Grand Fleet Days 1917-1918 Set BW-1 10 6 x 4 Black+White Prints
Our Grand Fleet sets are based on the work of Lt-Cdr C J Smith RNVR who ended the war as air intelligence officer on HMS Furious one of the pioneer aircraft carriers. We see Admiral Beattie in characteristic pose with his chief of staff Captain Brock on the bridge of HMS Queen Elizabeth. C class cruiser HMS Ceres was one of the five sister ships in the 6th Light Cruiser Squadron and is passing HMS Tiger with two USN battleships in the distance and the Forth bridge. HMS Courageous when operating as a light battlecruiser with 4 x 15” guns was a handsome ship. The ensign on a Queen Elizabeth class battleship noted as HMS Malaya is as big as the launch passing the stern of the massive ship in the Forth. A study shows two of the ill-fated K boat submarines to the left, HMS Tiger, the Forth Bridge and HMS Repulse. Large ships produced their own Christmas cards and with her conversion to an aircraft carrier the swooping bird of prey on the cover of the card from HMS Furious in 1918 was fitting. A V+W class destroyer F02, HMS Westminster ships water over the bows on a stormy day in 1918. An evocative twilight view in the Forth shows HMS Courageous, two USN Texas class battleships. HMS Tiger and other capital ships. VADM Pakenham in HMS Lion leads the four ships of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron HMS Princess Royal, Tiger, Repulse and Renown in line astern in 1918. On 21-11-1918, in Operation ZZ the Grand Fleet escorted the German High Seas Fleet to internment at Scapa Flow, and we see 3 Queen Elizabeths, the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron, HMS Inflexible, Indomitable, New Zealand and Australia, and closer in HMS Renown, Repulse, Princess Royal and Lion, plus two airships and numerous light craft. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction is prohibited without our prior written permission.
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Grand Fleet Days 1917-1918 Set BW-2 13 6 x 4 Black+White Prints
We see the aft turret and flying off platform on battlecruiser HMS Renown. Her Majesty Queen Mary stands between the 15” guns of HMS Queen Elizabeth. HMS Courageous is at sea with a blimp keeping a look out for submarines. In a superb gesture of allied cooperation the US Navy sent a complete battle squadron to serve with the Grand Fleet, as Battle Squadron 6. We see the cage mainmasts of USS Texas in 1918. For Christmas 1918, the officers of the USS Texas sent Christmas cards to friends in the Grand Fleet depicting the Lone Star badge of Texas. Throughout the war HMS Oak, a modified Acheron class destroyer served as tender to the flagship of the Grand Fleet, but on 20-11-1918 conveyed King George V on an inspection of the fleet, flying the Royal Standard at the mainmast. Unusually HMS Oak had a white hull and only one captain in its entire career. HMS Agincourt, with fourteen 12” guns, the most on any capital ship was ordered by Brazil, sold to Turkey when under construction and requisitioned for the Royal Navy in 1914. She is seen in heavy weather with her turrets trained to starboard. Queen Elizabeth class battleship HMS Barham is caught in a dramatic twilight scene in 1918. Keeping the ship’s crew occupied was a problem and Lt Smith as he then was organised concert parties, and a senior officer who has entered into the spirit of things to wear a blonde wig, poses with the players! An evening shot in the forth shows from L to R an Invincible class battlecruiser, a Queen Elizabeth class, HMS New Zealand, two US battleships and the stern on HMS Australia. We see the 4th BS putting to sea past three US Navy battleships, with a Colossus class battleship leading followed by a Bellerophon, and the Forth bridge in the murk. As well as concert parties, ship’s magazines were produced such as the ‘Repulse’ magazine in August 1918. We include the first page from ‘Monthly Order No 2, which is a superb send-up of Admiralty camouflage instructions. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction is prohibited without our prior written permission.
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Grand Fleet Days 1917-1918 Set BW-3 10 6 x 4 Black+White Prints
HMS Cochrane was a Warrior class armoured cruiser of 1905 is seen before the removed of the quickfiring guns from the main turrets in 1915. She was wrecked in the Mersey in 1918. HMS Ceres of the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron is under way. The three funnel battlecruiser HMS Princess Royal has PR lettered on A turret. In the background is a Queen Elizabeth battleship. We see the starboard side of HMS Courageous. with planes mounted atop both turrets. Captioned by Lt-Cdr Smith ‘This may look lovely but try it’ a destroyer, believed to be HMS Westminster, butts into a storm. A blank menu card has provided the basis for Operation F99, where the forces will be food and drink (lots) and where a shapely young lady is looking away from the artist. It is suggested that movements may be erratic but free use of sodas will correct! On 21 November 1918, the dreadnoughts of the 4th Battle Squadron escort the High Seas fleet to internment. HMS Courageous (centre) was often in company with HMS Furious giving Lt Cdr Smith many chances to photograph this elegant ship. On the right is the dazzle painted cruiser Amphitrite. A column of smoke rises from a King George V class battleship whilst a blimp hovers over the quarterdeck. Our final view is of HMS Colossus which was dispatched to Kiel early in 1919. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction is prohibited without our prior written permission.
