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| Text for the above items : |
Breaking the Line at the Battle of Trafalgar by Graeme Lothian At 12.30pm on the 21st of October 1805, Admiral Lord Nelson on board his flagship, HMS Victory, breaks the line of the combined French and Spanish fleets. The Victory is delivering a devastating stern rake to the 80 gun French ship Bucentaure, the flagship of the combined fleets, commanded by Vice-Admiral P. C. J. B. S. Villeneuve. Starboard to the Victory is the 74 gun Redoutable. This ship, the Victory and HMS Temeraire, seen left, became locked together soon after, the unequal exchange resulting in the Redoutable having the highest casualties during the entire battle. |
Stung by the Wasp by Stan Stokes. The Axis attack on the British controlled island of Malta commenced in 1940 only one day after Mussolini committed Italy's forces on the side of the Germans during WW II. This strategically located island was a thorn in the side of Axis plans to dominate the Mediterranean and win control of North Africa. Malta would be attacked thousands of times by waves of both Italian and German bombers during the course of the War. On a per acre basis it may be one of the most bombed targets of WW II. In the early phases of the defense of the island a handful of Gloster Gladiators which were supplemented eventually by RAF Hurricanes carried on the brunt of the islands defense. Spitfires were sorely needed. The first Fifteen Spitfires arrived in Malta on March 7, 1942, and a second group of Spits arrived on March 29. In both cases they were launched from the HMS Eagle, and had to fly more than 600 miles over the Mediterranean to reach the island. In April of 1942, Churchill asked Roosevelt for assistance in supplying Spitfires to Malta. The besieged island was now in range of approximately 400 German fighters and bombers and about 200 Italian aircraft, and intelligence information pointed to the possibility of an invasion by airborne paratrooper forces out of Sicily. Due to combat losses, and the difficulty in getting spare parts, the islands defenders could generally muster only 20-30 defensive fighters on any particular day. This was woefully inadequate. With the Eagle was now laid up for repairs, and the Argus and Victorious not capable of handling the Spitfires. Churchill specifically requested American intervention, and asked FDR if the USS Wasp could shuttle fifty Spitfires to Malta. FDR agreed to the mission, and plans were immediately implemented. It was determined that two entire Spitfire squadrons No. 601 and 603 would make the journey. These units had a number of American pilots. On April 12 the Wasp docked on the Clyde of Glasgow and began taking on the Spitfires for her journey. With most of its regular aircraft removed, only nineteen F4F Wildcats were retained for fighter cover. On the 14th the Wasp set sale with a number of escorts. All the aircraft were Mk. Vc models equipped with four canon and four machine guns. Each had a Vokes air filter fitted beneath its nose and was equipped with a 90-gallon auxiliary fuel tank. The Spits were over-sprayed with a dark blue paint in hopes of making them less noticeable to the enemy during the 660 mile over water flight to Malta. Following breakfast on Monday April 20, 1942, the RAF pilots manned the 47 aircraft deemed suitable for the flight and the launch commenced. One immediate casualty was an RAF mechanic who walked into a turning prop and was immediately killed. One American pilot flew his Spitfire to Algeria, but the remaining 46 aircraft successfully landed in Malta. Within hours of their arrival the airfields were once again under attack by Axis bombers, and the newly arrived pilots were immediately pressed into service defending the island. The ability of the British to retain control of Malta as a base for torpedo planes and bombers which could harrass Rommels supply lines to North Africa, was critical in attaining eventual Allied victory in North Africa, the successful invasion of Italy, and ultimately, complete Allied victory in Europe. |
Line of Battle by Ivan Berryman. As Nelsons column of ships began their approach to the French and Spanish fleet at the start of the Battle of Trafalgar on 21st October 1805, the first four ships to break through were to be HMS Victory at the head of the line, HMS Temeraire, HMS Neptune and the 74-gun two-decker HMS Leviathan. Afraid for his admirals safety in the lead ship, Captain Harvey of the Temeraire decided to break away from the line in order to overtake Victory and be the first ship through, thus taking the worst of the gunfire from the enemy line as they approached. However, it was admiral Nelsons habit always to lead from the front and, as Temeraire manoeuvred alongside Victory, Nelson took up his speaking trumpet, went to his ships side and sternly shouted "I will thank you, Captain Harvey to maintain your proper station which is astern of the Victory". Harvey comlpied at once and the fleet continued into battle as originally planned. |
