Approaching England HMS Pickle off Mounts Bay on course for Falmouth is in the later phase of sketch and research.  

~

This copy of this well known HMS Pickle painting is going to Cornwall and will be beautifully remarqued. 

The famous schooner HMS Pickle is of course featured on this web site.

Much of her history is featured here on this web site and makes a good read plus we still have a few copies left of the stunning and best selling print “I have urgent dispatches“.

“Reference to a presentation on HMS Pickle, could i ask you a few questions,
Do you know the max speed and cruising speed of the schooner and when was the name officially changed?”

~

My connection with HMS Pickle goes back a long way and includes a lengthy commission for HMS Victory which resulted in some great pictures (several available as heritage prints from page
http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html

Curiously when I was filmed in Nelson’s Great Cabin onboard HMS Victory for the BBC TV programme “The Boats that Built Britain” I found myself being asked by narrator Tom Cunliffe to give a character reference for Pickle’s commander.
See this blog December 5th – http://www.frickers.co.uk/blog/2009/12/05/portsmouth-hms-victory-and-pickle/.

Can you imagine the experience to be on HMS Victory early on a December morning when only Victory’s Royal Navy staff are present?

At 07.30 on a chilly 5th of December 2009 morning I found myself in Nelson’s day cabin being asked about the mind set of the sailors after the battle of Trafalgar and giving a character reference for Lt Lapenotiere of HM Schooner Pickle (he of possibly the most miss pronounced miss spelt name in British naval history) ~ and this was to go on National TV?!
My view is that despite desertions and floggings Lt Lapenotiere was a good commander and very fine seaman.

He commanded a very small very wet vessel that must have been seriously unpleasant in winter and he sailed Pickle in dangerous coastal waters with out misshap, with some élan and some distinction.

How Lt Lapenotiere managed this and his men is a story in its self for another time, maybe.

One of my best known pictures features Pickle, “I have urgent dispatches“.
If you wish reproduce this image for the purpose of an educational presentation (only) do go ahead, free of charge.
A credit shown with the image mentioning web site and availability of prints would be appreciated, thank you.
The Pickle in “I have urgent dispatches” is after much research including of similar period vessels, models, other paintings and the only illustration probably overseen by her then commander Lt Lapenotiere is considered by some leading authorities as showing her most likely actual appearance.

Available as a heritage edition in print, signed and numbered, the first copy was presented by the officers of HMS Seahawk mess in 2005 to the Princess Royal in appreciation of her assistance with the commemorative voyage, Trafalgar to Falmouth, of the news of Trafalgar and death of Nelson.
Having made a special study which started in 1994 when I was commissioned to paint to raise funds for HMS Victory , of HMS Pickle, I have a considerable amount of information here about HMS Pickle and other vessels of her type.
I am also keenly aware some books and many web sites present info on Pickle as fact and are simply wrong or at best guessing.
Example: in my view Pickle was probably built at or near Plymouth.

Bermuda is often suggested for which I’ve seen no supporting evidence.

I have a huge respect for the achievements of the men of that period, I feel HMS Victory is still visited by their spirit.

I even felt contacts with these formidable men while painting “Trafalgar Dawn” (http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/trafalgar_dawn.html)

That story is mentioned in Trafalgar Dawn, further reading (picture available as a signed edition exclusively from this web site).

You may also like to know I am currently working on 2 new “Pickle” paintings.

I wish my naval friend all the best with his presentation a copy of which would be of great interest.

I like the idea of a Leading Seaman giving a command leadership presentation to senior officers.
In any event I hope he does let us know how he got on and of any funny stories.

http://frickers.co.uk/marine-art/urgent_dispatches.html

The picture in question is “I have urgent dispatches“.

For the subject I have worked from the only know illustration which is very likely to show the true appearance of HMS Pickle because we know Lt J R Lapenotiere advised the artist.

We hope you will be as delighted with our new picture.

