Ships gallery

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Originally Posted by brian daley

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Az, I was pleased to read of your sons service on the Lady Washington,was he in the Mercantile Marine? Do you have any more mariners in the family? just interested,that's all,
BrianD

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Brian,

Not in the merchant marine... he had a spell of about 7-8 years where he volunteered as crew on tall ships.

It started off with this one in Erie, PA

http://flagshipniagara.org/flagship_niagara/index.htm and after a few seasons was it's cook.

The highlight was the brig being in the lead group at the Presidential July 4th 2000 review in NY harbour. This article describes it a bit and give the history of the brig from the war of 1812 -

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...pagewanted=all

Spread to a few others, one taking kids in San Fransisco and two seasons on the Hiawain Chieftain/Lady Washington that cruise together on the US West coast.

Sailing with kids he discovered that haviing them quickly identify the downwind railing was very important...:)

I went on a "battle cruise" out of Marina del Rey on the Lady Washington and it was a kick - shooting cannons at each other in the Pacific while dodging the idiots in power boats who sail as badly as they drive on the LA freeways....:)

I was very impressed with the crew running up and down the rigging working on the sails - it's a long way up there!

He since settled down and now owns/runs a game shop in Santa Monica.

The other sailors in the family were my grandfather who was a captain for the Palm Lines before WWII, and my uncle, who I just found out was a wireless operator on HMS Inman in WWII, a Captain Class frigate (Destroyer Escort) built in Boston under Lend Lease. After the war is was immeadiately scrapped. It performed North Atlantic convoy escort duties.

Attachment 18987

Attachment 18988Hi Az, thanks for that very interesting bit of reading. Your son seem like a very well put together young man,and your granddad would'nt no slouch,rising to the office of master. I saw a movie just this weekend about a Lease Lend four stacker,"HMS Gift Horse" it was called ,and it was a bloody good yarn
Staying on the Atlantic,tonights posting is one of the best known ship portraits of all time. This is RMS Queen Mary,painted by the Marine Artist Sibley. The picture was executed in 1936,at the time of her first voyage to New York,during which she won the Blue Riband and broke six Atlantic Speed records. A print of this painting hung in the hall of our proimary school in Tiber Street over 60 years ago ,I came across it in an old magazine tonight,called Shipping Wonders of the World,it was printed in 1937.
BrianD

Brian... thanks for the comments.

In checking the history of the lend Lease Captain class frigates, it seems that you are close to the UK memorial site...

On April 17, 2005 a memorial to the Captains, those that served, and those killed in action in them was dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, Staffordshire.

Introduction to the Order of Service from the memorial dedication April 17, 2005 Today we come in thanksgiving for all who served on Captain Class Frigates in the Royal Navy in the Second World War.
In particular we give thanks to those who made the supreme sacrifice on behalf of us all.
We remember all those who were shore-based, especially the Wrens who gave valuable support to those who served at sea, and who are represented here today.

I'm always amazed at how much was produced in such a short time during WWII....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_class_frigate

78 of these frigates in just two years, along with all of the other ship building going on.

When I asked my uncle about where they sailed, he said he didn't really know, wartime secrecy extended to the crew, but he did say they went pretty far North in their crossing of the Atantic with the convoys.

Hi Az,
The Gift Horse(USS Whittier) was one of the ships mentioned below,old ,decommissioned four stackers that the US gave to Britain in exchange for bases in the Bahamas. I've cut and pasted the item below ,which was on an American website. A lot of people have forgotten this deal,or are too young to know about it,but those old scows helped Britain ,and Canada,to give some protection to mechant ships in convoys, against the U-Boat attacks. When the Lease Lend Act got properly underway Britain was enabled to arm itelf adequately until America entered the war.
I often visit the National War Memorial in Alrewas, it is a poignant place and has a quite peaceful atmosphere,it does not celebrate wars,it remembers and honours those who died in them.

