"H.M.S. Fly was the fifth ship of the Swan class, a class of 25 ships built between 1766 and 1780. Like the entire Swan class, the Fly was designed by Williams and the Admiralty commissioned her to be built at Sheerness Dockyard on 1 August 1775. The keel was laid in January 1776 and she was launched on 14 September 1776. H.M.S. Fly was used primarily for convoy escort and shipping duties. After a long chase, she captured a French privateer, Le Gleneur, off Portland. In 1800, she captured another French privateer, the cutter Trompeur, off La Hague. The Fly continued her convoy service until she sank and was lost off Newfoundland in 1802. The Swan class was unusually attractive for this class of ship. She was distinguished not only by her elegant hull lines, but also by the unusual amount of ornamentation for the size of the ship. The Swan class measured 97' 7"" on the gun deck and displaced 300 tons. She could accommodate 125 officers and men and originally had 14 (later 16) guns and 16 swivel guns. The original plans of the Fly still exist, and it is on these plans that the kit is based. The kit contains: Laser cut wood
