Cross Stitch by Jenny Orr
This superb piece is owned by David Wallace, the nephew of James Wallace, one of the men lost in the sinking of Hood. The initial pattern was purchased from an Internet auction site and the many different coloured threads were purchased separately. Family friend Jenny Orr of Perth, Australia, an expert at cross stitch, took on this immense job.
This was a truly immense undertaking which was completed after many months. David informs us that there are nearly 90,000 (yes, ninety thousand) stitches in various shades of grey. The overall size of the work (once framed was (31.1/2" x 25" (80cm x 63cm). This work now hangs proudly in David's study. Our hats are off to Mrs Orr for producing such excellent results. Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
Painting by by R.S. Clark
This is an original oil paiting created in 1924 by New Zealand artist RS Clark. It shows Hood and other vessels of the Special Service Squadron during their 1924 World Cruise of the Special Service Squadron. The painting measures 2ft x 2ft 9" / 61cm x 85cm. It is in good condition and is signed by the artist in the lower right corner. The work is for sale and reasonable offers will be considered. It can be shipped anywhere. Please contact salcoll@tassie.net.au for more details. Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
Drawing by H.W. Bernartz
This drawing appears to be either pencil or charcoal on a medium gray background. It measures approximately 11" x 16" /27.94cm x 40.64cm. The artist is H.W. Bernartz, who is known to have artwork on display at the naval museum in Bremerhaven, Germany. Special thanks to David Schroeder who owns this piece. Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
"Hood Sinking" by Dennis Andrews
This digital computer painting was originally commissioned to illustrate the story of the maiden voyage of the Bismarck and featured in the UK naval magazine WARSHIPS International Fleet Review.
Dennis is a British artist specialising in painting 20th century warships. He lives in the historic naval port of Plymouth, home to the largest naval base in Europe, and is the resident Devonport Naval Base artist. He paints mainly in oils on canvas, but he has also created illustrations for books and magazines. This particular image is now available as a naval print from the artist at www.warshipart.com.
Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
Painting by David Pye
This delightful painting was created by David Pye. It shows Hood at Malta during the Battle Cruiser Squadron's duty with the Mediterranean Fleet in the mid 1930s.
Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
Painting by John Gromosiak
This impressive painting was created by John Gromosiak, of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It shows H.M.S. Hood , in her AP507A colour, at sea in the early 1920s.
The painting is acrylic on canvas and measures 20" x 16" / 50.8cm x 40.64cm. It was created in 1997. John is an accomplished artist and is primarily known for his works of USS Indianapolis.
Special thanks to John Hearne for the image of this great painting.
Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
"Flow" - Painting by Alan Blair
This interesting and unique painting was created by Alan Blair. It shows a somewhat ghostly H.M.S. Hood at anchor in Scapa Flow at night. Based on the configuration of the ship, this would appear to be in the 1920s or 1930s.
A prolific artist, Alan has created many paintings of various subjects, from trains to landscapes. Due to a love of the Hood, he has also created several paintings of her. Click to here to view more of his Hood artwork.
Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
"Empire Day 1941" - Painting by Paul Wright
This wonderful painting was commissioned in 1982 by Mr Ron Feltham. Researched by Ron and painted by Paul, this oils on hardwood painting is 48"x28" / 1.2m x 71.12cm in length. It effectively captures the last moments of Hood as she leads the battleship H.M.S. Prince of Wales into action against Bismarck and Prinz Eugen on the morning of 24 May 1941.
To quote from the painting description: "A fire has started among the ready-use ammunition following a hit by Prinz Eugen. Hood is about to haul down the signal ordering a change of course twenty degrees to port, enabling all four turrets to be brought into action. In the next few moments one or more hits from a well aimed salvo from Bismarck will blow the ship in half."
The painting is currently part of the Royal Navy Museum's Lewin Gallery (20th Century).
Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
1919 Painting by John Sampson
This beautiful 6'x 3'4" /1.8m x 1m painting is believed to have been created by artist John Sampson in 1919 for one of the steel companies which produced the armour plate for H.M.S. Hood. That being said, it is quite possible that this was among the first commissioned paintings of Hood.
