2 VG's there Cap'n.
BrianD
2 VG's there Cap'n.
BrianD
This painting is by the artist Charles Dixon ,who was Britains greatest marine artist. It was commisioned by the Empire Marketting Board and was called The River Mersey,the Western Gate of the Empire. It is a pity it does not hang in the Walker Art Gallery or the Maritime Museum,instead it lays somewhere in the National Archives at Kew.
BrianD
Here is another study by Charles Dixon. This one is entitled The Pool Of London, Viewed from Cherry Garden Pier. You can see why London was called the Smoke,
BrianD
Nice pictures Captain. You're a man of many talents.
Nice one Brian, pity the Liverpool picture aint in the Maritime Museum.
Hi Brian,
You never cease to amase and overwhelm me with wonder with your ability.
Great pictures.
Reg.
thaithyme
Thank you for those kind comments gentlemen.
Two Statues of famous explorers and navigators.
First one is Captain Robert Falcon Scott, famous for not returning from the South Pole, the Statue is in the gardens in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The second one is Mathew Flinders, RN. Navigator He surveyed the Australian coast. The Statue is in the garden of the Cathedral, opposite the Young and Jacksons pub and across from Flinders Street Station on Flinders Street in Melbourne. Named after him.
I took the Photos in 2007
Here is another Charles Dixion painting to set the pulse racing. This a study of those two famous tea clippers ,the Cutty Sark and her great rival ,the Thermopylae. They have every sail set in their endeavour to be the first home with that seasons pick of the tea crop. I bought this picture for my Mum forty odd years ago,it was on a china plate which she treasured. Wish I had it now,
BrianD
Was it that close Brian? Was it like the wine run today.Originally Posted by brian daley
1870-1878: The China Tea Years
Hi Pablo, a lot of myths surround the rivalry between the two great China tea clippers , below is an account the tea "races" ,you will see how the reality differs from the sailors yarns ..................................................
On 16th February 1870, Cutty Sark left London bound for Shanghai, via the Cape of Good Hope, on her first voyage. Commanded by Captain George Moodie, she carried "large amounts of wine, spirits and beer? (Captain?s abstract log). The arrival of the ship at Shanghai, with ?manufactured goods?, is listed in The North China Herald of 2nd June 1870. Departing with around 1,450 tons of tea on 25th June, she arrived back in London on 13th October 1870.
This is the first of 8 voyages the ship successfully made to China in pursuit of tea. However, Cutty Sark never became the fastest ship on the tea trade. Dogged by bad winds and misfortune, she never lived up to the high expectations of her owner during these years. The closest the ship came to winning the tea race was in 1872, when she had the opportunity to race the Thermopylae head-to-head for the first time.
After arriving at Shanghai in late May 1872, she met the Thermopylae when loading her tea cargo. With both sailing from Woosung on 17th June 1872, the two ships closely matched each other through the China Sea and into the Indian Ocean. By 7th August, and with a good tail wind, Cutty Sark found herself a good 400 miles ahead of the Thermopylae. On 15th August, disaster struck when Cutty Sark?s rudder gives way. After reconstructing the rudder twice in heavy seas, the ship arrived back at London on 19th October, around 7 days after her rival. The courage and determination of Captain Moodie and his crew won Cutty Sark great credit, but Moodie retired from his command of the ship due to stress and the ship was never to get this close to winning the tea race again.
I hope this gives you the full picture,
BrianD
Here is another Charles Dixon poster. This one was commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Steamship Co. and show one of the famous Duchess Liners.
A truly beautiful picture. Anyone got any ideas of who she was and where she is shown? Answers please,
BrianD
She is one of the Duchess ships of four sisters, Duchess of Athol, Bedford, York and Richmond. They were built in the late twenties.
Under my magnifying glass she could be the Duchess of Richmond built 1929 and renamed Empress of Canada in 1947. burned, capsized January 31 1953, then scrapped next year.
The `Bedford` became Empress of France and `Richmond` became the Empress of Canada the other two lost in the war.
Your painting shows the French flag at the mast head showing she could be in a French port on a cruise away from the usual Canadian run to Quebec and Montreal.
The Athol; was built in 1928 and sunk in 1942 in South Atlantic
The York was built in 1928 and sunk off Moroco in 1943
Canadian Pacific only had four Duchesses
Company list below.
1922 RMS Empress of Scotland. [26] ? 1905 1906 SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria (1906-1919, 1919-1921); USS Kaiserin August Victoria (1919) Atlantic, 1906-1914; inactive, 1914-1919; Atlantic, 1920-1930 1930
1922 RMS Empress of Canada. [27] 1920 1922 . Atlantic, 1922-1939; wartime service, 1939-1943 1943
1928 RMS Duchess of Athol. [28] ? 1927 1928 . Atlantic, 1928-1939; war service, 1939-1942 1942
1928 SS Duchess of Bedford. [29] 1928 1928 RMS Empress of France (1947-1960) Atlantic 1960
1929 SS Duchess of Richmond. [30] 1928 1928 RMS Empress of Canada (1947-1953) Atlantic, 1929-1939; war service, 1939-1947; Atlantic, 1947-1953 1953
1929 SS Duchess of York. [31] 1928. 1929. Keel laid down as Duchess of Cornwall Atlantic, 1929-1939; war service, 1939-1943 1943
1930 RMS Empress of Japan. [32] 1929 1930 RMS Empress of Scotland (1942-1958); SS Hanseatic (1958-1966) Pacific, 1930-1942; war service, 1942-1947; Atlantic, 1948-1958 1966
Two views of the Duchess of Richmond below.
There was no Duchess of The Atlantic.
And now for something completely different. A poster by Charles Pears which was commissioned by the Empire Marketing Board and is entitled "There's all the Health in the Fish in the Sea. This is in the National Archives at Kew,
BrianD
good painting there Brian, That is one of the reasons I didnt go fishing. Always cold and wet, not much bronzy.
What do you think about the Richmond, Was I close.
Cheers
Brian.
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