W. A. Scott

S. S. Automedon (1956)

26 x 33.5 cm

Bodycolour and ink on paper

Signed l.r.

SS Automedon was a Blue Funnel Line refrigerated cargo steamship. She was launched in 1921 on the River Tyne as one of a class of 11 ships to replace many of Blue Funnel’s losses in the First World War.

A converted German auxiliary cruiser and merchant raider Atlantis captured and scuttled Automedon in 1940 in the Indian Ocean. Her capture is notable because she was carrying top secret documents addressed to the British Far East Command. Their capture may have influenced Japan’s decision to enter the Second World War.

Automedon was Achilles’ charioteer in Homer’s Iliad. This was the first of three Blue Funnel Line ships to be named after him. The second was a motor ship launched in 1949 and scrapped in 1972. The third was a motor ship launched in 1948 as Cyclops, renamed Automedon in 1975 and scrapped in 1977.

W. A. Scott was a marine artist known for his highly accurate line and body colour drawings. It is likely that he was an admirer of Laurence Dunn as his work bears much resemblance to Dunn’s highly regarded marine drawings.