On a late autumn day in 1769, the Santísima Trinidad  sailed past the Spanish fortresses guarding the entrance to Havana harbour and entered the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. Launched several months earlier at the Royal Shipyards in Havana, she was the largest ship of the line the 18th Century and served the Spanish Navy for the next 36 years.

 With an overall length of approximately 100 metres, the Santísima Trinidad  was one of nearly 200 naval vessels built at the Royal Shipyards in Havana.  Cuba was a preferred shipbuilding centre for Spain in the 1700s. Vessels could be built at lower cost utilizing a skilled labour force and higher quality local woods for shipbuilding than those found in Europe.

The Santísima Trinidad carried a crew of over 1200 sailors and eventually was fitted with 140 canons on four gun decks before her final battle with the combined navies of Spain and France at Trafalgar in 1805.

After three years of continuous work by a group of highly skilled Cuban maritime model makers a new replica model of Santísima Trinidad and nearing completion in Havana.

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