Crew at work on HMS ANCHORITE

Photographer Gervaise Churchill Purcell (1919-1999)

Date1946-1962

Object numberANMS1404[060]

NameNegative

MediumCellulose (nitrate or acetate) negative, black and white

DimensionsOverall: 100 x 125 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Leigh Purcell

Terms

DescriptionThis photograph depicts crew at work in the control room of the Royal Navy submarine HMS ANCHORITE, being observed by a civilian. The civilian man is probably from Amalgamated Wireless Australasia (AWA). A naval officer in uniform, with a full beard, is standing next to the civilian, with one leg resting up on a chair. The two seated crew are wearing pullovers and operating controls with large dials in front of each of them that read: Keel Depth.HistoryHMS ANCHORITE was an Amphion-class submarine of the Royal Navy. It was built by Vickers Armstrong of Barrow-in-Furness and launched in January 1946. It was designed for service in the Pacific and in June 1953, ANCHORITE took part in the Fleet Review. In 1960, the submarine hit an uncharted rock in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. Between 1955 and 1960, sections of the vessel were rebuilt.SignificanceThese photographic negatives were taken by Australian commercial photographer Gervaise Purcell from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. They represent his work for clients such as swimwear manufacturer Jantzen, as well as retail giants David Jones and Hordern Brothers, cruise ship operators the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), radio technology manufacturer Amalgamated Wireless Australasia (AWA) and tourism operator Ansett Airways. Many of the images were taken with a Graflex Crown Graphic camera in the 1950s.