Task Force 158 day and night in the gulf – HMAS Arunta (II)
This painting by Robert McRae (circa 2011) while on assignment by a the Australian War Memorial, shows the ship patrolling the oilfields in the northern Arabian Gulf.
- About Robert McRae
Bob was born in New South Wales and attended the Alexander Mackie College of Advanced Education and Sydney Teacher's College during the 1970s. Since the 1980s, he has worked as a teacher at several TAFE colleges in New South Wales, including Wollongong and Dapto.
Bob has been painting ships since the 1990s.
During a painting trip to Darwin in 1999 to sketch the Northern Territory wetlands Bob painted several vessels stationed at the naval port. These vessels were part of the multinational force preparing for operations in East Timor.
He then moved on to become an official artist with the Royal Australian Navy during various offshore exercises. June 2005 Bob drew and photographed the commissioning of HMAS Armidale at Darwin Naval Base. In February 2006 he drew and photographed on board HMAS Townsville during Operation Ocean Protector off Jervis Bay, NSW.
In 2008, Bob was appointed Official Artist for the RAN Naval History Unit in the Iraq War. His role was to draw, paint and photograph naval activities. Most of the time, he was working aboard HMAS Arunta during patrols near Iraq.
Bob is an established and accomplished watercolour painter and printmaker who has exhibited extensively in New South Wales and the Northern Territory. Works by Bob are held in the collections of the University of Wollongong, BHP (Shipping), the Australian War Memorial and the National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
- About HMAS Arunta (ll)Sailors at work
Since entering World War 1 in 1914 with 16 ships, two submarines and 3800 RAN personnel (including 850 from the Royal Navy) the number of serving personnel in the Royal Australian Navy has fluctuated depending on the strategic and shifting financial environment. Over more than a century, the RAN’s and people have seen action in every ocean of the world.
Of the tens of thousands who have served, 2658 members have made the ultimate sacrifice defending Australia’s interests in warlike and peacetime operations across the globe.
Fortunately, for the vast majority who served in periods of peace or survived periods of hostilities the experience was positive.
In addition to their service in a particular category which involved specific duties, they also participated in communal duties such as coaling ship. Thus, the artworks included in this section relate to a mix of specialist and communal activities.
More reading
- Additional resources for Robert McRae
- Robert McRae, Australian National Maritime Museum (sea.museum)
- Robert Torrens McRae, as an artist and Official Naval Artist with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) 2005-2008, interviewed by Edith Swift. | Australian War Memorial (awm.gov.au)
- Wollongong war artist reflects on documenting the Navy at work - ABC News
- Additional resources for HMAS Arunta (ll)Sailors at work