Naval artwork of Philip West.
Philip West outstanding aviation and naval limited editions of Buccanneer, F-4
Phantom, F-14 Tomcats, F-18 Hornet and F-4 Corsair are available from
the military art print company a subsidiary of Cranston Fine Arts. the
military and naval art company
Return of the Bounty Hunter by Philip West.
A pair of F-14 Tomcats of VF-2 Bounty Hunters return to the USS Constellation from a CAP mission in the Indian Ocean, 1997. Two F-14D Tomcats, with tail hooks lowered, prepare to recover aboard the USS Constellation at the end of a mission during a deployment that took the carrier to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea in 1997. Generally accepted as the worlds finest long range interceptor, the Tomcat has celebrated 25 years of F-14 front-line service.
Item Code : DHM2044
Return of the Bounty Hunter by Philip West. - Editions Available
Capt Eric (Winkle) Brown launches his Seafire TM379, from the deck of the trials carrier HMS Pretoria Castle in July 1945. Unlike other carriers, those used for trials, usually had their decks clear of other aircraft. On this day, once the aircraft is launched the carriers crew streamed onto the deck to check the surface and clear anything that may obstruct a landing. TM379, was the first prototype, Seafire Mk 45 and was fitted with a Rotol contra prop, modified fin, rudder and tail hook.
Item Code : DHM2630
No Room for Error by Philip West. - Editions Available
One of the last aircraft to come aboard following the days combat actions was the (photo-bird) RF-8G Crusader. Unarmed apart from cameras and film, the eyes of the fleet pilots roamed far and wide throughout Vietnam to bring back vital post-strike photographs and reconnaissance information. The USS Coral Sea represented one of 21 attack and anti-submarine carriers deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin. Their crews displayed courage, duty, sacrifice and service.
Item Code : DHM2209
Honor the Brave by Philip West. - Editions Available
Skuas flew from HMS Ark Royal through much of the 1940 campaign off Norway, and one is seen getting airborne in typically grey North Sea weather. The Blackburn Skua had many remarkable firsts to its credit; the first all-metal monoplane built for the Fleet Air Arm (FAA); the first dive bomber in British air services; the first enemy aircraft shot down in WW2 fell to a Skua; the first fighter ace in the FAA (Lt. Bill Lucy DSO) flew Skuas and the first warship (Konigsberg) destroyed by dive bombing was sunk by Skuas.
Item Code : DHM2620
Supreme Courage by Philip West. - Editions Available
Operation Cerberus - The Channel Dash by Philip West.
The Channel Dash (officially known as Operation Cerberus) was one of three operations during the Second World War for which the Swordfish was to become the most famous. Heavily outgunned in the Straits of Dover on this day in February 1942 by the German warships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen, with their accompanying flotilla of destroyers and motor torpedo boats, and with top cover provided by deadly fighter aircraft of the Luftwaffe, all six Fleet Air Arm Swordfish were shot down. Only five of the eighteen aircrew survived. Here we see the Swordfish flown by Sub. Lt. Kingsmill and Sub. Lt. Samples with PO Bunce in the rear, fighting for their lives with his machine gun.
Item Code : DHM2329
Operation Cerberus - The Channel Dash by Philip West. - Editions Available
Having put an AIM-9 missile up the tailpipe of a MiG-17 over North Vietnam, pilot Jerry Devil Houston with Kevin Moore riding shotgun, swings his F-4B Phantom onto the center-line of the USS Coral Sea following a strike mission gainst the airfield at Bai Thuong on May 6, 1972. The brightly painted stylistic eagle denotes they are flying the CAG bird.
Item Code : DHM2045
Screaming Eagle by Philip West. - Editions Available
On the 11th August 1942, Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Wellum DFC, having just taken off from the deck of HMS Furious, leads his section of gathering Spitfires on the long journey to Malta. They are much-needed reinforcements for the beleaguered island, now in the twenty-sixth month of its siege. To enable each of the 38 Spitfires dispatched from Furious to reach Malta, over three hours flying time away, they carry maximum fuel together with a centre-line over-load tank. Even their ammunition is removed to save weight. Escorting Furious to her aft is the Cruiser HMS Manchester together with Destroyers Brave and Lithe. To their port side is the Ohio tanker laden with fuel during what became an epic voyage. In the distance HMS Eagle succumbs to an Axis torpedo attack. The success of Operation Pedestal was absolutely critical for the survival of Malta, bringing desperately needed fuel, food and ammunition to the Island. Losses were heavy but the courage and determination by all involved prev.........
HMS Ark Royal IV - Flagship of the Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers - a mobile airfield and a most impressive sight as she launches a Phantom from one of her catapults. She had a standard displacement of 43,000 tons, a beam of 168 feet, and was 846 feet long. Ships company numbered 2,570 and her Air Group consisted of Phantom Interceptors, Buccaneer strike and Gannet AEW aircraft together with Wessex SAR and Sea King ASW helicopters. She served her Nation and the Royal Navy for 23 years and sailed 800,000 miles of valuable service, finally being decommissioned in 1979.
