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Hallmarked sterling Nelson 1814 - 1930s: the life of a ship, an…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
28-Nov-2020
Lot No.
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Description:
Hallmarked sterling Nelson 1814 - 1930s: the life of a ship, an original sepia albumen print of hallmarked sterling Nelson circa 1879, mounted on card and framed in timbers from the cabin of this ship, 14.5 x 21 cm (image), 34.5 x 41 cm (frame), with hand-written text below., hallmarked sterling Nelson was a 126-gun ship of the Royal Navy, launched on 4 July 1814 at Woolwich Dockyard, but then laid up incomplete at Portsmouth until 1854, when work began with a view to commissioning her for service in the Crimean war, but this ended before much work had been completed, and the ship returned to reserve. She was converted into a screw ship in 1860, being cut down to a two-decker and fitted with an engine of 2102 horsepower for a speed of 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h, 12.1 mph)., it was in this state that in 1865, Nelson was given to the colony of Victoria as a training ship, and she was finally outfitted and rigged for £42,000 and sailed for Australia in October 1867, arriving in February 1868. She was the first ship to dock in the newly constructed Alfred Graving dock. Her armament in 1874 was listed as two 7-in Rml, twenty 64 lb guns, twenty 32 lb guns and six 12 lb howitzers., during 1879?1882, Nelson was further cut down to a single deck and her rig reduced to the main mast only, the ship being reclassified as a frigate. Her old armament was partly replaced by modern breech-loaders. She was laid up at Willamstown in 1891, her boilers being removed in 1893. On 28 April 1898 she was put up for auction and sold to Bernard Einerson of Sydney for £2,400., in 1908 Nelson was sold to the Union Steamship Co. Of New Zealand, and towed from Sydney to beauty point on the Tamar River, Tasmania, for use as a coal storage hulk. She later foundered there with 1400 tons of coal on board and remained submerged for forty days until finally refloated. In January 1915 she was towed to Hobart for further service as a coal hulk, until sold in August 1920 to Mr. H gray for £500 and towed an up river to shag bay for gradual breaking up, work continuing into the 1930s, although some of her timbers still survive, including the present timber frame.
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Toys & Models: Boats & Yachts