H.M.S. Duke William: Coming Aboard

Coming aboard a 98 gun ship at the Nore, 1793. Taken from the original painting for the cover of Julian Stockwin’s novel, “Kydd”, published in 2001. A cutter full of illegally press garnered men draws alongside the huge bulk of “H.M.S. Duke William”, a massively powerful British 98 gun warship. It is the start of what became known as the Napoleon and the battleship is to become home to the pressed men.

Drawing inspiration from the first few pages of Stockwin’s novel, this is one of Geoff Hunt’s most atmospheric images of fighting sail. It shows vessels at anchor in the Thames Estuary, a great British fleet anchorage of the Nore. The changeable light of January sparkles through clouds over the sea. Perfectly painted detail is found in the depiction of gunports and rigging of the great warship and a sense of the enormity of being alongside these huge weapons of war.

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