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HMS Vulcan, Torpedo Boat Depot Ship. HMS Vulcan built at Portsmouth Dockyard and launched 13th June 1889. Her main purpose was to launch smaller torpedo boats against enemy shipping. She looked very similar to a cruiser except for two large cranes used for deploying torpedo boats, similar protective deck armour to a cruiser. In 1915 she was used as a submarine depot ship and in 1931 became a training hulk and was renamed HMS Defiance III, finally being scrapped in 1955.

Displacement: 6,600 tons     Speed: 20 knots.    Armament: eight 4.7 ins guns replaced in 1915 by four 3 pdr guns. She carried six 2nd class torpedo boats.   Complement: 432.

HM Torpedo-Boat Depot Ship Vulcan : Hoisting Out a Torpedo Boat

Photograph shows Vulcan hoisting out one of six torpedo boats the she carried. The Vulcan was the only ship in the British Navy in 1896 with special cranes to do this. The cranes were hydraulic and could lift 30 tons each.

Original Photographic image from quality magazine published in 1896 image  size 8" x 5" approx , plus title and specifications. price £15 plus £3 post for UK £10 overseas, recorded airmail  order number AN2/62 order photograph here

HMS Vulcan

 The Vulcan seen here bows-on, was the only craft of her special class in existence. She was a cruiser, fighting ship, repairing shop, torpedo depot, and floating dockyard. As a cruiser and fighting ship, she mounted 20 quick-firing guns and torpedo tubes; as a repairing shop she was fitted with lathes, drilling, planing, slotting and punching machines, circular saws, workshops and smithery, forges and furnaces; as a torpedo depot, she carried on board large supplies of torpedos, torpedo stores, mines and mining apparatus; as a floating dockyard, she contained a small flotilla of torpedo boats with cranes for lifting them, as well as all sorts of special appliances. Her raison d'etre was torpedo nurse and general repairing establishment afloat for general service with a Fleet. She measured 350 ft between perpendiculars, breadth of 58 ft, mean draught of 25 ft and a displacement of 6,630 tons.

Original Photographic image from quality magazine published in 1896 image  size 10" x 8" approx , plus title and specifications. price £20 plus £3 post for UK £10 overseas, recorded airmail  order number AN2-44 order photograph here

The Vulcan, Royal Sovereign and Thetis at Plataea Harbour c.1900.

For a considerable portion of the year the Mediterranean Fleet cruised eastward. This work was not well liked as it did not present the social amenities found at Malta or some of the other Italian and Spanish ports, and after all life on board was sufficiently monotonous in 1900 for a little excitement to be needed. Greece was friendly to Great Britain and allowed the navy to make limited use of her ports and islands. Here torpedoes were run and gun practise was carried out. The British ships shown at anchor above are in the small port of Plataea.

The Captain of the Vulcan and His Officers 1896

Captain Charles Grey Robinson, in command of the Vulcan and the officers of his ship are shown in the photograph in 1896. The Vulcan was employed on what was termed Particular Service on the Mediterranean Station. During the winter months she would go to Volo or Plataea in the Aegean Sea for the purpose of carrying out torpedo and mining classes, the ships in the Mediterranean Fleet were detached in turn, two or three at a time to bear her company.

Original Photographic image from quality magazine published in 1896 image  size 8" x 5" approx , plus title and specifications. price £20 plus £3 post for UK £10 overseas, recorded airmail  order number AN2/62b  order photograph here

The Workshop on board HMS Vulcan

One of the special features of the Vulcan was her workshop. In it were five lathes of various sizes (from 18in centre and 17 ft bed, down to 5in centre and 3ft 6 in bed), two drilling machines with complete sets of twist drills and boring bars, planing, shaping and slotting, punching and shearing machines, and a circular saw bench. These were all driven by an engine placed in the workshop. For casting and founding purposes there was a hot air furnace complete with crucibles capable of melting down 2 cwt of iron or brass, the air supplied under pressure by a fan which worked at 2,000 revs a minute. A sand pit, moulding boxes, and other appliances were also placed at hand in close proximity, so that any work required could be expeditiously performed. There were also fitters benches and vices, and a store-room complete with all kinds of tool likely to be needed.

Original Photographic image from quality magazine published in 1896 image  size 10" x 8" approx , plus title and specifications. price £20 plus £3 post for UK £10 overseas, recorded airmail  order number AN2/63
 

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AVIATION PRINTS

Click above to see all of our aviation art index - Eight random half price aviation items are displayed to the right.

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In a scene that was repeated almost daily throughout the long war years, the pilots of the 357th Fighter Group have returned from a gruelling mission to their base in Leiston, Suffolk. As they clamber out of their aircraft, all eyes are turned anxiously skyward, awaiting the return of the last man home.

