Ron Scobie - Marine Artist
     Member of Australian Society of Marine Artists

Gallery 2
 
Ron Scobie - Marine Artist
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An Original Painting
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SS "GREAT BRITAIN" IN SYDNEY HARBOUR 1852

In November 1852 the auxiliary steamer “Great Britain” arrived in Sydney Harbour on her first voyage to Australia.  At the time she was the world’s largest ship built of iron and screw driven.  Crowds lined the harbour vantage points, especially at Fort Macquarie and Dawes Point.  On board a band played the National Anthem and her signal guns fired a salute.  She came to anchor in Neutral Bay where her owners Gibbs Bright & Co. opened her for public inspection at 5 shillings per head to go on board.

In our painting “Great Britain” is shown approaching her mooring place.  The anchor hangs from the cathead with 2 crewmen waiting to let it go.  The red and white flag on the foremast signifies that a pilot is on board.  The next flag, blue with a white eagle, is that of The Eagle Line, a subsidiary of Gibbs Bright & Co. operating services between England and Australia.  The next flag is the red white and blue of Gibbs Bright & Co.  The 5 flags from the after masthead are the Marryat Code flags identifying her as “Great Britain” (1st Distinction 4,6,9,1).  Astern of “Great Britain” is Fort Macquarie, site of the present Opera House, Sydney Cove, and on the extreme right is Dawes Point.  On the extreme left of the painting is Cremorne Point.  Under the bowsprit  of “Great Britain” is Garden Island and Potts Point.  Hidden behind “Great Britain” is Pinchgut Island, at this stage levelled off to a rock platform and soon to be the site of Fort Denison.

Apart from those who lined the foreshores, those who were lucky or wealthy enough took to the water.  The paddle ferry “Emu” is ahead of “Great Britain” and well astern the paddle ferry “Fairy Queen” heads across.  In the foreground are a number of Sydney watermen’s boats (the water taxis of the day) and their paying passengers who are out to get a close up view of this wonder of shipbuilding.

Although “Great Britain” made 32 voyages to Australia this is the only time she came in this configuration, her second since her launching in 1844.  On her return to England further improvements were made to her engines and boilers with major changes to her rigging.  When she returned in 1853 she had only 1 funnel and was rigged as a conventional 3-masted full-rigged ship and it was in this form that she continued to service the Australian run until 1876 on the completion of her 32nd voyage.  Her life was not yet over.  After a period of inactivity she was sold, her boilers and machinery removed and she worked as a pure sailing ship carrying cargo between Liverpool and San Francisco via The Horn until she was dismasted near the Falkland Islands in 1886.  Re-rigging proved too expensive so she became a hulk holding the island’s wool clip until 1933.  There was some talk of trying to save her but in 1937 she was beached in Sparrow Cove, her home for the next 33 years.  There was further talk of saving her, this time coming to fruition and in 1970 on board a slave dock she was towed home to Bristol and put into the dock where she was first built.  A visit to Bristol will allow one to now see her as she was first built with 1 funnel and 6 masts.  Her public rooms and some cabins have been refurbished and a non-working replica engine and boiler set up have been manufactured and installed – visit www.ssgreatbritain.org.

Truly she has been a remarkable ship with a remarkable history and one to which many thousands of Australians can trace their heritage  – a credit to her builder and designer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Engineer.     

 


 

"PAOLO TOSCANELLI" ARRIVES  - 1956

The painting is the artist's impression of the "Paolo Toscanelli" arriving in Sydney Cove on Australia Day 1956.  She was carrying some 660 mainly Italian migrants to their new home in Australia.  She is being attended by two steam tugs of the Waratah Towage Co and is justoff the wharves in Sydney Cove that were shortly to be demolishd to make way for the Overseas Passenger Terminal.  Most of the buildings have also been demolished to make way for future developments in the historic "Rocks" area of Sydney.  Two exceptions are the tall chimney in the background and the green steeple-topped building which are still visible today.

"Paolo Toscanelli" was one of six cargo liners ordered in 1940 by the Italian ITALIA LINE for their South American trade.  Her construction was held up during the war and she was launched in 1945.  Due to the shortage of passenger berths in the immediate postwar period her superstructure was enlarged to accommodate 90 cabin class and 570 third class passengers.  In March 1955 she was chartered by LLOYD TRIESTINO, in whose colours she is depicted in the painting, for the Australian run.  She made five voyages to Australia arriving for the last time on 27th May 1956.

"Paolo Toscanelli" and her five sisters were known as the 'Navigatori' class as they were all named after famous navigators.  In 1958 "Paolo Toscanelli" reverted to cargoship status, retaining only accommodation for twelve passengers.  She was broken up in 1973.