" As soon as WWII started in Europe President Roosevelt wanted to help Britain and France win the war, but most Americans and Congress were against getting the USin a war in Europe. Roosevelt did what he could to convince Americans of the dangerof letting Nazi Germany win, such as giving numerous speeches against Hitler. Eventually Congress agreed to sell arms to Britain only if Britain paid in cash and picked up the goods in British ships. But the unprotected ships were being sunk by German submarines. So Roosevelt got Congress to agree to give Britain 50 old destroyers in exchangefor leasesof naval bases in the Atlantic. Then Britain ran out of cash, so Roosevelt came up with the Lend-Lease Act - Britain would borrow arms and materials and return them at the end of the war, and America would provide escort up to the middle of the Atlantic. When American warships ran into German submarines, Roosevelt ordered them to shoot on sight. Despite the various provocations Hitler ordered German submarines not to engage US warships since he did not want to give Roosevelt an excuse to declare war on Germany. Nonetheless accidents did happen and a couple US warships were attacked and sunk.For all practical purposes the US and German navies were in a shooting war in the Atlantic, but that wasn't enough to get an official war going between Germany and the US. Then on December 6, 1941 Japan attacked the US and America declared war on Japan. Japan was an ally of Germany, but Germany was under no obligation to go to war with Japan. Yet Hitler declared war on the US on December 10. People are still not sure why Hitler did what he did."

Hi Az,
I knew I had a print of the ship that gift horse was based on. Itwas the HMS Cambpelltown,an American WW1 "four piper" that was transferred in the aformentioned deal. She was altered greatly for the St Nazaire Raid,shorn of two funnels and her superstructure altered to give her the appearance of a German destroyer. She was cleaned out below decks and had 5 tons of high explosive concreted into her hull.She is shown here making a dash for the all important lock gates,which she rammed ,the explosives were on a time charge and she blew up after all the crew had left her.There were very many allied casualties,both British and Canadian and the ramming had no real effect on the course of the war. In 1962 I worked with one of the commando's who had been on the raid and he stated that their German captors treated the wounded survivors brutally.
The painting was the work of that great war artist Norman Wilkinson;I had to lose a third of it because the print was too big for my scanner,
BrianD

Attachment 18995

This is another lively study by Mark Myers, this one marks the occasion that the British Admiral Sir Sidney Dacres paid a courtesy visit to Cherbourg.His squadron consisted of the ironclads Achilles,Black Prince,Hector,Roal Sovereign and Dewfewnce,and the wooden screw ships Edgar ,Liverpool,Octavia and Constance. They were met by by the French flagship Magenta,seen here firing a salute as the British ships enter the harbour. This visit was used by both navies to showcase their latest vessels as there was a very definite arms race on at the time,
BrianD





Attachment 18996

This is a painting by another great British marine artist,Frank H.Mason. This work is of the the battle on the Rufiji River ,when the Monitor vessels Severn and Mersey engaged the German battle cruiser Konigsberg.(see picture by Kenneth Shoesmith of same incident)
Like Shoesmith and Dixon,Mason had an abiding love of ships and the sea ,also like Shoesmith,he served as an engineer officer, and served in WW1 as a Lieutenant in the RNVR. He had a very succesful career and painted ships of all sizes and calling,he died aged 78 in 1965,
BrianD







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Here is another ship portrait from Glyn L.Evans book on Kenneth D.Shoesmith,here he has painted an unamed ship which is dressed in dazzle,a method of camouflage developed for the Admiralty during WW1.
Another artist,Norman Wilkinson came up with the idea of "dazzling" ships because it made them almost unidentifiable when at sea. Here, the ship is shown at anchor in the harbour at New Orleans,although most sailors would say it was a quayside port ,being on a river and havcing no enclosed moorings. Why Dazzle was not used in WW2 I cannot say,could it have been the expense?
BrianD







Attachment 19022

Took these pic's the other week,of the Fort George,in Canada dock. I presume she was just docked there,but there have been a few navy ships dismantled,nearby,recently! Hope she doesn't end up as scrap! I'm probably wrong,but didn't she serve in the Falklands war?

