HMS ‘Orion’ struck by a dummy torpedo from submarine 'A6' during fleet exercises, 1913 RMG BHC4164

HMS ‘Orion’ struck by a dummy torpedo from submarine 'A6' during fleet exercises, 1913
A painting recording an incident during submarine training in the autumn of 1913. The commander of the British submarine service, Roger Keyes, requested four submarines of the ‘Oversea’ flotilla to operate in conjunction with one of the surface fleets. This was for an exercise between opposing battle fleets which carried some risks. Keyes’s enthusiasm for anti-submarine measures against the German U-boat threat was undermined by technical weaknesses in available equipment. For the exercise the ‘Swift’, a fast destroyer leader, was placed at his disposal. It left the four submarines stationed in line abreast a mile apart in the rear of the battle fleet’s cruiser screen. Two of the submarines delivered entirely successful attacks although they were only allowed to fire one torpedo each out of the six they carried. Both hit the same battleship almost simultaneously from opposite sides.
The painting shows submarine 'A6' on the surface in the foreground. HMS ‘Orion’ can be seen in the distance, on the right with smoke billowing where she was struck. The menacing red sky and belching smoke from the ‘Orion’ reinforces the dramatic effect. The painting is signed ‘G. H. Davis L.L.’

HMS Orion struck by a dummy torpedo from submarine A6 during fleet exercises, 1913