The wreck of H.M.S. Warspite (Prussia Cove)

Project Description

H.M.S. Warspite was a Queen Elizabeth class dreadnought, she received a massive modernisation in H.M.D.Y. Portsmouth, when she eventually emerged people found a ship they didn’t recognise, some people where convinced she was a completely new ship. The warspite built up the finest war record of any other battleship; she served in all major theatres from Jutland in 1916, up to operation Overlord in 1944.

By the end of the war she was worn out and was earmarked for scrap. My painting depicts the Warspite having just gone on the rocks of Prussia Cove in Cornwall, the boat in the foreground is the Penlee lifeboat going in to take of the skeleton crew. This ship developed a reputation for having her own mind and she seemed to have decided her appointment with a breakers yard was not for her.

After grounding It was found that the ship was wedged fast, she did eventually break loose for a short time only to run aground again a little further down the coast. She never moved again and was scraped in situ.

This painting is now available through the Arcs of fire gallery in Falmouth (please contact the gallery for the price of the original or prints)

Size 16”-12” 40cm-30cm