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German High Seas Fleet Scapa Flow & Kiel 1918-1919 Set BW4 12 6 x 4 B+W Prints
On 11-11-1918, Germany capitulated and on 21-11-1918 most of the High Seas fleet sailed to Internment at Scapa Flow. Lt-Cdr Smith assembled a remarkable selection of photographs. We open with an aerial view with the tiny Rysa Island in the foreground and the ships of the High Seas fleet beyond. The four ships of the Koenig class were probably the finest battleships in the fleet and we see a Koenig in Scapa on the left with two more capital ships in the distance. We see a close up of the same Koenig, followed by a view of the Koenig battleships, Grosser Kurfurst and Kronprinz Willhelm. On 21-6-1919 the ships of the High Seas Fleet were scuttled, and 3 Koenigs remain at Scapa Flow as only one was salvaged. An evening portrait shows the Bremse, Brummer, Emden light cruisers and all four Koenigs in 1919. A separate view shows white steam against from the acting flag ship, the Emden, and the four Keonigs. Another aerial view shows the anchored ships around Rysa island early in 1919. We see a Konigsburg light cruiser at Scapa its paintwork shabby after months of internment. In January 1919, the RN battleship HMS Colossus transited the Kiel Canal from the North Sea to Kiel and we see the flat North German plain through which the canal cuts. We see the busy docks and two picket boats approaching, At the end of the war, Germany retained the pre-dreadnoughts of the Braunchweig of Deutschland classes and one of the former is in Kiel. US Admirals Brownrigg and Sims and French Admiral Mueller converse at Kiel in 1919. light craft. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction is prohibited without our prior written permission.
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HMS Furious WW1 Grand Fleet Aircraft carrier 17 6 x 4 Black+White Prints
HMS Furious appeared as a light battle cruiser with a forrard flying-off deck in July 1917 and was modified from Nov 1917 to March 1918 with a flying-on deck aft and is seen in 1918. A Sopwith Camel and two Sopwith 1 ½ strutters are on the forward flying off deck of HMS Furious. HM Queen Mary and the King of the Belgians visited the ship as we see here, with a 1 ½ strutter in the background. As part of the royal visit, the crew manned the side to cheer the royal visitors. A (Sopwith) Ships Strutter with the usual skids overflies the flying on deck of HMS Furious in 1918. Most surprising is what seems to be a very early arrestor hook! As another Sopwith lands, crew members race after it to slow the aircraft! Noted by Lt Micky Smith, as ‘just a bit bent’ Ship Strutter A6987, with flotation devices, is hoisted back on board by the starboard crane after ditching. To keep the crew occupied the ‘Curious’ concert party gave a show on 2-3-18. It is typical of wartime humour and all 4 pages of the programme are covered. The RNAS was transferred to the new RAF on 1 April 1918. RADM Phillimore, flag officer aircraft, is with his officers in RN, RFC and the short lived original pale blue uniform of the RAF a few weeks later. Armistice Night 11-11-1918 was celebrated with rockets and searchlights and a gathering on the flying-off deck of HMS Furious. On 25/26 Nov, there was a victory concert and we see the proof program by newly promoted Lt Cdr Micky Smith RNVR. We see the bows of HMS Furious in dock at Rosyth at Xmas 1918. We conclude with the 1918 Xmas Card produced for HMS Furious which includes Thomas Campbell’s (1777-1844) famous lines. ‘Now Yield, proud foe, thy Fleet, With the crews at England’s feet’ On 21-11-18 that is what had happened and Furious had been present. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.
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RNAS Royal Naval Air Service, 1916-1918 14 6 x 4 Black+White Prints
Lt-Cdr Micky Smith RNVR was involved with kite balloons, anti-aircraft mobile guns, and flight trials for much of the war, and built up a fascinating archive of views, We open with the flying-off trials on the cruiser HMS Yarmouth on 28-8-1917 with the port side of a Sopwith Pup being prepared for take off. A view from the deck shows the forward 6” gun turret with the Sopwith Pup mounted above it. It is thought that the plane used on the historic trial was Pup N6431 and our next shot from starboard shows the identity clearly! Most exciting of all are port and starboard views of Flight Commander Rutland taking off in N6431 on 28-8-17. The success of the German Zeppelins prompted a British response with the overweight and sluggish R23 class, of which R24 is seen on trial at East Fortune in late 1917, prior to take off and when airborne. HMS Pegasus was one of the early ships adapted to carry planes and a Sopwith Pup is forrard of the Bridge. The battlecruiser HMS Australia was fitted with a flying off platform on the forward 12” turret, and a 1 ½ strutter was successfully launched from it on 14-5-1918. Another ship with a flying off platform was HMS Campania with a divided forward funnel and a sloping launch deck. On 5-11-18, a fierce storm caused Campania to drag her anchor in the Firth of Forth and after collisions with other ships she sank in shallow water. Micky Smith took an evocative portrait of the dazzle painted HMS Argus with the Forth bridge as a backdrop in 1918. The dazzle painted HMS Vindictive is one of the least known of the RNAS Carriers and joined the fleet on 1-10-18. Finally we see a Halberstadt FF49 seaplane that has come down off South Dogger and the crew are being rescued. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.
