Port-broadside study of a 'Revenge'-class battleship (probably 'Revenge') RMG PV2701, William Lionel Wyllie, 1916

Port-broadside study of a 'revenge'-class battleship (probably 'revenge') the artist's inscription, lower right, suggest this sheet was first inscribed 'royal sovereign' later corrected to 'royal oak'. However, only the rig rather than the hull is shown in any distinguishing detail and neither the 'royal oak' (1914) nor the 'royal sovereign' (1915) ever carried this rig on the foremast. 'revenge' (1915) and 'ramillies' (1916) did, but in the latter case completed with a searchlight tower on the mainmast. By late 1917 all five of the class had searchlight towers on the funnel. The 'revenge' - from which the class is usually named - comes closest to this sketch and the date can be estimated as 1916-17. Wyllie may simply have made an error in identifying the ship at a distance, and clearly had some initial confusion as the inscriptions show. Date: 1916. Dimensions: 246 mm x 308 mm. Collection: Fine art.