First Australian Fleet-unit 1914
Burgess has painted an impressive fleet of warships entering Sydney Harbour. The people of Australia knew they were going to be well protected when they saw this 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 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 Arthur Burgess
- Additional resources for Ships and aircraft in company
MV KRAIT and Japanese Destroyer in 1943
Troop Convoy and Escort and Hudson Bomber
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 Fleet Entry 1913
Bombing of Naval Convoy, Mediterranean, 1942
A Gallant Failure Attack on Scharnhorst 1940