There is a story disputed by some naval scholars, not even mentioned in many books on the subject, that as Pickle crossed Mounts Bay and approached the Lizard (most southerly point of mainland Britain) she spoke with some Cornish luggers who were fishing.

This is the moment I have chosen for you and will be the subject of my next painting of HMS Pickle.

~

Is it a true story, fair question?

The wind that day (4th November 1805) was very light so there would have been time for the men to speak.

Pickle was well known in Cornish waters.

Aside from carrying dispatches she had hunted privateers and smugglers on that coast.

Half her crew were Cornish and Devon men including her commander thus it is likely they would be known to the fishermen.

Cornwall even to day is a ’small’ county, some of the men may even have been related or friends.

~

The story tells us the luggers immediately stopped fishing and headed for home with the news.

In their case that meant the tiny port of Mousehole (pronounced ‘mawsell’ or ‘mozzel’) in the far West of Cornwall.

To this day the inhabitants of Mousehole celebrate the news of the battle of Trafalgar and death of the hero Nelson being read from the balcony of the town hall and claim there was the first place in England the news was heard.

Having lived in Cornwall and sailed those waters I am inclined to believe the story.

~

Indecently, HMS Pickle also appears in the Frickers painting (available in print) “Trafalgar dawn” all be it very small  and again in the new almost finished version of “Trafalgar dawn, the French perspective” (an opposite view to make a striking pair).

Although she is tiny on the horizon, Pickle following ground breaking research with all the British fleet Pickle will be named with all the British fleet in the margin of the new prints in similar style to the way all the combined fleet are named in order in “Trafalgar Dawn“.

This is true attention to small details which most people will miss but we think are important and fun do you agree?

Claim your copies of these very special prints from page

http://frickers.co.uk/prints.html

where you can order quickly and securely; enjoy!

While recently speaking by phone with a client ordering a copy of our beautiful Heritage print October Evening the subject of ship models came up.

Subsequently and our thanks to this person, we have discovered a source of Pickle models!

This gentleman from St Austell, Cornwall  first bought a Gordon Frickers painting from Mid Cornwall Gallery way back around 1982.

There was actually an argument over who would have the painting, rare, and unique in the history of Mid Cornwall Gallery at St Blazey!

The gallery despite the obvious popularity of Gordon Frickers marine paintings has to this day never shown another Gordon Frickers marine painting.

Reason given, we prefer to show more experimental styles of art.

There is no pleasing some people?

October Evening, the print, is one of a mini series Gordon Frickers painted of the Cornish port of Charlestown when living at Par near Charlestown.

You can view this painting and print on page

http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/charlestown.html and read some of the story by following the link useful facts + excellent stories about “October Evening”.

It seems there is a model available of HMS Pickle, Scale: 1:64  Length: 565mm  Beam 180mm  Height: 460mm
Price of kit £121.48
Try looking for Westbourne Model.co.uk and please,

Tell them about our dramatic print of HMS Pickle, “I have urgent dispatches” and that we pointed you in their direction, thank you that helps everyone.

available as a signed numbered edition from page: http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html ~ you can order easily and securely on line using PayPal.

