In late November, 1790 the ship narrowly avoided destruction when it was struck by lightning while in Portsmouth Harbor.  The mainmast exploded but did not plunge through the quarterdeck as it was still held by the toprope.

In 1801, Admiral Horatio Nelson chose HMS Elephant as his flagship during the Battle of Copenhagen due to its suitability for the shallow waters that prevailed there.  It was on this ship that he is said to have put his telescope to his blind eye and claimed not to be able to see a signal ordering him to withdraw:

"Thinking that Nelson might be being fought to a stand-still but unable to retreat without orders, at 1:30pm Admiral Sir Hyde Parker told his flag captain, "I will make the signal of recall for Nelson's sake..." Vice-Admiral Nelson ordered that the signal be acknowledged, but not repeated. He turned to his flag Captain, Foley, and said "You know, Foley, I only have one eye — I have the right to be blind sometimes," and then holding his telescope to his blind eye, said "I really do not see the signal!""

Nelson famously disobeyed Parker's order to withdraw, destroying and capturing 16 of the Dano-Norwegian ships (while he had only 9 ships of the lines in action.)  Copenhagen is often considered to be Nelson's hardest fought battle.  He famously disobeyed Parker's order to withdraw, destroying many of the Dano-Norwegian ships before a truce was agreed. Copenhagen is often considered to be Nelson's hardest fought battle, surpassing even the heavy fighting at Trafalgar.  Because of Parker's lack of vigor, Nelson was handled command of the fleet by London for the rest of the war campaign.  Upon his return to England later, Nelson was created Viscount Nelson of the Nile.

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This HMS Elephant model features:

 43" L x 32" T x 15" W      1,700   S & H is $130

This model is not in stock but its hull has been completed.  Upon your order, work will resume and the model will be delivered in about three months.

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