Transport by Sea: The Place of Safety

Charles Pears 1873 - 1958

Summary

This composition appears rather chaotic as it shows a large battleship under attack from a u-boat that is seen just emerging on the right hand side in the middle ground. The battleship is also in the middle ground, to the left, and it appears to be lurching forwards as clouds of smoke surround the back of it. All around the boat are signs of the damage it is undergoing, there are bits of debris in the water and in the foreground there appears to be the remains of a mast. Moving away from the boat are several rowing boats, many of which show men hauling others out of the water. All of the rowing boats appear to be struggling in the rough water and weighted by the number of men in them. To the right there is a capsized boat with a man knelt on top trying to pull another man out of the water as well. The chaos of the water is mirrored by the sky which is shown streaked with light and scattered with flak marks as the fighting continues.