Troop Convoy and Escort and Hudson Bomber
Allcot has painted a triumphant sailing of the Australian Fleet returning to Sydney Harbour. He even has the heavens shining light down on the fleet.
- About John Charles Allcot
John was born on 14 November 1888 in England, and at the age of 14 John was apprenticed to lithographers, and attended classes at the Liverpool Institute and School of Art. In 1906 he worked in the Mersey tugboats and next year sailed as a deck-boy in the barque, Invermark. He loved painting and would scrounge ship's paint, sailcloth and handkerchiefs with which to depict the sea, ships and life on board.
Arriving in Sydney in the Miltiades in 1909, Allcot signed on with the old clipper, Antiope. He worked in coastal, island and intercolonial vessels out of Sydney before giving up the sea in 1912. He then supported himself by painting theatre sets and obtained commissions for ship paintings from Sydney photographers. In the 1940s he painted the seas for ship-models built by the sculptor Robert Klippel.
Allcot’s studio became a meeting-place for those interested in ships, paintings and models. Regular visitors included maritime artists Oswald Brett and Ian Hansen. Allcot used water-colour, gouache and oils to paint his ships.
Allcot showed impeccable attention to detail in his ship paintings and in 1954 his painting of the Cutty Sark was presented to the Duke of Edinburgh.
His work is represented in private and public collections in Australia and abroad.
- About Ships and aircraft in company
In this section a wide variety of artworks with more than one ship, submarine or aircraft are featured. When two or more naval vessels are operating together they are said to be ‘in company’.
The diverse nature of activities, exercises and deployments undertaken by ships, submarines and aircraft of the Royal Australian Navy means that a ship may spend long periods conducting single ship operations or periodically join with large numbers of other ships for such events as a naval review or fleet entry to a port. These latter events are generally scheduled to commemorate a particular event. During such events a prominent or royal figure will review the fleet as part of the ceremony. Throughout its history ships of the RAN have participated in major fleet entries and reviews both in Australian waters and overseas.
Details of Ships in the First Fleet
Name Class Commission Dates HMAS Australia Indefatigable Class 21 Jun 1913 – 12 Dec 1921 HMAS Melbourne Town Class Light Cruiser 18 Jan 1913 – 23 Apr 1928 HMAS Sydney Town Class Light Cruiser 26 Jun 1913 – 8 May 1928 HMAS Encounter Challenger Class Light Cruiser 1 Jul 1912 – 1 Jan 1923 HMAS Warrego River Class 1 Jun 1912 – 22 Jul 1919 HMAS Parramatta River Class 10 Sep 1910 – 22 Jul 1919 HMAS Yarra River Class 10 Sep 1910 – 30 Sep 1929
More reading
- Additional resources for John Charles Allcot
- Additional resources for Ships and aircraft in company
MV KRAIT and Japanese Destroyer in 1943
N Class Destroyers off Libya
Sydney Harbour looking east to Garden Island from Dawes Point
Second Convoy that left Albany, Western Australia on the 31st December 1914
RAN tribute to Anzac dead Dardanelles 12th November 1918
Proud Entry
HMAS Arunta HMAS Westralia with US Navy Light Cruser
HMA Ships MORESBY and ATTACK post 1967
HMA ships LABUAN and FREMANTLE with OBERON submarine
HMAS VAMPIRE, MELBOURNE and PARRAMATTA
Howzat Good Catch Sea Fury RAN
HMAT Barambah 1919
HMAS Adelaide (I) and HMAS Darwin (IV) at the base HMAS Stirling, WA, prior to departure for the Gulf 22.08.90
First Australian Fleet-unit 1914
First Fleet Entry 1913
Bombing of Naval Convoy, Mediterranean, 1942
A Gallant Failure Attack on Scharnhorst 1940