Trafalgar’s Last Chapter—HMS Pickle’s Moment here were many stories written about the Battle of Trafalgar. One of the most remarkable was the account of the smallest Royal Navy ship involved in that history-changing event. Her origin is murky, but she was probably built in a commercial boatyard in Bermuda. Around the turn of the 19th century, she could well have been used for trade along America’s Atlantic coast and for inter-island trade in the West Indies.
Her cedar hull, just under 100 feet in length overall and a displacement of 38 tons, was powered by a generous topsail schooner rig, making her both sturdy and fast. Her original name was Sting, and she is believed to have been seized with other merchant ships in the harbor when the British captured the Dutch island of Curaçao in 1800.
Eventually she was officially purchased by a British owner and then turned up in the Royal Navy as an armed tender. The Royal Navy renamed her Pickle, a word that was possibly chosen because it was part of a place name in Britain’s Plymouth area, but it might also have been in reference to the English custom of calling a rambunctious youngster “a pickle.”
The ten-gun HMS Pickle went to work doing what ships of her type did in the Royal Navy of the time, including inshore reconnaissance, suppressing privateers, rescuing crews from foundering ships, and carrying dispatches. And it would be in the latter role that Pickle had her moment in history.
As the smallest warship in Admiral Lord Nelson’s fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, she was not directly involved in the horrific combat action at Cape Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. During that bloody battle between the British and the French-Spanish Combined Fleet, Pickle stood off and supported the ships-of-the-line that were the main combatants. In addition to supporting the British ships, history notes that Pickle and boats from the larger British ships came to the aid of the survivors of the French Achille when that ship exploded. During that event several hundred men and two women were saved.

Immediately following the battle, Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, who had been second in command under Nelson, selected Pickle and her young captain, Lieutenant John Lapenotière, to get the news of the British victory and Nelson’s death to London with dispatch. Timely knowledge of events, such as the Battle of Trafalgar, were not only newsworthy, but could be of strategic value if it was received quickly.

{illustrated here, the painting} Death of Nelson by Daniel Maclise (1806-1870)

For Lapenotière’s mission, speed was essential, and the dispatches were handed to him with Collingwood’s admonition that “a moment’s time may not be lost in their delivery.”
The signal “I have urgent dispatches” was two-blocked at the top of Pickle’s mainmast, and Lapenotière set off for London on 26 October. The signal flying from her mainmast would have earned deference from any Royal Navy ship encountered on her mission. It would also have attracted very special attention from any French or Spanish warship.
After clearing Gibraltar, and racing northwards, Lapenotière was confronted by a violent storm off the Bay of Biscay. It was the kind of weather a small ship would normally avoid. But Lapenotière drove Pickle on through the gale and threatening seas, and when the ship began taking on a dangerous amount of water, he resorted to jettisoning her guns.
After clawing his way past the Bay of Biscay, Lapenotière was ironically faced with the opposite problem: light airs. With an easterly breeze, he was faced with a long beat to his original destination—Plymouth. Relying on his judgment as a seaman (Collingwood had given his young captain discretion concerning where to land on Britain’s Channel coast), Lapenotière chose a more westerly course and headed for the smaller port of Falmouth. Given the sailing conditions, traveling overland likely would be faster than extending Pickle’s transit to Plymouth by sea. Lapenotière also knew that there was reliable coach service between Falmouth and London.
On Monday, 4 November, Pickle eased into Falmouth, having covered more than 1,000 miles under extreme conditions in slightly more than eight days. Its successful completion was a tribute to Lapenotière’s determination and seamanship and to Pickle’s speed and seaworthiness.
Within an hour of his arrival, Lapenotière hired a post-chaise and departed for London. Racing through the countryside at breakneck pace, his horses were swapped out every ten to fifteen miles. He arrived at what is now known as the Old Admiralty at Whitehall at 0100 on 6 November, having covered more than 270 miles in about 37 hours—a remarkable feat in a post-chaise.
Collingwood’s dispatches were then delivered directly to William Marsden, Secretary of the Admiralty Board. Lapenotière’s statement as he handed the messages to Marsden reflected the seamen’s way of saying a lot with few words: “Sir, we have gained a great victory. But we have lost Lord Nelson.”

In contrast, Collingwood’s description of the action at Trafalgar put Nelson’s death first: “The ever to be lamented death of Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, who, in the late conflict with the Enemy, fell in the hour of victory, leaves me the duty of informing my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that on the 19th instant it was communicated to the Commander-in-Chief from the Ships watching the motions of the Enemy in Cadiz, that the Combined Fleet had put to Sea.” The message went on to provide a summary of the action at Trafalgar.
The First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Barham, was notified right away, and copies of Collingwood’s messages were made quickly. Prime Minister William Pitt received word at 0300, by 0700 the King was notified, and by end of day a special London Gazette edition proclaimed the news to the public.
Following the Battle of Trafalgar, Pickle returned to her Royal Navy duties, including close reconnaissance of Brest harbor during a blockade by Admiral Cornwallis, the capture of an 18-gun French privateer off the Lizard, and the rescue of more than 600 crewmembers from HMS Magnificent after that ship ran aground.

