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Notes

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The battleship ‘Fuji’ (‘The Unequalled’) was launched at the Blackwall yard of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. on the afternoon of 31 March 1896. In the 1880s and 1890s this shipyard was a major site for the construction of steel ships, including many for the British Navy. The ceremony of launching the ship was performed by Madame Kato, the wife of the Japanese Minister. A red and white paper balloon hung from a spar on the bow then split open to release a flock of pigeons and thousands of pieces of paper. ‘Fuji’ was designed by the naval architect Clement Mackrow and was built for the Japanese Navy from designs based upon contemporary British first-class battleships but with modifications.

Science Museum

London

Title

Launch of the 'Fuji' at Blackwall

Date

1896

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 168 x W 305 cm

Accession number

1913-372

Acquisition method

purchased from Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, 1913

Work type

Painting

Science Museum

Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, Greater London SW7 2DD England

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Artist or maker

Gerald Maurice Burn

1862–1945

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