Tommaso de Simone (Italian, 1805-1888)


The auxiliary steam yacht Valhalla in fine conditions; The auxiliary steam yacht Valhalla in poor conditions, a pair each signed and dated 'De Simone/1908', and inscribed 'AUX.R.Y.VALHALLA' (lower left)gouache45 x 65cm (17 11/16 x 25 9/16in).
|The magnificent Valhalla, 1,218 tons gross, was the only British steam yacht to carry a full ship rig and is believed by many to have been the finest example of a steam auxiliary ever built. Designed by W.C. Storey and built by Ramage & Ferguson at Leith for Captain J.F. Laycock in 1892, she is best known for her achievement of third place in the Kaiser's famous Trans-Atlantic Race of 1905 despite the competition afforded by the much faster schooners taking part. She had several owners, most notably the Earl of Crawford & Balcarres (from 1902-08), and she also did War service with the Royal Navy including a period at Limnos - in the Aegean - during the Gallipoli campaign. After the War she became a Spanish-owned fruit carrier but she was wrecked and sunk off Cape St. Vincent in 1922.