On 27 July 1808, Pickle met an untimely end when she was wrecked on a shoal at the entrance to Cadiz harbor. Her Royal Navy career was ended, but for eight days in October and November 1805, she had played an important and unique role in the events that shifted the balance of power at sea for the coming century.

~

Rear Admiral Joseph F. Callo, USNR (Ret.) is an award-winning author and an NMHS advisor. His most recent book is John Paul Jones: America’s First Sea Warrior.

~

New York City “Pickle Night Dinner”

Every year on November 4th, the Royal Navy Warrant and Chief Petty Officers’ messes mark the Battle of Trafalgar with a special dinner to commemorate the date when news of the battle (and of Nelson’s death) reached England in HMS Pickle.

On that date in 2004, a group of Americans interested in the historic career of Admiral Lord Nelson hosted an event in anticipation of the forthcoming Bicentennial of the Battle of Trafalgar at the New York Yacht Club. Seven annual events later, the New York City Pickle Night Dinner is now well established as an annual tradition, with attendees coming from across the country and overseas. Nelson is the focus of the event, as well as the special relationships between the United States and Great Britain and between the US Navy and the Royal Navy. The American Friends of the Royal Naval Museum hosts the event, with support from the 1805 Club, the Nelson Society, and the National Maritime Historical Society. The 2010 event will be held on Friday, 12 November. Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey, will be the guest of honor and main speaker.

(For more information, contact: sallymc79@verizon.net)
New York City “Pickle Night Dinner”
(photo included here, left) The annual New York City Pickle Night Dinner takes place in the spectacular model room of the New York Yacht Club.

If you live in GB you can see the programme via the BBC web site on their Ipod and you can add a copy of “I have urgent dispatches” to your collection quickly and securely on page http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html.

The latter also gives you acces via “further reading” to much of the brief yet facinating history of the historic and famous schooner Pickle.

Unfortunately I only found out an hour before the happening via a very kind friend so have not seen it.

Unfortunate for me, I could not view The Boats that made Britain; not while in France because of BBC licencing arrangements with other countries so I’ve not seen it.

I’d like to have seen the whole series and as you probably know this year the BBC is featuring many sea and marine stories as part of a special study.

Ce la vie… I should be back in England on the 28th so maybe I’ll be able to see it then?

You can if you wish see pictures and read about the interview with Forum films in the Admiral’s Great Cabin onboard HMS Victory by visiting this bolg date 05.10.09, enjoy!

This is the renowned marine painting, reproduced in several learned books and considered by some leading experts the definitive marine painting of HMS Pickle, a painting from which even the prints have created a history with copies going to among others, Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, The Royal Naval Air Service and the New York Yacht Club!

I have urgent dispatches is still available as a prestige limited edition.

Signed by the artist and at very affordable prices, as are many of the other prints in the Gordon Frickers growing selection.

I’m just starting to re optimize my web site, a job that is overdue and very likely to increase sales however only The Schooner Vagrant is currently at risk of being sold out.
You can check these prints out on page http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html, also place your order securely and easily online from this page

~

Other Nelson news is the attached picture of Nelson at Gibraltar, while still a long way from finished as you can see from the following pop up pics, Nelson at Gibraltar is beginning to be detailed so completion is probably only about 20 hours away ~ but it has to compete with the Samuel Plimsoll for my attention!

As usual with my significant historical paintings there are some neat touches appearing.

