The Grand Turk was a sailing ship that spent much time at Scarborough and Whitby harbours between 2004 and 2009. It had been built in Marmaris, Turkey in 1996, to be used in the production of the TV series Hornblower, which ran from 1998 to 2003. The design was based on the 1740 ship HMS Blandford, a three-masted sixth-rate frigate, to represent a generic warship during the age of sail. However, there were major alterations to the original 1700’s design, as modern-day crew and passenger safety had to be taken into account, the height of the lower decks was higher than old ships, to allow for actors and cameras, a major addition was two 450 hp (340 kW) diesel auxiliary engines.
After the Hornblower series ended the Grand Turk travelled around the UK allowing visitors to tour the ship, attending sailing events, carrying out corporate or private charters, and the occasional film or TV parts. In 2005 she stood in for HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship, at the International Fleet Review off Portsmouth, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Whitby was classed as home base but in actual fact the ship spent a lot of time in Scarborough Harbour moored alongside the North Wharf.
In 2010 a French company, Étoile Marine Croisières, Brittany, purchased the ship and renamed it Étoile du Roy (Kings Star), It is based in the beautiful town of Saint-Malo, where it still welcomes visitors on guided tours, provides corporate and private charters, and still appears in the occasional films.