There are different variants of this masterpiece available: 250 copies printed on 250 gsm zeta matt linen textured paper, which will be £50. There are also 500 copies printed on 250 gsm stock paper, which will be £25. Postage and packing will be about £6. The dimensions are 36.9 x19.5" / 939mm x 497mm for the image area of both. The overall size including white border is 39 5/16th" x 23 13/16th" ( 999mm x 605mm ) for the stock print. The textured print may be a couple of mm less on the border.
For more information, please contact Mr M.P. Halpin at mp.halpin@virgin.net. Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
Paintings by Marii Chernev for Military Art Gallery
Marii is known as one of the best military aviation artists around. Now he will be known as one of the best naval artists as well: In Spring 2003 he completed a set of paintings commemorating the Battle of the Denmark Strait.
The paintings feature H.M.S. Hood and the German battleship Bismarck opening fire on the morning of 24 May 1941. These paintings were undertaken with help from members of the H.M.S. Hood Association and Kameradschaft "Schlachtschiff Bismarck", so they are very accurate and authentic.
The painting of Bismarck is available as a limited edition fine art print signed by the late Baron Burkard Von Müllenheim-Rechberg, the Fourth Gunnery Officer of Bismarck. The Hood painting is also available in a limited edition fine art print signed by Hood survivor Ted Briggs, MBE.
Please visit the Military Art Gallery website for more details. Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
Painting by Ian Marshall
This beautiful painting depicts H.M.S. Hood, H.M.S. Barham and the tug Roysterer at Malta in 1938. At this point in time, Hood was serving in the Mediterranean Fleet. This beautiful painting was featured in his book, "Armored Ships" which was released in 1990. The book is currently not in print, but one may be able to find it via online booksellers such as abebooks.com
or alibris.com.
Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
Watercolour by Adrian George
This watercolour, which measures 10"x15" / 25.4cm x 38.1cm, shows Hood at 0552, 24 May 1941. She is firing her first salvo at Prinz Eugen before shifting her fire to Bismarck. Limited edition signed prints are available from the artist.
This is Adrian's second naval illustration and a very accurate one at that. His first work was the battle between USS Monitor and CSS Virginia off Hampton Roads, in 1862. His next work is likely to be Bismarck, Prinz Eugen or Prince of Wales. You can e-mail him at Info@AdrianArt.co.uk. Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
"H.M.S. Hood Leaving Portsmouth" - 1935 Painting by Frank Wood
Frank Wood (1862-1953). Watercolour signed and dated 1935 and "annotated HMS HOOD leaving Portsmouth." Trying to square historical fact with this watercolour painting - a painting which Frank Wood has annotated merely '1935' - has caused a deal of trouble! HOOD is painted here clearly leaving Portsmouth harbour and wearing at the fore the Cross of St George, the flag of a full admiral in the Royal Navy. The year, it would seem from the annotation, is 1935. But HOOD at this time was the flagship of the Rear Admiral Commanding the Battle Cruiser Squadron, Rear Admiral Sydney Bailey CB CBE DSO, who would have flown a similar Cross of St George but with two red balls in the hoist. Whose flag therefore is she wearing? Examination of HOOD's Ship's Log - Form S 321b ('Revised November 1929): see Articles 863, 1088, 1152, 1167, 1173, 1208 and 1209 of King's Regulations 1926') - reveals that the battle cruiser sailed from Portsmouth only four times in 1935: 15 January, 5 March, 13 May and 30 August and on none of these occasions was a full admiral embarked: she always sailed as Rear Admiral Bailey's flagship. Either, therefore, it was not 1935 - although the modification state of her foremast would point strongly to the fact that it was - or Frank Wood was exercising his artistic licence and had decided that the world's largest ship was going to enjoy the benefit of wearing a full admiral's flag for this painting. The passengers on the Gosport ferry in the foreground are clearly dressed for summer (thus ruling out HOOD's January and March sailings of 1935); and after comparing the sky, the light and the tones of another Frank Wood watercolour painted from the same spot showing HM Ships QUEEN ELIZABETH, HOOD(again) and ROYAL OAK and known to be 27 May 1937, the weight of evidence
points to the fact that this is HOOD sailing at the same time of the year. It is therefore reckoned that this watercolour shows HOOD'S 13 May 1935 departure from Portsmouth. Image size: 20"x14" / 51cm x 36cm approx. Mounted 28"x22" (48cm x 24cm) approx. Limited Edition: 250 overall (available at variable sizes - please contact Maritime Prints for size/price. Prize below is for standard size. ) Click here for a larger preview and more information Price: £80 (recently reduced from £160!).
