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14.5x16.5" framed layout bond paper has 8.5x11" image area in graphite pencil original art cover preliminary w/logo and text of Sea Classics Magazine Nov. 1971 issue showing the sea disaster of the Oct. 2, 1942 where the troop transport R.M.S. Queen Mary and the cruiser Curacoa collided. Preliminary art features the same image of the final painted cover. Art was by Otto Kuhni (1927-2017), who started doing freelance work in 1962, including some projects for Mattel that predate his involvement w/Hot Wheels (for which he is predominantly known) in 1967. Kuhni also produced freelance work for Lockheed, McDonald Douglas, Max Factor, L.M. Cox, Challenge Publications, Galoob and Tyco among others. Lt. aging/wear. Exc. Comes w/reading copy of the magazine this art was produced for. Ship history: During World War II, the RMS Queen Mary was transformed from a luxury ocean liner into a troopship, earning the nickname "The Grey Ghost." Stripped of lavish interiors and painted battleship gray, her unmatched speed and sheer size allowed her to outrun German U-boats safely. In Oct. 1942, while maneuvering to evade submarines, the Queen Mary accidentally collided w/and cut her escort cruiser - HMS Curacao - in half, resulting in the loss of 338 lives.
