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The Victorian Fleet in 1888

mouseover individual ships

The original painting, The Victorian Fleet, by Arthur Victor Gregory, painted in 1888, is held by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.

According to The Argus, 21 June 1941, the painting was originally displayed in the Williamstown Town Hall.

From AWM 305447.
Shown in the painting above are:- (mouseover ships)

HMVS Cerberus, HMVS Nelson, HMVS Gannet, HMVS Batman, HMVS Fawkner,

HMVS Victoria, HMVS Albert, HMVS Lady Loch,

Childers, Gordon, Commissioner

Lonsdale, Nepean and Customs No. 1.

There is a mystery ship between Batman and Fawkner.

Photo courtesy of Lynne Moore

The purchase by Friends of the Cerberus of a copy of the above painting was made possible through donations by the following supporters :-

John Baragwanath, Lindsay Rex, Jeremy Graham, Greg Curzon-Siggers, Brian Russell, Edward Brazil, Frederick J. Howard, Terry Davidson, Max & Noreen Roberts, T. Newton, Maritime Museum of Victoria, Terry Sofian, John Morgan, Brian Russell, Terry Davidson, Edward Stanley, Ian Fletcher, Frank Noonan and Lorna Sprunt.

The vessels have been identified from the above item in The Argus on 21 June 1941.

Arthur Victor Gregory (1867-1957) & George Frederick Gregory (1821-1887)

Arthur was the son of George Frederick Gregory, who painted The Victorian Fleet in 1872 (below). Both George & Arthur were famous marine painters. Arthur was marine artist to Lord Brassey, K.C.B., Henry Loch, M.C.M.B., the Victorian Navy and the Marine Companies.

The Victorian Fleet in 1872

Cerberus Nelson P. & O. Mail Steamer

Note: The P. & O. Mail Steamer, identified by Peter Williams, was not part of the Victorian Navy.
The Victorian Fleet in 1872 was generously donated to Friends of the Cerberus by Juanita Scott. This watercolour painting of Cerberus, Nelson & a Mail Steamer was painted in 1872 by George Frederick Gregory (1821-1887). It complements the painting by his son, Arthur Victor Gregory, of the Victorian Fleet in 1888.

Painted one year after the arrival of Cerberus in Australia, it would appear that the painter was more impressed with majestic sailing ships than with a modern battleship that looked quite different to a "real warship". It would be a mistake though to equate appearance with power. To quote John Bastock in Australian Ships of War, Cerberus "would have proved more than a match for the combined British Squadron then on the Australian Station". Ships such as Cerberus had made wooden Men-of-War obsolete. They sure looked good though.

Many thanks to Peter Williams for identifying the P. & O. Mail Steamer.