Closeup of the Navy dive boat
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ARTIST”S BIOGRAPHY: There
is no official published biography of this artist. Our research has determined the following:
Since steam power was an early childhood passion, Crane decided to join the USCG before finishing high school. After finishing Boiler School, he spent four years at sea in the USCG as a Boilerman. At the end of his tour, he was driven ashore by his wife’s pregnancy and there he remained to raise his family which grew to two daughters. He became a member of the Philadelphia Police Force and served for 23 years, 10 of which were in the Marine Unit patrolling the Delaware River. There he really got to know the details of tugs and freighters. All his spare time was spent painting them. After retiring in 1985, he joined the USS Olympia Cruiser Association and volunteered to help repair her steam engine. His wife, Sandra, suggested that Holy Family College where she worked could use some help since their extensive steam powered heating plant kept breaking down. He worked for the college part time and then full time as their chief engineer. All his free time he spent painting ships and seascapes. As a point of pride, he said his ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. An uncle rode with Gen. George Armstrong Custer prior to the unpleasantness at Little Bighorn.
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Close-up
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Close-up
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Close-up
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Back of painting
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