The Signalman
By Darrell White, ‘One of my favourite memories from serving in the Royal Australian Navy is a time on HMAS Swan. We were in the Southern Ocean, in company with HMAS Torrens, and it was a very rough day!’
I was on watch and there wasn’t much to do until the Officer of the Watch handed me a signal to send to Torrens. I was about to reach for the voice radio, then thought “no, that’s too easy”. I went out onto the bridge wing, fired up the 10-inch light and called up Torrens.
The signalman on Torrens must have been very unhappy, being called out of a nice warm bridge. As I was sending the signal, I could feel the ship rise over the crest of a wave and I knew we were about to ‘dig’ into the next one.
As the ship did, a mass of water burst into the air and I remember a wall of spray passing over me as I sent the signal. I often wondered what the view would have been like from Torrens. This painting is an attempt to visualize that moment.
- About Darrell White
Darrell White was born in Auckland, New Zealand. His family moved to Perth in the mid-1980s, and he left school to join the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) where he became a Signalman. Whilst in the RAN, he regularly photographed ships with the view to one day capturing the scenes in oils. Limited space onboard was not conducive to painting, so Darrell became highly skilled with graphite pencil. Having served seven years, his desire to be a visual creative was the motivation to pursue a new career in Web Design, whilst building up a body of artwork on the side.
David says:
“My art is an eclectic collection, reflecting my multifaceted inspirations and interests. On the one side there is technology with a strong pull towards maritime subjects, with a great influence from growing up in a Naval family and having served in the Royal Australian Navy myself.
On the other side is fantasy work which blends into illustration with some subjects that are appealing to a much younger audience. These two sides usually fight for the opportunity to become a reality on canvas. This has led me to having at least two streams of work on at any one time.
The thread that brings my work together is the desire to reproduce the work in a highly detailed and realistic manner, whether it be graphite pencil or acrylics. I’ve delved into digital art, but I love the tactile interaction with paint and pencil and revel in unplanned mistakes that can create a new style or quality to my work.”
David joined the Australian Society of Marine Artists, and amongst several commissions, was engaged by the West Australian Cricket Association to create a painting of HMAS Sydney (II); as a centre piece for their Commemorative display. The National Maritime Museum of Australia purchased two of his pencil drawings for their collection.
Another side of his work includes a large range of illustrations for the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation. These adorn promotional material, activity books for kids, signage and even playground equipment.
Darrell now resides in Wellington and continues to produce works for Australasian clients.
- About HMAS Swan (lll)
HMAS Swan was laid down at HMA Naval Dockyard, Williamstown, Victoria, on 18 August 1965, and was the last River Class, Destroyer Escort to be constructed in that dockyard. The ship was named after the Swan River in Perth. Swan was the third RAN ship to carry that name.
More reading
- Additional resources for Darrell White
- Additional resources for HMAS Swan (lll)