For example when you read about this period some odd ship names keep coming up in the Mediterranean like Tartan and Xebec so thanks to my very rare copy of Serres great book guide to marine painters we have a Tartan and a Xebec in this painting.

Can you spot the Tartan and the Xebec?

Part of my intention is to recreate the business of Gibratar and it’s bay at that period hence the inclusion of the Tartan and Xebec.

Who knows which is which and what they were?

Of course the rigging of Minerve is barely started and the rigging on most of the other ships are incomplete however there is now enough detail to begin to guess how this marine painting will turn out particularly if you have had a long look at some of the pop up details on www.frickers.co.uk in the marine gallery.

Nelson is beginning to be identifiable, the uniforms of the Marine guard I think are correct (you know some thing I don’t? If so please speak up!) as are many other clothing details and away in the middle distance we can now see crew at work on the 74 gun ship of the line HMS Captain.

I hope by now if you are unfamiliar with my marine art you will have realised I carry out more than average research?

I consult some rather special sources and have even sailed on a square rigger which was 10 years older than the Cutty Sark!

For sure, Nelson at Gibraltar direct from me, it won’t cost the lucky purchaser anywhere near the asking price of the original of I have urgent dispatches!

Maybe that makes it a great bargain?
It’s what often happens to my paintings, I have to watch them re sold for far more than I got, ahh well, ce la vie and good luck to all the owners of my “children”.

Nelson at Gibraltar is not pre sold.

I am happy for who ever purchases, I aim to give excellent value to every clinet, my clients in turn have enabled me to have an amazing 30 years painting and I’ve learnt the ultimate compliment is I think, “I’ll buy it”!
~
I am also working on a second version of Trafalgar Dawn, this time the French view at 06.05 but it is not sufficiently advanced to  show just yet.
I have though started the drawing. So what you yawn? Give me a break mate, this has taken 7 years to research that is a detective story in it’s self!
This is going to be a famous painting, make no mistake about that.
The French I discovered refer to Trafalgar as “the catastrophe of Trafalgar“.
That said, most of their people as is not generally known in Britain, fought very bravely as did many of the Spaniards.
The French have always had a great maritime tradition as alive today as ever.
~
Thus, I was recently asked by the president of the Laperouse Society to make enquiries in England about the possibility of working with other museums dedicated to great navigators and explorers with a view to jointly raising European funding.
There are numerous historical replicas built and building in France, maybe we could involve the French in one of our Pickle nights?
~
I still love boat building.
I was super fit in my boat building and dinghy racing days, sadly I am going soft here in the Tarn ~ I must go down to the sea again…
I am being asked to helm a Wayfarer at the World Championship this year and am worrying that I’m not fit enough to cope.
I stopped sailing dinghies (mostly Laser) 4 years ago…
I wouldn’t mind a dinghy for day cruising and to keep fitter but my days of winning at national and International level are history.
A winter capsize from a Laser at Plymouth taught me that!

I’ll be in England end of May and most of June, after a brief stay in S Brittany (Loire Atlantic).
The general quality of life here in France is wonderful, the French work hard and know how to party and play, seem to like me and lots of people say “why would you ever want to go back?“

A few days ago and there is a joke in here some where,  I received an email dated February 23, now why did that arrive so late?

The subject, an enquiry, was “H.M. Schooner “Pickle“, carrying the news of the Battle of Trafalgar ~PurchasePrint : yes ~ Message : On prestige cotton canvass~ Message entered from : H.M. Schooner “Pickle“, carrying the news of the Battle of Trafalgar.

You can see and read more of the extra ordinary research and story of  Pickle and this wonderful and renowned picture on web site page http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/urgent_dispatches.html.

Curiously, ironically, given the delay, the joke maybe is this marine print is entitled “I have urgent dispatches“.

This dramatic picture shows HMS Pickle in heavy weather, her equally dramatic dispatch indicated by Pickle flying flags 2214, an 1805 (Admiral Popham’s) code signal when speaking en route with HMS Nautilus, Pickle then carrying  the news which stunned the British nation and is still referred to by the French as “le catastrophe de Trafalgar” .