Last Voyage of the Yamato by Stan Stokes. The 74,000 ton Yamato and the Musashi were the two largest battleships ever built, and typified the Imperial Japanese Navys attitude that their ships should be superior to anything the United States had. As a comparison the German Battleship Deutschland displaced a mere 15,500 tons. Each of these ships carried nine 18.1 inch guns, the most powerful armament available on any ship at that point in time. The Yamato participated in the attack on Midway, serving as Admiral Yamamotos flag ship, and many of the other significant sea battles in the Pacific. By the time the Allies were preparing to invade Okinawa, the Japanese had been forced to utilize Kikusui tactics which would involve mass suicide attacks and individual suicide missions. The army had made numerous sacrifices, and senior Japanese naval officers realized that the Yamato would need to be sacrificed in the defense of Okinawa, as a matter of pride. The Yamatos 350-mile trip to Okinawa without any meaningful air cover would be a suicide mission, and the ship and its escort vessels were equipped with only enough fuel for a one-way trip. On April 6, 1945 the huge vessel departed and was immediately sighted by two American submarines, the USS Threadfin and the USS Hackleback. The information was passed on to the USN task force, and on April 7 an F6F from the USS Essex spotted the Yamato and relayed its position back to the USS Indianapolis, the flag ship of Admiral Spruance. An initial attack force of 280 USN aircraft were launched from nine American carriers, followed by a second wave of aircraft from four other carriers. Knowing that the Japanese had no air cover, the F6F Hellcats carried 500 pound bombs, and were joined by Avenger torpedo bombers and Curtis SB2C dive bombers. The Americans had learned from their earlier attack on the Musashi to concentrate torpedo attacks on one side of the giant ship. The Yamato was hit with numerous torpedoes and bombs. By 13:00 the giant battleship was listing 20 degrees to port and her antiaircraft guns were inoperative. At 14:10 another torpedo hit jammed the ships rudder, and the Yamato began to circle at about 8 knots. At 14:23 the Yamato rolled over and exploded in a giant mushroom cloud and sank with the loss of nearly 2,500 men. The Grumman TBF Avenger was the first torpedo bomber produced by that company. It bore a resemblance to the F4F Wildcat, and incorporated a unique internal bomb bay capable of carrying a 2,000 lb torpedo or four 500 lb bombs. The TBF was a big aircraft with a wingspan of 54 feet, and an empty weight of 10,080 lbs. It was capable of 271-MPH with a range of 1,215 miles. The Avenger incorporated a light weight electrically driven rear ball turret. The Avenger was so successful that General Motors was also pressed into service producing the aircraft with their version designated as a TBM. |
Remember Pearl Harbor! by Robert Taylor December 7, 1941. Japanese Aichi dive-bombers make a final attempt to destroy the USS Nevada as she lay beached at Hospital Point. Behind her the destroyer USS Shaw is on fire, moments later she will explode. In the docks beyond, the battleship Pennsylvania, the cruiser Helena and the flagship Argonne can all be seen in the swirling palls of dense smoke. |
Frigate Action off Antigua by Ivan Berryman. HMS Boreas encounters the French Compas, August 29th 1779. |
Hearts of Oak by Mark Churms. In January 1793 the 1st Battalion of the 29th Foot leaves Windsor for Hilsea to board Royal Navy fighting ships as there is a shortage of marines. Their new roll is to counter enemy musket fire from the upper decks, to lead boarding parties and to maintain discipline of the crew. They are specially equipped with a new working rig but still retain their full dress red coats and powdered hair (curled locks above the ear are removed) for combat. The regiment joins The British Channel Fleet under Admiral Earl Howe, and detachments are allocated to the following ships of the line; H.M.S. Glory, Thunderer, Alfred, Pegasus and Ramilles. 