My favourite marine artists:
first equals:
Robert Taylor
Geoff Hunt, PRSMA
Claus Bergen
Ivan Aivazozskii (apparently he painted entirely from memory... wow)
Will L Wyllie
Winslow Homer (the sea, rather than strictly military, but still marine)
Kenneth Grant (simply stunning - a friend of mine has a great collection of his originals)
And the others who stand out:
Charles Turner
Ian Marschal
Anthony Saunders
Keith Snow
Harley Crossley
Mike Donegan
Just off the top of my head... there are many more.
As for my favourite individual pieces:
(In no particular order)
Claus Bergen's Prinz Eugen engaging HMS Hood and Prince of Wales, May 24th 1941.
Claus Bergen's
Commander
Kenneth Grant's HMS Guierre and USS Constitution dueling (his later version with correct tacks and sail reef points

)
Robert Taylor's Bismarck, May 24th 1941
Robert Taylor's HMS Ark Royal Swordfish strike launch
Geoff Hunt's Nelsonian and Patrick O'Brien paintings...
all of them See, what I just can't get over, is how he can paint so vividly, as if he was there, shaking out sails from the main ta'gallant of one of Jervis's third raters, seeing the things he saw and capturing them on canvas... when in fact he was not... To me, the level of imagination required for this is just something else. It phases me.
Again, there are probably more. I just happen to be writing in a stale state of mind, again.
And Monty thank you for your support... I hope that one day, with some luck I might actually live up to your compliment; see, I am only at the beginning of my time as a marine painter, and all of the aforementioned artists will completely blow me out of the water right now.
Cheers,
Joseph