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HMS Argus- the first aircraft carrier 10 6 x 4 Black+White Prints Set BW1
With over 300 photo sets in our range, this is one of the most important historically, as it depicts HMS Argus, which was the first aircraft carrier with a continuous flight deck when commissioned in September 1918. Used on extended trials, HMS Argus took part in the Atlantic Fleet cruise to the Med in January 1920, which is when our photos date from. She had embarked eight Sopwith ‘Ship Strutters’, four Sopwith Camels, two Airco DH9As and two Fairey seaplanes. We open with a view of Argus at sea taken from one of her planes on 23 January 1920. We see the midshipmen ‘shooting the sun’ as a part of their navigation training. As men run to slow his ‘Ship Strutter’ down, F/Lt Keddle lands on Argus on 30 January 1920. FO Openshaw is less successful as his “Ship Strutter’ is about to go over the side on 30 January. FO Brown is still sitting in the cockpit of his Ship Strutter’, as it wallows alongside HMS Argus! The next view is anonymous, but is probably F O Brown’s plane again. A destroyer comes to the rescue of a plane that is some distance from Argus, but it is not possible to date the view or specify the plane. The next four views probably relate to N9234 which seems to be one of the Fairey floatplanes carried on Argus. Some of these views are very good, but some are border line, but photographs of carrier operations in 1920 are almost unknown. Please bear that in mind if you wish to order this set. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.
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HMS Bristol WW1 Cruiser, Med & S Atlantic 20 6 x 4 Black+White Prints
HMS Bristol was launched at John Brown’s yard on the Clyde in 1910 as a ‘Town’ class light cruiser. In December 1914, she was at Port Stanley when the Falklands were attacked by Von Spee. With her fires out, she was late to leave harbour but seized German colliers so played a part in the action. From 1915-1918 she was in the Med and took General Allenby to Egypt to command the Allied Forces in Palestine. Our photographic record commences in the Med on 1 March 1917 with gunnery exercises, as there was a chance of meeting Austro-Hungarian or Turkish fleets or German U-boats. Bristol carried two 6” guns in single mounts fore and after and we see the 6” being exercised. On 6 May 1918, when en route to the S American station, HMS Bristol was visited by King Neptune, and as the king is drummed on board, his secretary ‘Cancer’ summons all those who have not crossed the line before. The King, trident in hand stand by a score board with headings such as Desperate, Dotty and Deranged! The next two views show the line crossing ceremony which is a highlight of crossing the line, except to the victims! Provisioning ship is an important task. The next view, at the stern was probably taken prior to coaling ship. KR&AI prescribed that Divine Service was to be held every Sunday and the ship’s officers and crew gather by one of the 6 inch turrets to hear the words of the Lord! Generations of ratings look back to the grog ration affectionately and we see grog dispensed under the watchful eye of a Petty Officer. HMS Bristol ships heavy seas on a rough day. We see the crew relaxing on a ‘make and mend’ afternoon. Four of the crew look smart in their shore going uniforms when HMS Bristol was in the Med. On 30 November 1918, HMS Bristol entered a floating dock at Rio de Janeiro. We see bow and stern views and a view of the five starboard 4” mounts. HMS Bristol undocked on 5 December 1918. Our last views are from 1919. Owing to disturbances by the German community in Monte Video, Bristol was ordered from Port Stanley at haste and is belching out smoke on 13 January 1919. Our last view is of HMS Bristol dressed overall at Monte on 13 March 1919. She was paid off at Plymouth three months later. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.
