Warships and Ships at war

[brian daley]

Here is a super old wartime painting,I'm sure there are many out there who will identify it properly. (I've mislaid the date,artist and title);but it can clearly be seen what the painting is about. It the return to the Gladstone dock of "Jimmy" Walker and his flotillla after a succesful sortie on the western approaches. Information would be most welcome,
BrianD

[captain kong]

It is HMS Starling, There is a statue memorial of Capt. Walker on the Pier Head. His real name was Captain Frederick Walker, nick named JOHNNY WALKER ,
Magpie class frigate, HMS Starling built Fairfield 14th October 1942 Scrapped in 1965.

now watch this with the sound turned up high . when we had a proper Navy with HMS VICTORY.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2WdU3Zkeig

[brian daley]

Great stuff Brian,you've proved that someone reads these bloody postings! seriously though, I will file the info for future use,thanks,
briand

[wsteve55]

Here is a super old wartime painting,I'm sure there are many out there who will identify it properly. (I've mislaid the date,artist and title);but it can clearly be seen what the painting is about. It the return to the Gladstone dock of "Jimmy" Walker and his flotillla after a succesful sortie on the western approaches. Information would be most welcome,
BrianD

That's a great pic' Brian,the guy was a true hero!

[ItsaZappathing]

Two painting by one of the greatest British war artists Norman(later Sir Norman) Wilkinson.
The first is from 1942 and shows the German battle cruisers,Scharnhorst and Gneisenau dashing down the English Channel with British Swordfish in full pursuit.These ships sank more than 115,000 t6ons of shipping in the North Atlantic in 1941.
The second picture shows the bombing of the German battleship Tirpitz in a Norwegian fjord by British Barracuda bombers. Continuous harassment by air ,and by midget submarines, helped sank her in 1944. Wonderfully graphic depictions of epic battles,
BrianD

Excellent pics Brian. Nice one.

[brian daley]

I know that these pictures are not remotely maritime,but they are connected with warfare. Thefirst picture is of a house designed by German architects of the Bauhaus group. It is in Potsdam ,near Berlin and was called Babelsberg but was more popularly known as the Einstein house ,after Albert Einstien. Built in the 20's ,it was the acme of architectural excellence. The cartoon is a vicious bit of Nazi propaganda which shows the fascist broom sweeping Einstein,and all Jews, from Nazi Germany.
I had the cartoon years before the picture of the house and did'nt fully understand the impilications of it until I came across the photo in the Book of Pictorial Knowledge.

[brian daley]

Another two wartime paintings,the first by the Canadian artist Alfred Leete. This shows the commander of an Atlantic convoy escort,generally ,the commandees were RCN men and they undertook their tasks with great success. The second picture is by the German war artist Alfred Bock and shows the enemy of every convoy commodore ,the dreaded U-Boat. Both paintings are heroic in their own way,
BrianD

[pablo42]

Nice one Brian.

[brian daley]

This is a painting by the German born American marine artist Anton Otto Fiischer. He served the the cause of the U.S. by turning out some very emotive studies,such as this one ,The Lifeboat. He sailed on many U.S. Coast guard cutters to gather material for his work and this particular painting ranks as one of the greatest. Those of you who have been at sea can see how realistic this work is, It shows the survivors of a U-boat attack trying to sail through some very stormy waters,
BrianD

[captain kong]

Excellent paintin Brian.so real.
reminds me of when I was in Lifeboat school in the Kings Dock Liverpool in 1953.

[brian daley]

Yes Brian,I heard it could get pretty rough there,especially if you had had a dinner session in the 7 Steps!
BrianD

[brian daley]

Another two great pictures by wartime artists. The first is by Norman Wilkinson and shows HMS Campbelltown (an old American 4 stacker transferred to the Royal Navy) leading the attack to destroy themassive dry dock and submarine berths at St. Nazaire in April 1942. The second is by a Canadian artist ,John Platt, and it shows a convoy passing St. Anthony's lighthouse before entering the harbour at Newfoundland,two very different studies.
BrianD

[pablo42]

Nice one Brian.

[rbrewr]

On the day Britain and France declared war on Germany, two sister pocket-battleships, the Deutschland and the Graf Spree were poised ready to disrupt and desteoy Allied merchant shipping in the Atlantic.Over the following months , the Graf Spee caused sufficient havoc in the South Atlantic to merit pursuit by three British Naval Raider Hunting Groups. She was finally intrecepted off the estuary of the river Plate on 13th of December by the Exeter, A Cchilles and Ajax and was forced into the Uruguayan harbour of Montevideo, Captain Langsdorff,aware of the build-up of British reinforcements,was forced to scuttle the battleship on the FUHRER'S orders
Reg.

[captain kong]

Hi Reg,
I have seen the wreckage of the Graf Spee in Montevideo, in 1958 they were scrapping her down from the breakwater. I went back there in 2006 and they had built a war Memorial to her on the quayside, the Queen Mary 2 is behind. This is the anchor of the Graf Spee