| Place | Approximate locations: At sea, Nearest landform, At sea (off Korean coast) |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART40007 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Framed: 61.5 x 66.5 x 5.5 cm; Unframed: 40.5 x 45.6 cm |
| Object type | Painting |
| Physical description | oil on canvas on plywood |
| Maker |
Norton, Frank |
| Place made | Korea |
| Date made | July 1952 |
| Conflict |
Korea, 1950-1953 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Night illumination, HMAS Warramunga
Description
In the Yellow Sea (near the mouth of the Taedong River) the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Warramunga (I) is at anchor between Sokto Island and west coast of (North) Korea. The destroyer is illuminated by flares dropped from a United States bomber.
HMAS Warramunga's final Korean patrol was as part of an anti invasion force made up of British, American, Australian and Republic of Korea ships working to protect islands off the North Korean coast. At night the ships patrolled between the islands and the mainland (a matter of a few miles), firing star shells and checking any junks trying to pass between them. During the day the force lay at anchor just off the coast. Official war artist Frank Norton had joined HMAS Warramunga (I) for his first Korean patrol on 27th June 1952 and found it to be 'very quiet - as far as action'. Frustrated he wrote to the Memorial's director that 'I spent most nights from midnight to dawn watching for something to happen.' He was able to make watercolours of the ship, the UN force, the Korean coast and notes of naval bombardments.