Another ship portrait from Glyn L. Evans book of Kenneth D.Shoesmith, the ship depicted here has been torpdoed and ,mercifully ,did not sink. She is shown being towed to safety by two steam tugs.
The ship looks like the Royal Mail steamhip Demerara,Shoesmith was sailing with RMSP at the time and may have witnessed this rescue in May 1915. The Demara sailed on until 1933 when she was sold to a Japanese scrapyard. The U-Boat that attacked her was rammed ,and sunk, by a Royal Navy patrol boat in 1918,
BrianD

Dazzle?
There must have been a great deal of head-scratching back in those days. What with an invisible ship and a thick column of dark smoke rising as if from nowhere. ;)

I think they were all dropping acid,
BrianD

That's a great pic' there,Brian!

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Originally Posted by brian daley

I think they were all dropping acid,
BrianD

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Haha.:PDT11

Attachment 19109Attachment 19108

In Tonight's posting we have two photographs,both having the HMS Vamguard almost centre frame. In the first photograph we have the Royal Yacht cruising down past the naval dockyards, the Vanguard is moored alongside , and in the dockyard we can see Britains most famous warship,HMS Victory. It is noticeable that all three ships are dressed up for some kind of celebration. The second picture shows Vanguard grounded at the Point,in Old Portsmouth. Her sleek lines show that she was of a newer generation of battleship, she was the equal of anything afloat but did not see service until WW2 was ended. Her greatest moment came when she carried the Royal Family to South Africa in 1947.
The grounding incident happened as she made her way to the breakers,a sad end for a great,untested, ship,
BrianD

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Originally Posted by wsteve55

Took these pic's the other week,of the Fort George,in Canada dock. I presume she was just docked there,but there have been a few navy ships dismantled,nearby,recently! Hope she doesn't end up as scrap! I'm probably wrong,but didn't she serve in the Falklands war?

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The Fort George isn't an Aussie ship my mate, she's British.

She's an RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary).

Basically a ship ran by the MOD and crewed by British Merchant Seamen to supply ships from British and other Navies with fuel, stores and ammunition whilst underway at sea.

It wasn't the Fort George who fought down South but the Fort Grange (Since renamed Fort Rosalie and still going strong).

Yes, she's for the knackers yard mate. Another victim of the UK's defence cuts.

Here you go:

RFA Fort George arriving at Liverpool for lay up and disposal.

"Built by Swan Hunters on the Tyne and completed in 1994 she is the largest vessel in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary to be de-commissioned under the latest defence cuts in the UK. Designed to part of a 12 ship class only two were built the other being RFA Fort Victoria. The idea behind them was that they would be a “one stop” ship able to supply fuel oils, dry stores, and fresh water; in addition they have extensive helicopter maintenance facilities. They were also fitted for, but not with, the Sea Wolf air defence system for self defence.

Whist the older units of the RFA fleet are being refurbished the relatively young Fort George has several drawbacks including her relatively high manning and running costs and because she has only a single hull in the way of her replenishment oil tanks thus rendering her, technically, unable to carry fuel oil which is used to replenish warships at sea. Although he ships have been given and exemption from these requirements for the time being however, this runs out in 2016 when all tankers without exception, will have to be of double hull construction.

What is to become of her now is unclear, under normal circumstances she still has plenty of life left in her. Perhaps she will be used to supply spare parts to her sister ship Fort Victoria, or she may be sold to a less fastidious navy were such petty restrictions are of little consequence – time will tell."

http://www.demotix.com/sites/default...ool_626071.jpg

A sad day.

Hi Sailor,
I did realise she was a U.K. vessel,but my terminology was wrong! In the absence of any I.D., I guessed that "Her Majesty's Auxiliary Ship" would fit,but didn't realise this would convert her to an Oz!:unibrow: Thanks for the info',but sad that she is for the chop,or sale,but you can only assume that they know what they are doing??

The R.F.A:

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...ch20103182.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z.../150310239.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...pril201033.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...pril201026.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...ight4-2-10.jpg

Both of these lovely vessels are currently on their way home to be scrapped...Via helping out the Libyan people.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...anuary2011.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...nuary20115.jpg

They RAS (Replenishment At Sea) Yanks and other countries ships as well.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...hJan201119.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...1/P1010095.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...1/P1010101.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...1/P1010266.jpg

The RFA: "Ready For Anything."

