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Lot Essay
"The story of the sinking of the aircraft-carrier Ark Royal has been repeated often as an example of the courage and discipline of the Royal Navy. After having been torpedoed by an enemy submarine in the Western Mediterranean on November 134 she struggled along for nearly 12 hours. Finally, Captain Maund realised that his ship could not be saved and gave the order “Abandon ship.” Nearly 1600 officers and men were landed in Gibraltar and returned to England on leave. Only one man lost his life. A feature of the event was the boldness of a destroyer which drew up alongside the Ark Royal and never budged until she had taken off all the crew. “Just before she sank the Ark Royal had a list to starboard of 35 degrees,” said an officer of the destroyer which stood by to the end. “We realized that she was finished.” When an order from the bridge was shouted, “we realized that she was finished.” When an order from the bridge was shouted, “Prepare to abandon ship,” crowding the decks were hundreds of the ship’s crew, some in overalls and some un underwear. Ropes began to snake down from the flight deck and cork rafts splashed into the sea. Men dived in “then,” said Reuter’s correspondent, "we saw a destroyer pulling in alongside us. Soon the destroyer came close under our rails. Ropes leaped up from her and were caught and made fast. The men began to slip down to the destroyer’s forecastle.” Meanwhile, other escorting destroyers dropped depth-charges as they searched for submarines. Mr. Turner represents the destroyer coming alongside the Ark Royal".