Cerberus

Painting – Oil on Canvas Board
60 x 45 cm
(Sold)

The monitor class warship Cerberus is depicted in the late 1890s steaming south down Port Phillip Bay into a strong south easterly wind and short choppy seas, with crew preparing for some gunnery practice. In the background is a coastal trading topsail schooner heading to Melbourne from Geelong.

The Cerberus was launched in England in 1868 and became the flagship of the Victorian Navy in Australia. It was eventually scuttled as a sea break off Half Moon Bay in 1926. Further information on the history of the Cerberus and preservation plans are available at the Cerberus website.

Specifications:

Type: Breastwork Monitor
Displacement: 3,413 tons
Length overall 225 ft
Length along keel: 195 ft 7.5in
Extreme beam: 45 ft
Draught (maximum): 15 ft 6 in
Freeboard: 3 ft 4 in
Engines: Two Maudslay, Son and Field horizontal two−cylinder double acting simple steam engines; 43 inches bore, 27 ft stroke, fired by 4 boilers3 with working pressure 30 psi; twin screws; I.H.P. 1370; N.H.P. 250