Contact Rick Cosby at Maritime Prints for details and other paintings of Hood.
1926 Vintage Watercolour by AB Cull
HOOD is painted here in 1926 off the west coast of Scotland en route to Invergordon. Wearing the flag of Rear Admiral Commanding the Battle Cruiser Squadron (Rear Admiral CTM Fuller CB CMG DSO). A bright, breezy day with the odd flick of spray over the forecastle and quarterdeck. Amongst Cull's array of important clients was HM King Edward VII who commissioned him to paint several pictures: sadly a bomb on Portsmouth in World War II set light to Cull's studio and many of his paintings were destroyed. His few surviving works appear in the Maritime Museum Greenwich, in the Royal Navy's collection, and the Wardroom of HM Yacht BRITANNIA in Leith; and a few are in private hands. Print size: 15.5" x 9.5" / 39.5cm x 24 cm. Mounted: 20.75" x 15" / 53cm x 38cm approx. Limited Edition: 250. Price: £75 (recently reduced from £150!).
Contact Rick Cosby at Maritime Prints for details and for other paintings of Hood.
Paintings by G. Carlton Hobbs
This wonderful, large, oil painting was created by G. Carlton Hobbs. It depicts Hood and Prince of Wales en route to intercept Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait.
Mr Hobbs has been teaching art for 30 years and has created a number of paintings to include landscapes and railroad related themes. He has always been fascinated by the Royal Navy and its exploits and has recently started working on naval paintings. This, is the first. His second painting in this series is of Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. At last check, he was working on a painting of H.M.S. Repulse. Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
Prints of these paintings are available to the public. Print size is 27.5"x13.7" / 700mm x 350mm on 250gm art paper. An introductory price of £40 has been set for each, but both together may be purchased for £70 (this includes UK p&p add £6 for overseas). To enquire about these, contact Mr Hobbs via post at Fox Cottage West End Langtoft Peterborough PE6 9LU, or via e-mail at grahamhobbs@yahoo.com.
Painting by Anthony Myers
This impressive painting was created by Anthony Myers of Plymouth, Devon. It depicts Hood making her way through Plymouth Sound only a few weeks before she was lost. Seen in the foreground is a Sunderland flying boat of No 10 Squadron from a nearby RAAF base.
There are no prints available, but the original is for sale at a price of approximately £150 (subject to change). We look forward to seeing other paintings of Hood from Anthony. Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.
H.M.S. Hood and SS Bismarck by Graham Scott
This impressive work tells the entire story of the Bismarck's disastrous foray into the Atlantic.
Not only does it feature a detailed map showing the location of key events, but it also features the two main ships involved (Hood and Bismarck) as well as their badges/crests. Also shown are the Fairey Swordfish torpedo aircraft that played such an important role in crippling Bismarck.
We are unsure if there are any prints of this commercially available.
The Paintings of Simon Fisher
Simon's work is undoubtedly some of the best ever done of Hood. Shown here are two of his works which show Hood just before her sinking in May 1941.
The first/top painting to the right was done in 1993. It shows Hood and Prince of Wales enroute to intercept Bismarck. The original, which measures up at 39" x 21" / 99cm x 53.3cm is in the incredible collection of Dr Ian Beattie of the H.M.S. Hood Association. Ian tells us that there is no official title to this painting, but he would call it "Date with Destiny"...a perfect title. There are no available prints of this painting.
"H.M.S. Hood, the Final Moment" by Simon Fisher
This shows Hood just moments before the fatal explosion which sank her. At last check, 850 copies were being produced for sale, each signed by Ted Briggs. To find out more about this and other of Simon's works, please contact him at the following address:
Simon Fisher, 2 Ludmead Road, Prospect, Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 9AS England, United Kingdom.
Click on the images to the right to enlarge them.