Hms 'polyphemus' and other sketches
inscribed by the artist, lower right of the ship drawing, 'hms polyphemus'; and with the number '2466' and a further number '(64)' lower left the strange looking vessel seen in starboard broadside view as a full hull drawing, afloat, is the torpedo cruiser 'polyphemus' (1881). She was designed as a sea-going torpedo attack vessel with a very low silhouette, good speed for her day and a powerful battery of five torpedo tubes. She was also given a strong, pronounced ram to enable her to break through harbour booms. 'polyphemus' was launched at chatham dockyard on 15 june 1881 and completed in september 1882. She served most of her active career in the mediterranean and was sold for breaking up in 1903. The significance of the number 2466 is not known, although it is similar to her recorded displacement tonnage which is listed as 2640 tons. The pencil sketch at lower right may be the ship's section. Neither the rough pen landscape drawing across the lwoer part of the sheet, nor the number (64), look like wyllie's hand - and the number certainly is not. Date: probably 1880s. Dimensions: 211 mm x 311 mm. Collection: Fine art.
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