Maidstone v Lion

See below for Details on Maidstone v Lion

Click on the image above or the image below to see more detail.

A frigate action in the Caribbean during the American War of Independence.

The client's brief was "I would like a painting of 2 frigates in action, but not one of the well known actions".

Gordon found this story in the Naval Chronicle at Plymouth on his second attempt. The first story he found was perfect, even a ballad written, until he checked the times. It was a night action!

"Maidstone", 28 guns, British attacked the larger French "Lion", 40 guns. Normally that should have been fatal for "Maidstone" as "Lion"'s guns were bigger as well as threw more weight. "Maidstone" was driven off, her rigging badly damaged. For 2 hours she self repaired then attacked again. Many of "Lion"'s crew were sick and weak with illness and hunger. Although well handled and bravely fought, eventually "Lion" was captured by "Maidstone".

"Maidstone" was easy to research, "Lion" a bit more difficult. A point to note, "Lion" flying a white flag, the correct flag for the period for a French man of war.

By Gordon Frickers 24"x36" (610x914mm), oil on board, Original Sold

Contact Us

to purchase an original, or request a print, or request information about the original .

Register

for appropriate, occasional updates about this site and your prefered topics. You can stay in touch with art. We value your visit.

Prints

Many of the paintings and sketches on this site are available, made specially for you as a best quality prints. See our Print Gallery for details.

To purchase an original, or to request a print, or information about the original please use this form: