"Escort To The Scharnhorst", by Simon Atack, 2002

The German battleship Scharnhorst, along with her sister ship Gneisenau were responsible for sinking 22 Allied vessels between them prior to March, 1941. After suffering battle damage, Scharnhorst relocated to the protective fjords of Norway, where, along with other ships of the German High Seas Fleet, she began a series of raids on convoys ferrying much needed materiel to a beleaguered Russia. On December 26, 1943, Scharnhorst is separated from her destroyer escort in heavy weather, and the British battleship Duke of York and her escorts attack and sink the mighty German ship with a barrage of shells and torpedoes. Only 36 men from Scharnhorst's original crew of over 1900 survive the ordeal. In this print by Simon Atack, the magnificent German battlewagon is depicted moving northward in Norway to her last base of operations, escorted by a flight of low-flying Focke Wulf FW 190 fighters, based in Oslo Fornebu. The artist successfully captures the awesome might of the German ship, plowing through the turbulent seas of late winter. This is a fitting tribute to the end of an era in naval warfare, soon supplanted by the dominance of aircraft carriers. #2 in a special edition of only 25 worldwide! Includes special remarque (pencil drawing) of Scharnhorst in print margin. Print is also signed by the artist twice, and by Wilhelm Alsen, the last of the 36 men to be rescued after the great ship was lost. Framed in an attractive brushed gilt and black wooden frame, with anti-reflective glass. 36 x 28". Print size 28 x 20". Edition long sold out and generally unavailable.