The Slave Ship at the event, to see it and be moved to increase British anti-slavery efforts. Placed next to the painting were lines from Turner's own untitled poem, written in 1812: The first impression that the painting creates is of an enormous deep-red sunset over a stormy sea, an indication of an approaching typhoon. Upon closer inspection one can discern a ship sailing off into the distance. The masts of the ship are red, matching the blood-red colour of the sky and the sickly copper colour of the water, which serves to blur the lines between various objects in the painting. The
Earl of Charlemont (ship) Earl of Charlemont (ship) The Earl of Charlemont was a medium-sized, 878 ton passenger ship, which sank on a voyage to Australia. The ship was built at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1849. It sailed from the Port of Liverpool on 13 March 1853 with 366 passengers plus crew, captained by William Gardner. The first port of call was to be Port Phillip, Australia, before continuing to Sydney with the majority of the passengers. After a passage of 97 days the ship reached Cape Otway on 17 June, and set a course for Port Phillip some 56 miles away.