'SAVE THE CERBERUS" was the title of a fund-raising Art Exhibition held at Pivotal Galleries in Williamstown, Victoria in October 2009. Launched in 1868 HMVS "Cerberus" is the only remaining monitor class warship left in the world.  She was the first of the modern battleships and is the oldest, as well as the only surviving, inaugural warship to have served in the Royal Australian Navy.  She was the flagship and most power warship of the Victorian Navy and in addition she was the most powerful warship of any of the Australian Colonial Navies.  On 1st March 1901 the naval forces of our previous colonies, which were now States, were transferred to the Commonwealth as the "Australian Commonwealth Navy",  In 1911 this was re-named the Royal Australian Navy.

HMVS "CERBERUS" - End of an Era This painting shows "Cerberus" being towed back to Williamstown by the Tug "Alacrity" after participating in the annual Easter Manoeuvres in April 1909.  The Artist has titled the painting "End of an Era" because this was the last time she participated in these manoeuvres.

HMVS "CERBERUS" - After the Shoot: After the 1905 Easter exercises "Cerberus" steams up the Bay towards Williamstown in company with the torpedo boats "Childers" on her port bow while "Countess of Hopetoun" is further back.  The boilers on "Cerberus" were condemned in 1905-1906 and from this time she no longer steamed under her own power but was towed to places as required.

PILOT STEAMER "CAPTAIN COOK II" PASSES DAWES POINT The Pilot Steamer "Captain Cook II" (1893-1938) is seen approaching from the left and will shortly pass the steam launch "Engadine".  In the background is Dawes Point (circa 1900) located at the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and adjacent to The Rocks.  It is early evening and the soft golden light bathes the scene.

TOWING UP THE BAY Williamstown tug ‘James Paterson’ tows the 3-masted barque ‘James Craig’ up Port Phillip to the Port of Melbourne.  The year is around 1910.  They are passing Gellibrand Point and the Timeball Tower is in the middle background.  The ‘James Craig’ is not heavily laden as she is riding high on her marks.  She has furled most of her sails, only leaving a few to take the load off the tug in this favourable breeze.  She flies the ‘J.J.Craig’ house flag from her main mast, the New Zealand red ensign from the gaff, and her recognition signal letters ‘M.R.V.J.’ from the mizzen spreaders.   ‘James Paterson’ was a very powerful tug for the time.  Built in 1902 by J.P. Rennoldson of South Shields, she had a long and useful life.  She served as an auxiliary mine sweeper during the First World War, and returned to work in and around Melbourne until the 1960s.   This painting was painted for Geoff Dougall for the cover of his book “Full Steam & Tight Hawsers – the Story of the Williamstown Tugs”.

"Mount Stewart" at Sunset The 3-masted full rigged ship “Mount Stewart” was built by Barclay, Curle & Company in 1891 for Donaldson, Rose & Company.  Of 903 gross tons she was 271.6 feet long, 40.1-feet beam and 23.4-feet deep.  She was built especially for the Australian wool trade, designed to carry large cargoes in the southern ocean at a fair rate of speed, able to sail over 300 miles in 24 hours in the right condition.   She carried wool and grain to London, returning to Sydney with general cargo.  Although not fitted out with purpose built passenger accommodation, she did carry a minimum number of passengers.  She sailed the Sydney-London-Sydney route for 34 years and was the last British sailing ship to trade with Australia.  She was broken up in Nantes, France in 1925.