Oil Painting Marine Ship Blake Class Cruiser Royal Navy HMS Blenheim C1900's

1 Fine Antique British Work of Art Oil Painting Marine Ship Blake Class Cruiser Royal Navy HMS Blenheim C1900's.

Subject seascape marine portrait of the known British Blake Class Cruiser Ship HMS Blenheim which is portrayed in side profile steaming along facing towards the right side in rough choppy seas. Storm seas crashing and being sprayed along and around the side hull of the ship. The British Royal Navy ensign & Union Jack flags can be seen hoisted on the stern mast. Black thick smoke coming out of the twin funnels. With overcast grey sky with small spots of blue in areas shining through in areas overhead. To the far right towards the bow of the ship you can view the conning tower bridge also the 9.2 inch main gun turret. With lifeboats shown along the sides and with navy sailor figures shown on deck & portholes below. to the distant flanks on either side in the distance are small sailing ships shown.

Such a fascinating nautical scene.

Title shown painted at the bottom "HMS Blenheim".

Unsigned British School artist.

Oil on canvas.

Provenance ship biography & label verso.

Set in a traditional maple frame.

Circa 1900's early 20th century.

HMS Blenheim was a Blake-class first class protected cruiser that served in the Royal Navy from 1890 to 1926. She was built by Thames Ironworks & Shipbuilding Company at Leamouth, London. The ship was named after the Battle of Blenheim. She displaced 9,150 tons and her steel hull measured 375 feet (114 m) (length) and 65 feet (20 m) (beam) with 20,000 indicated horsepower (15,000 kW) turning 2 propellers giving a top speed of 22 knots (41 km/h). Her main armament was two BL 9.2 inch Mk VI guns (234 mm) and six QF 6 inch guns (152 mm) on the upper deck, and four QF 6 inch guns in 150 mm compound armoured casemates on the main deck. She also carried sixteen 3-pounders, and four 14 inch torpedo tubes (two submerged and two above water. Having been launched on 5 July 1890, she was commissioned at Chatham on 1 January 1891.

The then Canadian Prime Minister, Sir John Thompson, died in England just after being sworn in as a member of Queen Victoria's Privy Council in December 1894: he was repatriated to Halifax, Nova Scotia on the Blenheim, which was painted black for the occasion. Prince Henry of Battenberg died from malaria while on active duty on board HMS Blonde off Sierra Leone in January 1896 and Blenheim repatriated his body from the Canary Islands. On 27 January 1897 Blenheim accidentally rammed and badly damaged the French five masted barque France I, one of the longest tallships afloat at the time.

France 1 was anchored off Dungeness point showing two mooring lights (one at the bow and one at the stern). Though sea regulations of the time called for only one mooring light at the bow, it was usual practice to show another one at the stern on unusually long ships, a practice that was soon enforced into a law soon after this particular accident. The watch officer of Blenheim thought the lights were from two distinct ships anchored well apart and headed his own ship into the middle. The watchmen aboard France I shouted, sounded the ship bell, fired flares and blew the foghorn, and Blenheim altered course at the last possible instant and gave France I a glancing blow instead of a full broadside-on ramming that would probably have sunk her, as period warships had ram bows, a very deadly feature as shown by the HMS Victoria/HMS Camperdown collision. France I did not sink and went carrying on the Europe - Chile trade after extensive dockyard repairs until 1901, but a British court blamed the French ship and refused to acknowledge HMS Blenheim's responsibility, a decision that was bitterly resented in maritime circles, both in France and wider afield.

She was recommissioned on 2 January 1901 with a complement of 593 men to serve at the China station to support the British position during the Boxer Rebellion. In June 1902 she visited Nagasaki. She then served as a cruiser with the Channel Squadron until May 1908 when she joined the Mediterranean Fleet as a destroyer depot ship. Whilst being used as a depot ship, future Rear-Admiral and VC winner Eric Gascoigne Robinson served aboard her.

She was sent to Mudros in March 1915 in support of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the Battle of Gallipoli. Later that year, Blenheim repatriated former Canadian Prime Minister Sir Charles Tupper who had died in England, to Halifax. Blenheim was scrapped in 1926 at Pembroke Dock.

References Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.

An exceptional sought after collectible nautical marine artwork.

Such a delightful scene to the eye a great conversation piece.

Highly sought after due to the collectible nature of subject marine matter such elaborate detail.

With hanging thread on the back ready for immediate home wall display.

Incredible conversation piece for your guests.

We only select & sell paintings based upon subject quality & significance.

We provide our clients with friendly professional customer service.

Condition report.

Offered in fine used condition.

The canvas has been re-lined and the stretcher replaced at the time of the restoration. There is paint shrinkage particularly noticeable on the hull area of the ship, various craquelure and foxing stains. Also some areas of overpainting restoration within the sky. Frame having some minor chips, losses in places commensurate with usage & age.

Dimensions in centimetres of the frame approximate

High (47 cm)
Wide (63 cm)
Depth thickness of frame (1.5cm)


Reserve: $2,794.00

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