Arthur Henry Kirk Gallery

Hole torn in the hull of RMS Olympic after the collision with HMS Hawke in the Solent, 1911

Hole torn in the hull of RMS Olympic after the collision with HMS Hawke in the Solent, 20th September 1911. The collision took place as Olympic and Hawke were running parallel to each other through the Solent. As Olympic turned to starboard, the wide radius of her turn took the commander of Hawke by surprise, and he was unable to take sufficient avoiding action. Hawke's bow, collided with Olympic's starboard side near the stern, tearing two large holes in Olympic's hull, above and below the waterline which resulted in the flooding of two of her watertight compartments and a twisted propeller shaft. At a subsequent inquiry the Royal Navy blamed Olympic for the incident, alleging that her large displacement generated a suction that pulled Hawke into her side

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The Yarmouth One Design Greywing, 1922. Creator: Kirk & Sons of Cowes

The Yarmouth One Design Greywing, 1922. The Yarmouth One Design class was established at the Solent Yacht Club in 1910, on the instigation of Sir Arthur Cope, RA, the famous portrait painter of the Royal Family. The boats were designed by Henry Longmore who worked at J Samuel White's shipyard in Cowes. Greywing was lost during a race on 29th July 1946, it is said that the three navel officers on board considered themselves too senior to bail out the water

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A group onboard sea sled Miss England, 1922. Creator: Kirk & Sons of Cowes

Claude Grahame-White in his experimental 45-foot power sledge, Miss England, 3 Sept 1922. Miss England was built of wood by the Cowes firm of S.E. Saunders in 1921. Claude Grahame-White (1879 - 1959) was an English pioneer of aviation, and the first to make a night flight, during the Daily Mail-sponsored 1910 London to Manchester air race

© Kirk & Sons of Cowes / Heritage-Images