~ Eric Erskine Tufnell Watercolour of HMSM Sovereign c1976 ~
A fine watercolour painting of H.M.S/M Sovereign by the Artist Eric Erskine Tufnell.
Captioned ‘H.M.S/M Sovereign – North Pole 29.10.1976’ and signed by the artist bottom right.
Double mounted and newly framed.
~ Dimensions ~
Frame: 21.5 inches (54.5cm) wide by 17.5 inches (44.5cm) high.
Painting: 14.5 inches (37cm) wide by 10 inches (25.5cm) high.
It weighs 1.85 Kg.
~ Condition ~
The painting is generally crisp, clean and in very good condition.
For further details please see images.
~ Comm. Eric Erskine Campbell Tufnell (1888-1978) ~
In 1904 he went to sea as a midshipman serving on submarines 1909 -1917 and anti-submarine work until 1919. He commanded several small ships in the eastern Mediterranean and served in the Fleet Air Arm 1926-1930. In 1938 he was recalled to the navy to carry out meteorological work in Colombo. His studio was above the old Gieves & Hawkes building on The Hard, Portsmouth.
~ HMS Sovereign ~
HMS Sovereign (S108) is a nuclear powered fleet submarine of the Swiftsure class.
Construction of the boat began on 18 September 1970; she was launched on 17 February 1973, and commissioned on 11 July 1974.
In 1976, Sovereign played a role in Operation Brisk; the submarine surfaced at the geographical North Pole on 20 October 1976 as part of the exercise, testing navigational systems and equipment performance in low temperatures.