The Royal Navys week long chase of the formidable German battleship Bismarck culminated in the foul evening weather of 26th May 1941. Despite the deck of HMS Ark Royal pitching through 55 feet, S/Lt John Moffat was one of fifteen Swordfish pilots who took off to attack Bismarck. After 90 minutes of arduous and turbulent flying the Swordfish found their quarry and dived through the intense anti-aircraft fire to drop their torpedoes. One of these hit and jammed Bismarcks rudder and condemned the battleship to sail in slow circles. The Royal Navys own capital ships then closed in and pounded Bismarck into a burning wreck.
Item Code : DHM2320
Flight Against the Bismarck by Philip West. - Editions Available
Buccaneer Strike Force by Philip E West.
The
Blackburn Buccaneer first entered service with the Royal Navy in July
1962. Designed specifically to operate from the Royal Navy's
aircraft carriers, with the ability to fly low and fats, the Buccaneer
was also able to carry nuclear weapons for use against soviet naval
targets. Capable of flying 646mph at 200 feet the Buccaneer was a
formidable low-level strike aircraft which quickly attracted
admirers. amongst them were the RAF and the South African Air
Force, both of whom adopted the Blackburn Buccaneer for their land based
operations. just as the Buccaneer was facing retirement it was
called into action again to play a vital role in Kuwait and Iraq during
the 1991 Gulf War.
Honor the Brave by Philip West One of the last aircraft to come aboard following the day's combat
actions was the (photo-bird) RF-8G Crusader. Unarmed apart from cameras
and film, the eyes of the fleet pilots roamed far and wide throughout
Vietnam to bring back vital post-strike photographs and reconnaissance
information. The USS Coral Sea represented one of 21 attack and
anti-submarine carriers deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin. Their crews
displayed courage, duty, sacrifice and service.
Return of the Bounty Hunter by Philip West A pair of F-14 Tomcats of VF-2 Bounty Hunters return to the
USS Constellation from a CAP mission in the Indian Ocean, 1997. Two F-14D Tomcats, with tail hooks lowered, prepare to recover aboard
the USS Constellation at the end of a mission during a deployment that
took the carrier to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea in
1997. Generally accepted as the world's finest long range interceptor, the
Tomcat has celebrated 25 years of F-14 front-line service.
Ark Royal by Philip E West
HMS Ark Royal IV - Flagship of the Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers - a
mobile airfield and a most impressive sight as she launches a Phantom from
one of her catapults. She had a standard displacement of 43,000
tons, a beam of 168 feet, and was 846 feet long. Ships company
numbered 2,570 and her Air Group consisted of Phantom Interceptors,
Buccaneer strike and Gannet AEW aircraft together with Wessex SAR and Sea
King ASW helicopters. She served her Nation and the Royal Navy for
23 years and sailed 900,000 miles of valuable service, finally being
decommissioned in 1979.
Launch at Sundown by Philip West Under full after-burner, an F-4B Phantom of VF-111 (Sundowners)
launches from the carrier USS Coral Sea, positioned in the Gulf of Tonkin,
March 6, 1972. The crew will engage and destroy a MiG-17 over North
Vietnam during the mission.
Screaming Eagle by Philip West
Jerry 'Devil' Houston, with Kevin Moore riding shotgun, swings his
brightly painted CAG bird onto the centre-line of the USS Coral Sea,
returning from a successful combat mission over North Vietnam. Having
successfully placed an AIM-9 missile up the tail pipe of a MiG-17 over
North Vietnam on May 6, 1972, Jerry Houston lines his F-4B Phantom for the
trap.
Art and aviation have been like a brother and sister to me. We have grown up together, learned together and made our adult lives together. But you do not have to have an appreciation of aircraft to admire the graceful lines of a Spitfire or the functional simplicity of a Focke-Wulf 190. They are themselves a work of art and they cry out to be painted - not as machines of war and destruction, but as objects of beauty, born of necessity and function, yet given a life and iconic classicism beyond their original calling. My interest and love of art and aircraft was gifted to me by my father, a designer and aeronautical engineer of considerable repute. Denis Berryman C.Eng. FRAeS. He gave me his eyes, his passion, his dedication and his unwavering professionalism. I owe him everything. And I miss him terribly. A love of art and of beautiful and interesting things takes you on a journey. You discover new interests, new fascinations, and you want to paint them. You want to paint them in their environment, in their element. Whether it is an aeroplane, a warship, a racing car or a beautiful woman, their gift to an artist is the same: Their lines, their texture and the way that light and shadows give them form. These are the food and oxygen of an artist. Not the paint and the canvas. These are mere tools. The secret is in the passion and the perception...
New Dambusters Paintings, Prints and Drawings!
A brand new series of releases featuring the aircraft and airmen of the Dambusters Raid.
This superb new collection of aviation art shows may of the famous events of the raids, but also shows some of the lesser known aircraft and details - the bomber that was so low that the tallboy bomb was ripped from the aircraft by a high wave (above), or the below treetop route to the target taken by one of the bombers, or the trains that were shot up by the gunners of the Lancasters on their way to the dams.