You may be aware, Pickle is the famous schooner that carried the news of the death of Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar.

Pickle’s voyage was re enacted in 2005 and she is celebrated in the Royal Navy every year on the anniversary of her arrival off Falmouth, Cornwall, 4th October 1805, at the New York Yacht Club and many other venues world wide so now you too have an excuse for a nautically themed party, maybe unveiling your new copy of the acclaimed painting “I have urgent dispatches”!

You can if you wish order yourself a  copy of this historic and renowned picture quickly and easily using Paypal from page

http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html

When the original painting of “I have urgent dispatches” was finished, my family decided we should have a Pickle party and what a party it turned out to be?

Among our distinguished guests we had 2 square rig captains and the curator of HMS Victory, Peter Goodwin.

We also had thanks to Martin Bibbings of the Trafalgar Gun Company and Nick Dalton of the Maria Asumpta, 2 live cannon which Martin described as the ultimate executive toys.

Our guns capable of firing a 1 pound ball 3 miles, where loaned for the evening from Maria Asumpta and duly cermoniously fired.

Although by the standard of the Georgian Navy they were considered pop guns they made enough very satisfying noise for people around Plymouth to our great glee saying the next day, “there were very load fireworks last night…”

The back blast even broke a window of my house!.

Of course such dangerous weapons must and were handled by experts and with great care.

These same people fascinated the children by allowing them to go through the motions of loading the guns and gave Victory’s curator Peter Goodwin, his first taste of firing a live cannon; a taste he is now some what addicted to!

I painted “I have urgent dispatches” as part of a project to raise funds for HMS Victory.

I chose Pickle partly because I felt while it is hard for modern people to understand the ships of Nelson’s time (unless you visit HMS Victory at Portsmouth but beware, it may be a life changing event!) , I felt Pickle was the sort of size of vessel modern yachtsmen could relate to.

Pickle was the kind of ship which if seen today in port many might say, ‘what a beautiful big ship’ and yet in her day she was considered tiny and only worth a lieutenant to command, not worth a Post Captain…

Luckily for all concerned in the case of this enquiry, the gentleman had included his full contact details so I phoned him a as soon as I found the late email and spoke with his very charming receptionist.

A few days later we spoke man to man and an interesting conversation it was too.

He said he owns a yacht named, go on, guess?

YES!, Pickle!

Why? Well why not own a yacht if you can run to that?

In this case the former owner twice removed was my old friend Admiral Bob Gerkin.

Bob was naturally known in the Navy as “Pickle” hence the name of the yacht.

So why contact Gordon Frickers Marine Artist?

Yes you are probably ahead of me!

Having seen the picture “I have Urgent Dispatches” of HMS Pickle, on my web site this gentleman decided one of my Prestige quality prints on cotton canvas would make a welcome and appropriate addition to the interior of his yacht Pickle.

True to his word, a few days later a very welcome message was recieved from PayPal,

22 Mar 2010 19:49:07 GMT

Hello G S A Frickers,

A/ Standard Size Prestige Limited Edition Print on Cotton Canvas of “I have Urgent Dispatches”
Item Number ********************

You received a payment of £147.00 GBP
Thanks for using PayPal. You can now send any items. To see all the transaction details, log in to your PayPal account.

Thus another copy of “I have urgent dispatches” will be despatched soon; to what I hope you agree is a most appropriate home?

For a picture of enduring worth, it is quick, easy  and very secure to order any print from our collectors range by visiting web page

http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html

Good luck to you and enjoy.

~

P.S. By the way, The Trafalgar Collection, paintings by Gordon Frickers,  are now after some 15 years, up for sale.

This is a unique opportunity to by a set of well researched Nelsonian paintings.

The owners will consider offers from £10,000.00 per painting but would prefere the set to be sold as a set.

If interested, contact Gordon Frickers