Last Man Home by Nicolas Trudgian. (Y)
Half Price! - £100.00 		Flight Lieutenant Mick Martin readies his crew to release their bouncing bomb as he makes his run into the Mohne Dam. Flanking him is the Lancaster of Wing Commander Guy Gibson, using his aircraft to draw flak from the gunners along the dam.

Into Attack by Gerald Coulson.
Half Price! - £90.00 		The military trained many of their first world war pilots on the Jenny. Several thousand Jennies were produced and after the war many of these aircraft were purchased by some of the 20,000 airmen which left the armed services after world war one, paying a fraction of the cost for these aircraft. Barnstorming began. These pilots would make a living from Barnstorming across the US, giving rides to civilians for as much at 15 to 20 dollars a trip. This was a time when most people had not seen an aircraft let alone go up in one. Barnstorming gradually became saturated with pilots and aircraft and over a short peiod of time the prices paid for a trip in a Jenny went down toas low as 2 to 3 dollars, and making a living became hard for the pilots who could hardly pay for the fuel and living costs let alone aircraft maintenance. There were a number of fatal accidents, but Barnstorming played a vital role in aviation and probably put the idea of becoming a pilot in the minds of many young boys who would later go on to fly in combat during world war two.

Balmy Days by Ivan Berryman.
Half Price! - £50.00 		R-Robert was dramatically retrieved after nearly forty years on the bed of Loch Ness in Scotland. It is being restored at the Brooklands Museum.

The Loch Ness Wellington by Ivan Berryman. (Y)
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Australian Ace Dick Cresswell tangles with a Japanese Zero in the humid air of the tropics over New Guinea during an encounter in 1942. Flying a P-40E Kittyhawk with the insignia of 77 Squadron, RAAF blazoned on his aircraft, Cresswell makes a head-on pass leaving the enemy aircraft streaming smoke. Immortalised by the Flying Tigers, the P-40 was a fine combat aircraft that operated in the Pacific, European and Middle East theaters.

Combat Over New Guinea by Nicolas Trudgian. (Y)
Half Price! - £45.00 		Signed by Wallace McIntosh, an ex Lanc. rear gunner. Wallace has the distinction of holding the record for Bomber Command kills from the rear turret of Avro Lancaster EM-M LL973 standing at 8 confirmed kills.
Sunset Saviours by Robin Smith.
Half Price! - £95.00 		Without doubt one of the most outstanding and versatile aircraft in the Allied inventory during World War II, the Bristol Beaufighter was to endure a cautious reception by its crews when it first entered service, not least due to difficulties experienced by crews attempting to abandon a stricken aircraft in an emergency. Its performance and hard-hitting potential quickly overcame such doubts, however, and it went on to earn a commendable reputation - and the nickname Whispering Death. Here, two 254 Sqn TF. MkXs attack a captured Norwegian vessel in 1945.

Seastrike by Ivan Berryman
Half Price! - £45.00 		Lockheed Vega PV-1 VB32 Squadron in the Santaren Channel. From this point on the U-boat was hunted and harassed only to be sunk in the Bay of Biscay.

The Hunt for U-Boat 134 by David Pentland.
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NAVAL PRINTS

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None among Rackams crew were more resolute or ready to board or undertake anything that was hazardous. Quote taken from Captain C. Johnsons book. A General History of the Robberies and murders of the Most Notorious Pirates. (1724)

Anne Bonney, Mary Reid and Calico Jack Rackam by Chris Collingwood. (Y)
Half Price! - £50.00 		Lieutenant of the Royal Navy commands marines and crew during a sea battle with the French during the battle of Cape St Vincent.

In the Thick of Battle by Chris Collingwood.
Half Price! - £40.00 		T class submarine HMS Thorn surfaces during the work up exercises off the west coast of Scotland in late 1941. Taking part is an escort sloop of the Black Swan class and a Sunderland from 201 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command.

Working Up by Robert Barbour.
Half Price! - £30.00 		The mighty Bismarck returns fire to the fast-approaching HMS Hood at the start of a battle that would see both adversaries tragically sunk. The Bismarck would later be attacked by Swordfish aircraft from HMS Ark Royal, damaging her stearing and allowing her to be caught by the British battleships Rodney and King George V. The once proud German battleship would be ruthlessly pounded into a twisted and burning wreck and finally finished by HMS Dorsetshire with torpedoes at around 10:30 hours on the morning of May 27th 1941. HMS Dorsetshire and HMS Maori combed the area of the sinking for survivors, between them picking up a total of 110 out of an original complement of 2,300.

Bismarck Replies to HMS Hood by Ivan Berryman. (Y)
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The Brethren of the Coast or the Brethren, was a loose coalition of pirates and privateers also known as Buccaneers who operated during the 1600s and 1700s in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico and also in the Atlantic Ocean. They were a syndicate of pirate captains with letters of marque and reprisal who regulated their privateering enterprises within the community of privateers.
Brethren of the Coast by Chris Collingwood. (Y)
Half Price! - £40.00 		Royal Fleet Auxiliary Olna prepares to receive HMS Active (F171) during the Falklands campaign of 1982. HMS Coventry (D118) is in the background
RFA Olna by Ivan Berryman (P)
Half Price! - £625.00 		Originally constructed as a Home Fleet Repair Ship, HMS Cyclops was later converted into a submarine depot ship and enjoyed a long career, both in the Mediterranean and in home waters. Here she prepares to receive HMS Sceptre. Another S-class submarine is already tethered alongside.