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This set of ten 6x4 Colour prints portrays warships built for the Soviet Black sea fleet between the 1950s and the 1990s. Missile Boat 962 is a Project 124.21, Molnaya, Raketnyy Kater (NATO reporting code Tarantul - II), bathed in flame as it launches an SS-N-2 surface to surface missile in July 2001. The Soviet navy had a deep affection for the “Sverdlov” class cruisers, 12 of the14 ships still being in commission in the 1980s ! No 105, Mikhail Kutuzov, was laid down at Nikolayev yard in 1950, and when stricken in 1994, was the last surviving all gun cruiser in commission in the world. At 5,500 tons full load, compared to the 17,000 tons of the “Sverdlov” class, the four “Kynda” class Project 58 Rocket cruisers were much smaller and carried a crew of 375, compared to the 1000 of the older vessels. Their principal punch came from quad missile launchers. The missiles, the SS-N-3b have a range of 250 miles, but require mid course correction when fired over the horizon. The flight time would be about 25 minutes, and even in 1962, it would be hazardous for a helicopter or fixed wing plane to loiter for that length of time within 125 miles of a carrier battle group. Four 76.2mm guns are paired in two turrets aft of the rear missile launcher. The Admiral Golovko was decommissioned in 1991, but returned to service as Flagship of the Black Sea Fleet in 1995, but was replaced by the “Kara” class cruiser Kerch by 1997. She is at Sevastopol in August 1999..The Project 1164 “Slava” class multi-role cruisers at 11,500 tons full load were twice the tonnage of the “Kynda” class cruisers. The lead ship, Slava, or “Glory” was completed in 1983, and joined the Black Sea Fleet. The main armament is 16 P-500 SS-N-12 missiles arranged in four pairs of twin launchers each side of the superstructure. A deal was struck with the City of Moscow, whereby the city financed the refurbishment in return for the vessel being renamed Moskva. She is seen on the north side of Sevastopol roadstead in August 1999. Western estimates put the Soviet submarine strength at 400 vessels by the mid-fifties, and a large conventional and nuclear force existed at the demise of the USSR in 1991. The Submarine Base in South Bay is home to two unusual boats. The nearer vessel, pennant No 379, is a Bravo class diesel target training submarine with a specially reinforced hump to withstand the impact of dummy training torpedoes. Four were built at the Komsomolsk yard between 1967 and 1970, and displaced 2,900 tons submerged. Pennant No 351 is the SS533, Forel, an experimental Project 1710 Mackrel, NATO coded Beluga of 1987. It used the same hull shape as the 1970s Lira or Alfa class nuclear attack boats, which were the fastest submarines in the world. The Forel was kept out of sight in the Black Sea. The Project 877 diesel-electric attack submarine of 1979, Varshavyanka, introduced a new and very quiet conventional boat. At least one Varshavyanka boat has been deployed to the Black Sea Fleet, where it has been seen bearing pennant number 554. The Soviet navy developed multi-hull “Surface-effect” ships that operate at slow speeds as a catamaran, and on an air cushion at full power, permitting exceptional speeds. The Sivuch Project 1239 was for a 1,050 ton twin hulled vessel. Propulsion is by twin gas turbines developing 40,000 shp and twin diesels producing 20,000 bhp. When in air cushion mode, lift is given by two M-504 diesels developing 6,600 bhp. With all systems on power, the cushion speed is approx 45 knots, but this can only be developed at the price of considerable vibration. Two were built, the Bora, hull number 615, which commenced trials in 1988 but was not finally accepted until 1997, and the Samun, which was accepted in 2000. The Bora, seen leaving Sevastopol in 2000, was allocated to the Black Sea. Nikolai Kamov (1902-1973), head of the helicopter design bureau that carried his name, favoured superimposed co-axial contra rotating rotors dispenseding with the a tail rotor and offered greater lift in a smaller overall size. The Ka-25 was in production until c1975 when it was replaced by the enlarged Ka-27, which was designed by Kamov’s successor, S V Mikheev. At least three main versions of the Ka-27 entered naval service. One was configured for ASW operations with dunking sonar, as in this case. After the Cuban Missile crisis in 1962, and the replacement of Khrushchev by Leonid Brezhnev in 1964, the Soviet Union adopted a blue water policy. A key element was to reactivate the Naval Infantry and to build Assault landing ships. The Ropucha-I class Project 775 large landing ships were built at the Polnocny yard at Gdansk from 1975. They are known as Bol'shoy Desatnyy Korabl' (BDK) or Large Landing Ships, The initial 13 ships went to the Pacific, Baltic and Northern fleets, but by 2000, several had moved to the Black Sea fleet. They are 373 feet in length, with bow and stern ramps for unloading vehicles. The bow doors of BDK 151 Azov have opened and BTR amphibious armoured personnel carriers drive down the ramp into the water. The BTR is fitted with a small turret housing a 14.5mm KV and a 7.62mm PKT providing fire support as the APC swims ashore. The BTR was originally designed for infantry transport and river crossings in the European theatre, rather than as an amphibious assault vehicle. Some BDKs received 122mm UMS-73 Grad-M short range barrage rocket launchers on the forecastle, and BDK-158, Tsezar Kunikov, is providing close fire support in another dramatic live firing shot. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.