I notice that the Victory as currently displayed has the outside of the gunport lids painted black. What was the color of these when she was in active service?
Got PE ratline/shrouds package Saturday for my Revell 1:450 Victory, but it will be a few months yet before the kit goes on my bench.
Gunport lids while “active service” changed quite a bit
1765 until 1783 sides paid with rosin, the lids too, some lower ones partially black, where they meet the black gunwhales
1787 to 1797 sides painted yellow ochre, the lids too, some lower ones partially black, where they meet the black gunwhales
1803 to 1814 forst painted yello ochre, the lids too, some lower ones patially black, where they meet the black gunwhales (or alternatively the yellow lines repositioned to follow the ports), later on before Sept. 1805 the lids were painted black (and alternatively the yellow lines repositioned to follow the ports) to suit Nelsons personal taste.
After 1816 - 1920 black and white with Nelson checkers.
1920 to 2016 - yellow ochre the lids painted black.
2016 to ??? - pink ochre and the lids painted black.
Dafi makes a very important point. The bee lines do not follow the gun port rows, which of course follow the deck lines. Don a really good resource, whatever it’s small errors, is the Anatomy of the Ship edition.
Funny enough the cover of the AOTS shows yellow port lids, just the way the ship was originally painted in 1803. The black checker just came later on, prior to Trafalgar.
I never found any source about when this was done within this 2 years period. The overpainting of the black mast loops was done not to long before the battle, this info looks to be quite confirmed.