HMS Cyclops Prepares to Receive HMS Sceptre by Ivan Berryman (AP)
Half Price! - £45.00 		HMS Ark Royal after a recent refit, rejoins the fleet in 2001.

HMS Ark Royal by Ivan Berryman (AP)
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MILITARY PRINTS

Click above to see all of our military art index - Eight random half price military items are displayed to the right.

Some Current Half Price Military Art Offers

Sgt. Ian John McKay VC calls for covering fire as he leads forward elements of 4 and 5 platoon of B Company 3 Para, to assault Argentinean positions held by 7th Infantry regiment, Falklands War 11th -12th June 1982.

Battle for Mount Longdon by Mark Churms. (Y)
Half Price! - £35.00 		Although outnumbered ten to one, General Arthur Wellesley defeated the well trained Mahratta army in one of the fiercest battles in India. It was the first of many victories by the future Duke of Wellington, and the bloodiest for the number, he recalled, that I ever saw.

The 74th Highlanders at the Battle of Assaye, 23rd September 1803 by David Rowlands. (Y)
Half Price! - £50.00 		2nd Empire painting. Reproduced by permission of the Forbes collection.
Prussian Cuirassiers Attack a French Provision Train by Edouard Detaille. (Y)
Half Price! - £25.00 		DHM406. Allied Generals Before Sebastopol by Thomas Jones Barker.

Allied Generals Before Sebastopol by Thomas Jones Barker.
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Probably the best known painting of the gallant charge of the Royal North Dragoons, The Scots Greys at the Battle of Waterloo. According to an eyewitness Alexander Armour at the start of the charge of the greys had to pass through the ranks of the Highland Brigade and armour recalled The highlanders were then ordered to wheel back, when they did so we rushed through them at the same time they heard us calling Now my boys Scotland Forever.

Scotland Forever by Lady Elizabeth Butler. (Y)
Half Price! - £31.00 		Schneider CA1 Tanks of the French tenth army spearhead the successful counter offensive against the German army on the river Marne. Overhead a tenacious Junkers JI artillery spotter dogs their tracks. The Second Battle of the Marne, though not an overwhelming victory, spelt the end of German successes on the Western front, and a turning point for the allies.

Tanks on the Marne - France, 18th July 1918 by David Pentland. (P)
Half Price! - £1700.00 		The Mark IV Tank of Lt. F. MItchell MC, 1st battalion Tank Corps engages A7V tanks at Villers-Bretonneux, 24th April 1918.

The First Tank versus Tank Action by David Rowlands. (GL)
Half Price! - £280.00 		Described as the Deathknell of the Confederacy - Sharpsburg (Antietam to the North) was a savage bloodletting for both sides. It was said to be the bloodiest day of the American Civil War. In the painting, below the Dunkard church confederate General John Bell Hoods Texas Division - or what was left of it- stand in line of battle. In the distance Union Major General John Sedgwicks division can be seen advancing on the rebel lines. During the ghastly four hour struggle the Confederates managed to hold and then repel the bloodied remnants of Sedgwicks division back to the east woods and at about 10.30am, the carnage around the Dunkard church had ended. Eventually though, the Confederate forces were in retreat, loosing Sharpsburg to the Union but prepared to fight on for two and a half more years, bloodied but unbeaten.

Bloodied But Unbeaten (The Battle for the Dunkard Church During the Battle of Sharpsburg, September by Chris Collingwood. (P)
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SPORT PRINTS

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Celebrating Sir Alexs magnificent orchestration of Manchester Uniteds historic treble cup success of 1999.

Sir Alex Ferguson by Darren Baker.
Half Price! - £50.00 		Rothmans Williams Renault FW18. World Champion 1996.
Damon Hill by Michael Thompson.
Half Price! - £25.00 		Champion racing horse West Tip at Cheltenham race course.

West Tip by Mark Churms.
Half Price! - £20.00 		SP4AP. Desert Orchid by Mark Churms.

Desert Orchid by Mark Churms (AP)
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Race horses gallop to the finish shown in this racing painting by Mark Churms.

The Finish by Mark Churms.
Half Price! - £20.00 		Michael Schumacher and Ferrari.
Encore by Graham Bosworth
Half Price! - £24.00 		A great tribute to one of the all time greats in golf who will be sadly missed.

Seve Ballesteros by Peter Deighan. (Y)
Half Price! - £80.00 		Damon Hill, World Champion

King of the Track by Stuart Coffield
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