As a part of the Titanic 2012 celebrations the Belfast Harbour Authority has asked the Club to send one of our paintings by Peter Monamy to an exhibition being organised by them. The exhibition will be a representation of paintings on the theme entitled “Kings of the Tides”, from the Belfast Harbour collection combined with important Cork paintings.
The exhibition is intended to forge a cultural alliance between Belfast Harbour and Port of Cork. During the absence of the Monamy painting the fine painting, RMS Olympic and USS Zeilin by Norman Wilkinson (1878 – 1971), will be hung in it’s place. RMS Olympic was the first of three sister ships.
The others being RMS Titanic (launched 1911, sank 1912) and HMHS Britannic (launched 1914, sank 1916). Launched in 1911 the Olympic, unlike the other two, had a long and productive life before being broken-up in 1935.
USS Zeilin (DD 313) was a Clemson class destroyer in the United States Navy. Launched at San Diego, California in 1919 with a LOA 314ft, Draught 10ft, Beam 30ft, Displacement 1215 tons and Speed 33 knots, she was finally broken-up in 1930.
There are a couple of intriguing questions to be answered. USS Zeilin is thought to have never left the Pacific Ocean and RMS Olympic to have never sailed on it. Why are they shown here together? Why was the painting presented to the Club? Our records have no answer to these questions. Do any of our Members?
Dermot Burns
Club Archivist
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