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On Board an S-Class Submarine: Up the Conning Tower

© expired crown copyright. Image credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

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As an official war artist, Bone spent some time in a variety of naval shipping during the Second World War, including submarines. In this painting he has created a dynamic composition, contrasting artificial and natural light. The position of the viewer is implied by the hand on the ladder of someone standing down inside the boat in a yellow glow. The figure above is tattooed and naked to the chest; he is preparing to climb the ladder towards the daylight at the top of the conning tower, where a third figure can be seen. The conning tower was a submarine's link with the outside world. The colours in the picture are graduations of yellow from dark to light. S-class submarines carried the first radar sets for surface and air search. Stephen Bone was a prolific Admiralty war artist and a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR).

National Maritime Museum

London

Title

On Board an S-Class Submarine: Up the Conning Tower

Date

c.1944

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 77.5 x W 64.8 cm

Accession number

BHC1553

Work type

Painting

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National Maritime Museum

Romney Road, Greenwich, London, Greater London SE10 9NF England

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