Ships of the Dutch navy occupy the foreground, middle and far distance in this compositional study, which has been worked successively in graphite, wash and pen. On the right, a starboard quarter view of a battleship with the wind on the port quarter; in the left middle distance is a lee bow view of another ship on the starboard tack (with a small coastal vessel nearby); and further into the distance is port broadside view of a third ship.

The drawing is inscribed in ink: ‘W.V.V.J’.