The armed merchant cruiser 'Columbella' at anchor off Portsmouth RMG PV2109, William Lionel Wyllie, 1918

The armed merchant cruiser 'columbella' at anchor off portsmouth inscribed by the artist 'campanella ?' lower right, this is in fact the armed merchant cruiser 'columbella', during 1918. She began life as the anchor line passenger/cargo liner 'columbia', launched on 22 february 1902 and commencing her maiden voyage on 17 may that year. Hired by the admiralty on 20 november 1914 for conversion to an armed merchant cruiser , she was converted on the clyde, armed with eight 4. 7-inch guns, and renamed 'columbella'. In early 1917 she was rearmed with eight 6-inch guns and was at portsmouth from 2 february to 28 march 1918 and again from 2 to 14 october 1918: these are the occasions when wyllie would have seen her. She was returned to her owners in june 1919 and was broken up in 1929. Date: 1918. Dimensions: 252 mm x 353 mm. Collection: Fine art.