Sometimes, a painting doesn’t need a dramatic storm or a roaring sea battle to make you stop and look. Sometimes, it’s the quiet moments that really pull you in. That’s exactly what Thomas Jacques Somerscales captures in his 1902 painting A Bathing Party, HMS Clio.

At first glance, it’s just a ship anchored on a calm day, sails partly furled and the sea like glass. But look a little closer, and the real story comes into focus. There are sailors swimming in the water, a rowboat full of crewmates heading out for a dip, and the kind of laid-back, sun-drenched vibe you don’t usually associate with naval life.

Somerscales was a British artist who spent a big part of his life in Chile, and you can tell he knew his way around a ship. But what makes this painting stand out isn’t just the technical accuracy-it’s the mood. It feels real. You can almost hear the laughter, the splash of oars, the shouts from the deck. It’s one of those rare paintings that gives you a peek into the everyday side of history.

The light in this piece is something else. The bright sky, the soft clouds, the way the sunlight dances on the water-it all feels warm and easy. You get the sense that these sailors were really enjoying a break from the routine. No drills, no orders, just a good swim on a hot day.

I love how relaxed this whole scene is. It’s not trying too hard to impress; it’s just sharing a moment. And that makes it all the more powerful. This isn’t just a painting of a ship. It’s a snapshot of downtime, of normal life at sea. It reminds us that even in the strict world of the navy, there were still smiles, swims, and sun-soaked afternoons.

If you’re into maritime history or just love art that tells a quiet story, this one’s definitely worth a closer look.

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Bombardment of Algiers, to Support the Ultimatum to Release White Slaves, August 26-27 1816, painted in 1823 by Martinus Schouman on orders of Ministerie van Marine

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

These two paintings depict episodes of a joint Anglo-Dutch action against Barbary States in 1816. For centuries the forces of North African monarchies have been raiding the shores of Christian Europe capturing fishermen, looting coastal villages and town; sometimes reaching as far as to England, Ireland and even Iceland. Slaves were captured to be sold on markets in Algiers and Tunisia. European maritime powers responded with punitive expeditions but did not completely succeed to stop the slave trade in North Africa until the French colonization in mid. 19th century.

One of such expeditions took place in summer of 1816. Following the end of Napoleonic Wars England no longer depended on supplies purchased in Algiers for her Mediterranean Fleet. Besides there was considerable political support for action against Barbary pirates and slavers. In 1816 a squadron led by Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth managed to convince Dey of Algiers to sign a treaty to stop the white slave trade. However, due to misread orders Algerian troops massacred Sicilian and Corsican fishermen who were under British protection. This caused an outrage in England and elsewhere in Europe, and Admiral Pellew was ordered to punish the Algerians.

In August 1816 a squadron of five ships of the line, one 50-gun ship and four frigates sailed out and was joined in Gibraltar by a Dutch force of five frigates and a corvette commanded by Vice-Admiral Theodorus Frederik van Capellen.

Algiers was well defended by shore batteries whose destruction was to be the first objective for the allies. Algerians planned to let the enemy ship close to the mole without firing at them and then to border them with large number of men in small boats.

On August 27 1816 the allied force reached Algiers. The action started at 3:15PM when due to the lack of discipline one Algerian cannon fired a shot at the British ships. This was immediately answered with a hail of fire. Algerian boarding attempt failed and 33 of their boats were sunk. By 7:30PM most of the coastal artillery was silenced and the Allies started firing at the shipping in the port. At 8:00PM a British bomb vessel exploded following a navigational error when trying to bear its guns against a shore battery. The action was over when at 10:15PM the British weighed anchor and sailed away. HMS Minden kept suppressive fire until 1:30AM and by this time the allied squadron anchored out of range.

The action was intense and the British had 818 men killed and wounded 16% casualties. Algerians reportedly lost around 7000 men.

The following day Pellew sent a peace offer threatening to continue bombardment. This was a bluff as the British were almost out of ammunition. The Dey, however, accepted the terms and freed 1083 Christian slaves and repaid the ransom money.

Council of War Aboard the Queen Charlotte Held by Lord of Exmouth before the Bombardment of Algiers, August 26, 1816, by Nicolaas Baur 1848.

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Special thanks for the idea and materials for this post to Edwin from Holland

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The Bombardment of Algiers 27 August 1816 by George Chambers, Senior, ca 1836

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

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The Bombardment of Algiers by the combined Anglo-Dutch force under the command of Sir Edward Pellew has already been described in details in an earlier post. This time I would like to present a view of this battle as painted by George Chambers, Senior.

