HMAS Australia (I) at the surrender of the German fleet in the Firth of Forth
On 21 November 1918 the German High Seas Fleet of five battle cruisers, nine battleships, seven light cruisers and 49 destroyers surrendered at sea to the British Grand Fleet following the defeat of Germany. Three ships of the Royal Australian Navy were present on the occasion, Melbourne, Sydney and Australia, the latter being accorded the honour of leading the capital ships of the British port line. In this work HMAS Australia is shown in the foreground leading HMS New Zealand, of the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron, followed by the 1st Battle Squadron of which the leading ships are HMS Revenge, Resolution and Royal Sovereign. The destroyer veering off to the left is the Ophelia. In the distance may be seen HMS Cardiff, followed by the long line of German ships, the first being SMS Seydlitz followed by, Moltke, Hindenburg, Derfflinger and Von der Tann. Beyond them again, but not visible in the picture, is the starboard division of the Grand Fleet.
- About Arthur Burgess
Arthur Burgess was born in NSW. He studied art in Sydney and then moved to England in 1901 to further his art studies. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy, London and in Paris Salons from 1904 and worked as an illustrator for The Graphic and the Illustrated London News.
In 1913 Burgess was commissioned to paint the Australian Fleet entering Sydney Harbour for the Art Gallery of NSW, where his work is now represented.
Burgess was appointed the official naval artist for the Commonwealth of Australia in 1918 and went on to become the art editor of Brassey's Naval and Shipping Annual from 1922 to 1930.
Burgess specialised in maritime art, both during peacetime and war, and is noted for his paintings of naval and commercial shipping ranging from battleships at sea through to barges on the Thames.
- About HMAS Australia (I)
The Australian Navy’s first flagship, the battle cruiser HMAS Australia was the centrepiece of the ‘Fleet Unit’, whose acquisition signalled the RAN’s arrival as a credible ocean-going force.
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- Additional resources for Arthur Burgess
- Additional resources for HMAS Australia (I)