78 soldiers under the command of Cpt. Alexander Saunders are also placed aboard Captain Harveys 74 gun H.M.S. Brunswick. Howes ships are sent to intercept a fleet, of similar size that has put out from Brest to escort a large convoy of food from America, destined for Revolutionary France. The two fleets make contact but fog prevents an engagement until 1 Oarn on the first day of June 1794. Now, in bright sunshine, the order is given to attack! Brunswick is directly astern of Howes flag ship as the French line is broken. She quickly engages Le Vengeur with which she becomes dangerously entangled. Broadsides are exchanged at point blank range! Sails are shot to ribbons, masts and rigging fall. Grenades, carronades and musketry find their targets and casualties mount. Nevertheless, the ships band, joined by a negro regimental drummer on the quarter deck, keep up moral by playing the new and popular air Hearts Of Oak. The two ships drift helplessly as another French man-of-war, Achille, comes in for the kill but the British gunners deliver such a devastating broadside into this new assailant that she is completely demasted and strikes her colours! In the firefight the figure head, an effigy of the Duke of Brunswick, has its carved wooden hat blown clean away. So, Captain Harvey calmly replaces the loss with his own cocked hat! The captain himself receives a blow to the hand and is subsequently mortally wounded with a section of chain-shot. Cpt. Saunders is killed by a snipers bullet and Lt. Harcourt Vernon (wearing short, non regulation boots to facilitate amputation) is soon wounded as well. The decks are cleared of downed masts and rigging, the dead also go over the side. cl At about one oclock the two interlocked ships are separated by a swell and Harveys brothers ship Ramilles cornes to the Brunsivicks assistance. The crippled Vengeur cannot compete with the skill of English gunnery and the ship is raked from end to end by galling fire. Cheers ring out as she surrenders and hoists the Union Jack. The rest of the French fleet breaks off the engagement. Six of their ships are out of action and Le Vengeur is so very badly holed that she eventually sinks (many of her crew refusing to abandon her. Singing the Marseillaise they re-hoist her battle flag as they slip to their watery grave) This British fleet returns in triumph to Spithead. However, the scene on the Brunswicks splintered poop deck is one of utter devastation. The regiment has 13 officers and men killed, another 18 are wounded and nearly quarter of the ships company is lost. This hard won victory is commemorated by the regiment with Naval Crown (awarded to the regiment in 1909, an honour shared only by the Queens Regiment) and by the adoption of the tune played throughout the height of battle, Hearts of Oak. |
Sir Frances Drake by Chris Collingwood. No text for this item |
The Battle of Trafalgar by William Stuart. No text for this item |
Ark Royal by Philip West. HMS Ark Royal IV - Flagship of the Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers - a mobile airfield and a most impressive sight as she launches a Phantom from one of her catapults. She had a standard displacement of 43,000 tons, a beam of 168 feet, and was 846 feet long. Ships company numbered 2,570 and her Air Group consisted of Phantom Interceptors, Buccaneer strike and Gannet AEW aircraft together with Wessex SAR and Sea King ASW helicopters. She served her Nation and the Royal Navy for 23 years and sailed 800,000 miles of valuable service, finally being decommissioned in 1979. |
Contact Bearing 190 by Robert Taylor. H.M.S. Kelly steams at full speed to intercept a U-Boat which is bearing down on an essential and otherwise vulnerable Allied supply convoy. The tension among the supply ships crews, tempered by the strong faith in their protectors, is almost tangible. |
Big Brother, Little Sister (Bismarck and Prinz Eugen ) By Randall Wilson. Bismarck and Prinz Eugen exiting the Denmark Strait before the historic encounter with HMS Hood. |
Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter by Ivan Berryman. The potential value of aircraft at sea had been proven as early as the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and many experiments were undertaken to provide all significant warships with their own aircraft for spotting and reconnaissance purposes. One solution widely adopted was the fitting of flying-off platforms to the main guns, as demonstrated here, as a Sopwith 1½ strutter is launched from HMS Warspite in 1919. |
In the Thick of Battle by Chris Collingwood. Lieutenant of the Royal Navy commands marines and crew during a sea battle with the French during the battle of Cape St Vincent. |