What does the orange dummy in the next to last picture do?

Is he a mascot, target practice or for man overboard training?....:)

He plays up front for Liverpool. Someone's cut his pony-tail off.



Used for man-overboard drills mate.

Great pic's Sailor! :nod:

This pre-dreadnought battleship was built in 1899 for the Imperial German Navy ,and to fulfil the dreams of Kaiser Wilhelm11 and Admiral Tirpitz,triggering a naval arms race between the great European powers. The Wittelsbach class were designed to fight in the North Sea,somewhere between Heligoland and the Thames Estuary. For a short while they were the acme of German Naval power,and then the British introduced the Dreadnought. This rendered these ships obsolete and the W class spent WW1 in port never firing a shot in anger .
This painting was done by Carl Saltzmann in 1900 and now hangs in the National Maritime Museum ,London,
BrianD
Attachment 19169

This is another ship portrait by Kenneth D.Shoesmith.It is the Essequibo, she was built for the Royal Mail Line in 1915, and was swiftly commissioned by the Admiralty as a hospital ship ,a position she served in for the entire duration of the war. In 1917 she was stopped by a U-boat ,which sent a crew aboard her to ascertain she was indeed a hospital ship. She was allowed to proceed and reverted to the Royal Mail in 1919. She continued to on the South American service until she was sold to the Russians in 1935. Once again we have to thank Glyn L. Evans for putting together such a wonderful collection,
BrianD


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Burials at sea. I dare say that in peacetime these rites are a thing of the past. Is there a central list or are these just noted ship by ship?

The Gjoa
The famed Norwegian Polar explorer Roald Amundsen was in command of this sturdy little vessel as he made the first transit of the notorious Northwest Passage. His voyage began in June 1903 and they spent two years taking magnetic observations in Lancaster Sound and King Edward Island. By August 1905 they were free of ice and continued west along continental Canada and wintered in off King Point in Alaska. He then made an overland trek on skis to the nearest setlement ,which was 500 hundred miles away. There, Eagle, he was able to telegraph the world of his great success. Amundsen then sailed her down to San Francisco ,where she remained until 1974 when she was fully restored to seaworthiness and sailed back to Oslo ,where she is housed in the National Maritime Museum.
The portait is by Lauritz Haaland.
BrianD




Attachment 19193

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oudeis

Burials at sea. I dare say that in peacetime these rites are a thing of the past. Is there a central list or are these just noted ship by ship?

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Maybe for a true burial at sea, but scattering ashes in the Pacific is common...

http://www.ashesonthesea.com/who-we-...ur-our-grounds
http://www.neptunesburialsatsea.com/

The service we went to was several miles off the Los Angeles harbor entrance and was very moving. The ship (100 passenger size) sailed in circles calming a small portion of the Pacific within the circle. The ashes were scattered in the calm area, spreading out slowly, and the mourners all threw flowers into the circle.

That all sounds well organised and a far nicer send-off.

[the burial at sea question is because I have only just noticed on a head-stone I pass every day that the woman interred has had her children commemorated thereon also. Among those was her tenth son who died at and was buried at sea on his return from India in 1865. Her fourth son and fourth daughter are also mentioned]
P.S.
I read a young woman from Chester has gone missing from a Disney cruise ship, on which she worked, that has just returned to San Francisco.

In 1885 Queen Victoria celebrated her golden jubilee with a suitably impressive Naval Review at Spithead, and amidst a fleet ofsample vessels that contained every type of warship since Warrior,the brand new battleship Edinburgh offered both a glimpse of the future,and a last hurrah for a lost age. She combined three major firsts for a British battleship;the first to use steel for the hull,the first with heavy breech loaders,in this case 12 inch rifled guns,and the first use of compound,rather than simple wrought iron armour.
However her low freeboard and en echelonarrangement for her two heavy turrets was utterly useless for naval combat.Her true functionwas coastal bombardment. While her new technologies would revolutionise warships,her design was a dead end,
BrianD
This painting was the work of Eduardo de Martino c1887 and hangs in the National Maritime MuseumAttachment 19207

This was the warship which changed naval design for battleships in navies the world over. It was the brainchild of British admiral Jackie Fisher, the advances in naval technology were so profound all subsequent ships were known "dreadnoughts" and earlier battleships as "pre-dreadnoughts." Her building caused a major surge in the arms race between the great powers, leading to each major navy building their own "dreadnoughts" to maintain the balance of power. You may note that the postcard is German, they made the building of like warships their greatest priority.






