HMS 'Swordfish'<br>
Two sketches, one over the other, both within a drawn pencil surround. The upper one is inscribed at the bottom by the artist 'Swordfish'. This vessel had a strange life, being launched by Scott's Shipbuilding &amp; Engineering Co. Ltd at Greenock on 18 March 1916 as a steam-turbine-driven submarine.  She was renamed 'S1' in April 1916 and commissioned on 28 April but was not successful and never reached operational status as a submarine.  She was laid up at Portsmouth in January 1917 and between June and August converted to a surface patrol vessel with a raised forecastle, a wheelhouse and an enlarged funnel, as shown here.  Her batteries were replaced by ballast and she was armed with two 12-pdr guns and depth charges.  Renamed 'Swordfish' she underwent various trials throughout August to December 1917 and became operational as a tender to 'Victory' at Portsmouth in January 1918.  She was broken up from July 1922.  A submarine of the 'K' or 'L' classes  is astern of her here.  The lower sketch, only lightly done in pencil, is not identifiable but appears to be a small steam vessel armed with one large gun forward.
<bdi><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:William_Lionel_Wyllie" class="extiw" title="w:en:William Lionel Wyllie"><span title="English painter of maritime themes (1851-1931)">William Lionel Wyllie</span></a>
</bdi>
circa 1918 <div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1918-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1480,Q5727902</div>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/116821">http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/116821</a>