41 41.
LIONEL WYLLIE (BRITISH, 1851-1931) H.M.S. ‘Invincible’ with a Squadron of the Royal Navy on Manoeuvres off a Headland in WWI Watercolour Signed ‘W L Wyllie 1916’ (lower left) 10 x 17½in. (25.4 x 44.5cm.)
Admiral Fisher’s concept of the battle cruiser was brought to fruition by the completion of H.M.S. Invincible in March of 1908. Laid down with her sister ships Inflexible and Indomitable in 1906, Invincible was the first to enter service. Each 530 feet long, displacing 17,250 tons, these were the initial trio of battle cruisers equivalent to the Dreadnought, though the Invincible class was built for speed. A logical successor to the previous classes of armoured cruisers, these new cruisers had all-round improvements in speed, gun power and range, with no sacrifice in protection. Judged harshly later on, the only drawback was the cost to build, which was nearly 50 per cent more than the Dreadnought class. Able to reach 25 knots, these cruisers were impressively armed with eight 12 in. guns. Sent to seek and destroy von Spee’s squadron, Invincible and Inflexible met the opposing forces off the Falklands on 8 December 1914, when the German armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were sunk. Invincible then joined the Grand Fleet in March 1915 and was made flagship to the 3rd Battle Cruiser Squadron in May. At Jutland, Rear-Admiral Hood led his ships into action just before 6.30 p.m. on 31 May and Invincible was hit several times in a few minutes. One shell hit the ‘Q’ turret causing the magazine to explode, which broke the ship in two. She sank immediately and only five of the ship’s company of 1,031 survived.
£1000-1500
42. δ FRANK HENRY MASON (BRITISH, 1876-1965)
H.M.S. ‘Victory’ firing a signal observed from the Deck of a Passing Destroyer Pen and ink Signed ‘Frank H Mason’ (lower middle in deck railing) 10 x 16in. (25.5 x 40.5cm.) £600-800
42
additional images online at
www.charlesmillerltd.com
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