Atlantic Comrades by Ivan Berryman. The Scharnhorst is pictured in 1939 when she and her sister ship Gneisenau menacingly prowled the North Atlantic. She is shown at dawn as two type VII U-Boats glide towards her for a friendly rendezvous and to take on much needed supplies, as well as a few of the luxuries that the tiny u-boats were simply too small to carry. |
The Conqueror Returns by Robert Barbour. During the Falklands War the HMS Conqueror shadowed the Argentine Heavy Cruiser, General Belgrano and her two escort destroyers. On 2nd May 1982, she launched a salvo of torpedoes, two of which scored hits, causing sufficient damage to the warship to sink with the loss of 321 of her crew. The painting depicts the conqueror on her final leg of her return to Faslane in July 1983, as she passes through the Rhu narrows and enters the Gareloch. Following an RN submarine service tradition she flies the Jolly Roger. |
The Battle of Copenhagen – HMS Glattons Bravest Day by Ivan Berryman. The battle of Copenhagen was long and hard-fought and Admiral Parker ordered Admiral Nelson to withdraw, an order that Nelson ignored. At one point a Danish frigate moved swiftly to attack Nelsons flagship HMS Elephant, but Captain Bligh of HMS Glatton sailed his ship directly into the broadside to protect the flagship. The Glatton, already displaying some damage, somehow survived the terrible barrage inflicted to its hull by the low-firing Danish vessel. The Elephant was saved and the battle eventually won with the unconditional capitulation of Denmark. It was surely Captain Blighs finest hour and an act of selfless bravery. In the background, HMS Bellona is aground on a sand bank, one of three British ships that failed to navigate the narrow channel. |
The Battle of Trafalgar by Robert Taylor. Robert Taylors magnificent painting shows Victory breaking through the enemy line at 1.00pm 21st October 1805. A broadside has crippled Admiral Villeneuves French flagship Bucentaure, seen off Victorys port side, while Nelsons gunners fire a second broadside into the Santisima Trinidad. Just astern, the Temeraire manoeuvres to trap the Redoubtable between herself and Victory, and thus seal her fate. |
Tokyo Bound by Nicolas Trudgian. On April 18, 1942, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, a small force of B-25 Mitchell light bombers set forth on one of the most audacious air raids of World War II. Launching in a rough sea from the heaving deck of the carrier USS Hornet, the crews knew that even if they achieved success, they were not to return. Their mission to bomb Tokyo and other industrial targets some 800 miles distant would leave them barely enough fuel to fly on to crash-land in China. Nine aircraft were attacked by enemy fighters, every one made it to the target, all but one aircraft were lost. But the raid was a triumph. The Japanese High Command were so alarmed by the Americans ability to strike at their homeland they attempted to expand the perimeter of activity in the central and southern Pacific - with disastrous results. Lt. Col. Doolittle was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in recognition of the extraordinary feat he and his gallant crews performed. Miraculously most survived to fly and fight again later in the war, Jimmy Doolittle going on to command the Eighth Air Force in Europe at the time of the Normandy invasion. |
The Mighty Intrepid by Anthony Saunders USS Intrepid was laid down in 1941 and was one of a class of 24 ships of the Essex class. This was the largest fleet of aircraft carriers ever constructed and proved the industrial might of the United States beyond doubt. Carrying 90 aircraft each, they formed the main air strength and striking power of the US Pacific Fleet against the Japanese. The Intrepid saw her first action in January 1944 supporting operations at Kwajalein. While operating in raids on Truk in February 1944 Intrepid was hit by a torpedo which damaged her steering gear, requiring repairs which kept her from the war zone until June. She then took part in operations off the Palaus, the Philippines, Okinawa and Formosa. She was struck twice by kamikazes in late 1944. Returning to action in March 1945, she participated in strikes against the Japanese home islands and Okinawa, suffering another kamikaze hit in April of 1945 - she survived the most hits of any other US carrier in the war. Here the Intrepid is seen in October 1944 whilst with TG38.2 flanked by the cruiser USS Vincennes and the destroyer USS The Sullivans. |
Orion by Derek Gardner. His Britannic Majestys 74 gun ship of the line HMS Orion, launched Deptford 1787. Battle honours for HMS Orion: Glorious 1st June 1794, Groix 1795, Cape St Vincent 1797, Battle of the Nile 1798, Battle of Trafalgar 1805, Baltic 1807. |
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