleys, they carried three masts with lateen sails and their armament was light guns and blunderbusses.

The French Royal Navy, to be at arm’s length with these privateers or pirates, commissioned a few similar vessels to Construction Masters from Majorca who were specialized in this type of ship.

These vessels proved very effective and were utilized until the reign of Napoleon with crews of privateers. The Naval Museum has several models of chebecks with various riggings, lateen, mystic or pole masts. The present drawing shows a 24 gun lateen rigged chebeck, named Le Singe (the Monkey).

Specifications :

Model building : medium difficulty

Scale of drawing : 1/75th,
two plans, four photographs, one notice

Notice available in french or english.