File:'H.M.S. Lark 1913-1916 Harwich Force' RMG PU6333.tiff

Ship portrait of HMS 'Lark' (1913) shown from port side, travelling at speed through moderately rough water. 'Lark' was a Laforey-class destroyer, built by Yarrow Shipbuilders in Scotstoun. Originally named HMS 'Haughty', she was renamed shortly after being launched. 'Lark’s' hull is dark grey with white letters and numerals denoting her class and number. Two of her 4-inch QF Mark IV guns can be seen on the fore and aft decks and smoke from the boilers powering her twin-shaft Brown-Curtis turbine engines streams back from her two funnels. The Laforey–class ships were first Royal Navy destroyers to be fitted with twin torpedo tubes and were originally commissioned for service in the 3rd Harwich Flotilla (the Harwich Force) to carry out search and sweep missions for enemy craft. HMS 'Lark' won battle honours at the Battles of Heligoland in 1914 and Dogger Bank in 1915 and was later transferred to escort duties after 1917. She was finally sold to Hayes, Porthcawl, in January 1923 for breaking up. This drawing is reasonably accurate in respect of the ship details but not pendant number on the hull: neither 'Lark' nor any other Royal Navy ship had this. The flag 'superior L' was brought into use exclusively for sloops from 1926 and no sloop used L39. The class letter L on the forefunnel is nearly correct (it should be upright and not sloped) but the class letter on the hull, which was only worn from completion to August 1914, should be smaller and positioned further forward, about midway between the bow and the forecastle break.

Nothing is known of the artist, W. J. Sutton, except that he painted British warships in watercolour, the ships shown dating from the mid-1890s to at least the early 1920s. His style is perhaps best described as that of a competent amateur, though it was probably for sale, and examples by him sometimes appear at auction. Given his subject he may have been based at one of the naval ports, such as Portsmouth or Plymouth, and mainly selling to naval personnel. This drawing is signed, lower right and in its original titled mount.