Attachment 19217

By the by...

The Highland Monarch sailed from Buenos Aires bound for the UK in 1956. So I read in a roundabout way. On the voyage two crewmen were operated on for appendicitis, the first to be operated on was/is a very lucky man, so I read.
Just thought I'd share.

[I hope you are feeling better Brian. Where is Kong with his tsunami tales?]

Hi Oudeis,
I'm still crook,had to have an operation postponed on Wednesday because my boilers are not working properlyn Anyone out there got a lung to spare?
In your last post you mentioned seamen being operated on for appendicitis while at sea. I heard some dire tales of some men who developed peritonitis and then dying because of insufficient medical skills. I was lucky,I had mine taken out by mistake when I was in Lisbon ( I wrote about it in Hullo Old Home)
Well Spring is now upon us and it is time for sorting out the summer vacation, cruising is now the number one growth area you are spoilt for choice,but beware of the cruises at the lower end of the price scale,you might end up on something like this............................

Attachment 19296.
BrianD

I'll get back to you Brian, I am a bit "tired & emotional" at the moment. :)
All the best with your dry-docking.

This is another wonderful Thameside study by Charles Dixon,sadly there was no information other than the ships name and where she was anchored.Old Kong will be the first to notice what seems to be an anomaly. She is British and is flying the blue ensign at her stern, however she is flying the Stars and Stripes on her aftermast and the Union flag on her mizzen,whilst the Red Cross is in its rightful place on the foremast . What could be the reason for the flag array?
BrianD



Attachment 19356

Brian(s) I wonder if this would take your mind from your troubles...

http://shipfinder.co/

---------- Post added at 04:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:24 PM ----------

Happy to report that the zoom-in feature has a great deal going for it. :)

Since 1900 all RFA hospital ships had been called Maine. Maybe she had American patients on board.

Kenneth D. Shoesmith,being a mariner himself, was more than familiar with the lines and angles of a ship, he did many study's stern on which seemed to draw the viewer into the picture. In this picture he portrays the Royal yacht,Victoria & Albert off the Isle of Wight for Cowes week,this was done for Royal Mail calender sometime in the '20's
BrianD


Attachment 19370

I saw the Royal Yacht V&A at Whale Island, near Portsmouth, when I was on a gunnery course there. in 1950 she was laid up and awaiting scrapping.
K Shoesmith was a Chief Officer with Cunard.
When I was on the QUEEN MARY LAST week I found a room with a few of his paintings, when I get my photo card bak I will post them.

http://www.tvguide.co.uk/detail.asp?id=90667127

---------- Post added at 10:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:25 PM ----------

I caught a little of the above programme tonight regarding the sinking of The Empress of Ireland in 1914. Lots of technical seafaring stuff. I note the programme is to be re-shown tomorrow, as the link will explain.

This is another classic Kenneth D. Shoesmith portrait,again it is of the Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert,but this time it was not for a company brochure but to commemorate a special occassion. The Victoria and Albert was carrying their majesties King George V and Queen Mary from Holyhead to Belfast for the opening of the First Session of the Parliament of Northern Ireland in June 1921. The yacht is pictured passing the Harland and Wolff shipyard and we can see in the distance the proud dome of Belfast town hall.


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BrianD

This study is simply titled "Wartime Traffic on the Thames",the painting is far from simple.The artist,John Platt,has evoked a scene that took place during the bombing of Surrey Commercial Docks.We can see the warehouses in the background still smouldering from the previous nights bombing and the reddish light illuminating the river and vessels is from the blazes that are still burning from this evenings blitz, We can see the naval vessels heading upstream towards the inferno ,whilst the barges and lighters are fleeing the flames.You will note that the MTB has its mast lowered so that she can negotiate the low bridges on the upper Thames,
BrianD






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