Cato Model Ship

The Cato was an East Indiaman.

About the Cato wooden scale Model Ship

This model ship of the Cato was custom built from the following information:

• Copies of the original plans

About the construction of the Cato wooden scale Model Ship

• The hull is built using the Double Plank-on-Bulkhead construction method
• The bulkheads and keel are cut from marine grade pine plywood
• The first layer of planking is done plank by plank using Mahogany
• The second layer of planking is done using Mahogany Veneer strips
• The deck is made of Anagre, a light brown timber from the Amazon
• The gunwale and stringers are made of American Walnut
• The fife rails and pin racks are made of American Walnut
• The deckhouses and gangways are made of Teak
• The masts and yards are made of Mahogany
• The sails and ropes are made of linen
• The model is painted with acrylic paint
• The ornaments are cold cast in bronze and painted

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History of the Cato

The Cato, a full-rigged, 430ton burthen, was built by Stockton in England and was registered to Reeve & Green of London.

On 10 August 1803, she left on a voyage to India in the company of the HMS Porpoise and Bridgewater. 7 Days later, 157 miles north and 51 miles east of Sandy Cape, the ships caught a sandbank. Both the Cato and HMS Porpoise were grounded. The Bridgewater sailed on leaving the Cato and HMS Porpoise to fend for themselves.

Luckily the crew and passengers of the Cato and HMS Porpoise landed on a sandbank as their ships broke up. This sandbank now known as Wreck Reefs are located in the southern part of the Coral Sea Islands.

With no sign of rescue, the passenger of the Porpoise, Matthew Flinders and the Cato Captain, John Park, took the largest cutter, naming it Hope, and 12 crewmen and headed for Sydney on 26 August 1803.

On 8 September 1803, the Hope entered Port Jackson through marvelous navigation. Only three lives were lost in this joint tragedy.

The Cato Reef also got its name from the Cato who discovered it.

        
Member of The Nautical Research Guild

Learn more about The Cato: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cato_(1800_ship)