Warwick A. Andrews, ‘HMS Calliope’, oil on board 1971
$395.00 AUD
Warwick A. Andrews (1930-2021)
“HMS Calliope”, oil on board
Signed & dated 1971
Good condition with slight signs of age
Warwick Anthony Andrews was born in Sydney in 1930, and grew up to be a saltwater sailing enthusiast. He joined the Australian Navy Reserve, and later moved to Melbourne where he was involved with the Beaumaris Probus Club and the local arts scene. His works are often historical re-creations, using prints or old photos as a source which he ‘brought to life’ with his distinctive techniques in Oil and Watercolour.
HMS Calliope was built in 1884, and in 1889 it was in the Pacific on ‘Australian Station’ when called to intervene in the Samoan crisis, a disagreement between the United States and Germany. While there it had the distinction of being the sole survivor of the gathered warships when a tropical cyclone hit. Trapped in a poor shallow harbour, it made a dash past the floundering ships and headed out to the open sea, as described by a witness “….one of the grandest sights a seaman or anyone else ever saw; the lives of 250 souls depended on the hazardous adventure.”
It survived well into the 20th century, spending its last years as a reserve drill ship for the Navy moored at Newcastle upon Tyne until it was scrapped in 1953.
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