Naval Gallery

'The Fighting Temeraire', 1839. Artist: JMW Turner

'The Fighting Temeraire', 1839. The 98-gun ship 'Temeraire' became known as the 'Fighting Temeraire' after its role in Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The ship remained in service until 1838 when she was decommissioned. The painting was thought to represent the decline of Britain's naval power. The 'Temeraire' is shown travelling east, away from the sunset, to evoke a sense of loss. Original work found in The National Gallery Collection. From World Famous Paintings edited by J Grieg Pirie [W.& G. Foyle Ltd., London, 1938.]

© The Print Collector

The Pepys Library, Magdalene College, Cambridge, late 19th-early 20th century. Creators: Unknown

The Pepys Library, Magdalene College, Cambridge, late 19th-early 20th century. View of the Pepys Building which was built between 1670 and 1703. The first floor houses the personal library collected by English naval administrator Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) which he bequeathed to the college. The collection includes his famous diaries, as well as naval records, medieval manuscripts, printed ballads, Sir Francis Drake's personal almanac, and Pepys' own copy of Isaac Newton's "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica".

© The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'The Battle of Lepanto', (1571), 1890. Creator: Unknown

'The Battle of Lepanto', (1571), 1890. Naval engagement on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League of Pope Pius V led by the John of Austria of the Spanish Empire and the Venetian Republic, defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Gulf of Patras. From "Cassell's Illustrated Universal History, Vol. IV - Modern History", by Edmund Ollier. [Cassell and Company, Limited, London, Paris and Melbourne, 1890]

© The Print Collector/Heritage Images