Finally, I consulted an original Royal Navy signal book from the 1770s to determine w ha t flags wo uld have been used to signal "Engage the Enemy." In the painting, the Bri tish and French lines are sailing parallel co urses, formi n g a traditional "line of battle": the British line on the right and the French line to the left. Traditional
m aritime paintings generally depict battles at sea fro m afar, as if the viewer is watching from a safe distance. I have chosen a viewpoint from inside the action . The fi rst ships of both lines have already passed the viewer, and at the center are the o nly two ships that approached close to each other, the French Auguste and the British Princessa.
l
The Great White Fleet in the Straits of Magellan W hen President Theod ore Roosevelt sought to demo nstrate the US Navy's capabilities and America's growing military power, he sent a fleet of sixteen battleships, along with various escorts, on an around-the-wo rld cruise. These ships became known as the Great White Fleet after their white pai nt-scheme. The 14-month voyage, from 1907 to 1909, began and ended at H am pton Roads,
r
V irginia. Th e painting depicts the fleet as it passes through the Straits of Magellan near the southern tip of South America, en ro ute to the Pacific Ocean . This painting won the M useum Purchase Award at the 2010 Mystic Intern ati onal Marine Art Exhibition, whereby Mystic Seaport M useum purchased the painting fo r their permanen t collection.
Patrick O'Brien is an artist living in Baltimore, Maryland. He is not related to the famous deceased author of the same name. O'Brien was a draftsman in a naval architecture firm before becoming an artist. Since 1985, he has worked as an illustrator and painter, his clients including National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, and the Smithsonian. His art has appeared in magazines and newspapers, on posters and greeting cards, and even on billboards. In addition, O'Brien is the author and illustrator of twelve picture books for children. In 2 003 O'Brien entered the marine art field, and his first entry to the prestigious Mystic International Marine Art Exhibition won an Award of Excellence. In 2 010 he won Mystic's Museum Purchase Award, whereby the Mystic Seaport Museum bought the painting for its permanent collection. A lso in 2 010 the US Naval Academy Museum mounted an exhibition entitled The Maritime Art of Patrick O'Brien, featuring twenty-eight oil paintings by the artist. O'Brien's paintings have been used four times on the cover of Naval H istory magazine, published by The US Naval Institute, and several times on the cover of Sea Histo ry. SEA HISTORY 13 8, SPRING 201 2
29