For his actions Admiral Pellew had been raised to Viscount and several of his friends and associates had subscribed 200 guineas to commission a painting commemorating this victory. The Secretary and Commissioner of the Greenwich Hospital E.H. Locker (a former secretary to Admiral Pellew) had played an important part in awarding the contract to George Chambers, from whom he had previously obtained an oil painting for inclusion into the Naval Gallery at the Hospital.

This painting is George Chambers’ the most important late work and in addition to it the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich has a number of sketches and a preliminary oil study that is also presented in this post.

In the right foreground of the painting a massive bow of the Impregnable, 98 guns, shelters a number of boats armed with carronades. In the left foreground a boat commanded by a lieutenant is about to fire its howitzer.

In the left foreground more boats are seen beside the stern of the Minden, 74 guns. One of these boats is armed with Congreve rockets. The Minden is firing her starboard guns. Behind her is the Superb, 74 guns.

In the left background the Dutch flagship Melampus is seen, starboard side.  In the middle Chambers painted Pellew’s flagship the Queen Charlotte, 100 guns, in a quarter port view. Beyond her one can see a glimpse of the Leander, 50 guns.

The Algerian coastal batteries are under heavy fire from the Anglo-Dutch ships and are covered in flames and smoke. Behind the batteries the masts of Algerian ships in the harbor are seen.

Oil study to The Bombardment of Algiers 27 August 1816 by George Chambers, Senior , ca 1836

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

(image 2000 x 1293 px, 459 KB)

Before painting this work George Chambers visited Plymouth where he made sketches of men-of-war. In this preliminary oil study he created the layout for his main work. Although this painting lacks details it has an intense atmospheric impression.

A sketch to The Bombardment of Algiers 27 August 1816 by George Chambers, Senior, ca 1836

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Battle of Sinop (The Day)

By Ivan Aivazovsky

The last major naval engagement of the age of sail (Battle of Sinop) can be seen on this painting by Ivan Aivazovsky. In November 1853 a Russian squadron commanded by Vice-Admiral Pavel Nakhimov (3 84-gun ships) was on patrol off the northern coast of Anatolia. Russian ships approached the Bay of Sinop to check the rumors of the Turks gathering a landing force there. A squadron of 7 Turkish frigates and 5 smaller ships was anchored in the bay protected by 6 coastal batteries. Nakhimov’s force blockaded the port and waited for reinforcements to come. Soon 3 120-gun ships of the line and 2 frigates commanded by Rear-Admiral Novosilsky joined Nakhimov. Fearing that the Anglo-French fleet might reinforce the Turks the Russians decided to attack.

The Russian fleet sailed down to Sinop in two columns. The ships of the line were armed with a new and formidable weapon: the Paixan 68-pounder shell guns, which were especially deadly against wooden warships. On 18 (30) November 12:30 PM the action began. The Russians took position in a crescent along the anchored Turkish ships and started firing. A fierce cannonade from the Turkish batteries and ships inflicted some serious damage on the Russian fleet, but still the Turkish frigates were no match to the shellfire of the bigger guns of the Russian ships of the line.  In slightly more than an hour all the Turkish ships were either destroyed or ran aground. By 4 PM the batteries were silenced as well. Only one Turkish steamer escaped the carnage.

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A TRINITY HOUSE YACHT AND A REVENUE SERVICE CUTTER OFF RAMSGATE

By Thomas Whitcombe, c.1810

(Highest resolution available 5914×4103)

The decade of peace between the Seven Years War and the beginning of the War of American Independence saw a greater focus on domestic maritime problems, chief among which was smuggling. The long-established national taste for expensive wars imposed a financial burden which fell largely on the public. They were faced with heavy taxes on a bewildering array of goods, both exported and imported, and this led directly, quickly and inevitably to an explosion in smuggling. In wartime smugglers flourished with few men of ships to spare to guard the coasts, but during the peacetime everything changed. After the Seven Years War the Revenue Service expanded dramatically in both number and size of its ships. The vessel on the right is an armed revenue cutter. By 1773 there were 29 such vessels in service, and by the end of the War of American Independence there were 42, employing over 1000 men. Armed cutters were designed and built specifically to counter the threat of the smugglers. Fast and handy, they were built with shallow draughts which allowed them to penetrate deep inland.

While the Revenue Service was responsible for the security of Britain’s borders, Trinity House was responsible for their safety. The lighthouses, lightships and navigational marker buoys around the English coasts were all owned and run by Trinity House. The vessel on the left is a Trinity House yacht.

Source ID: #fghtshpsv2#

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