A depiction of three of the ships that comprised Britain's wartime Force H, in the western Mediterranean between June and October 1940. Gibraltar can be seen in sharp profile on the right, with the coast of north Africa on the far right in the distance and that of southern Spain on the left. Three ships are positioned on the left of the picture and include the aircraft carrier 'Ark Royal' on the left.

Force H assembled at Gibraltar in June and comprised units of the Home Fleet under Vice-Admiral Sir James Somerville, flying his flag in the battle-cruiser, 'Hood'. Also present were the battleships 'Resolution' and 'Valiant', the aircraft carrier 'Ark Royal' and a few cruisers and destroyers. From Gibraltar, Force H was able to give significant cover in both the western Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic.