This is a starboard view of two dismasted naval vessels, the Britannia (the larger ship on the left of the image) and the Hindostan (on the right), linked to each other bow to stern by a covered gangway. They are moored along the hilly coast of Dartmouth. Both ships have permanent deck accommodation and their gunports have been converted to windows. Small rowing cutters are lowered on their davits to the waterline and there are stairs down to pontoons alongside the Britannia. A storage building is just visible on the shore line. The Britannia flies the British ensign from a flag pole on its stern.
There were two vessels converted to training ships, named Britannia, and linked to the Hindostan at Dartmouth: Britannia (1820) from 1865 to 1869; and Britannia (1869) (which had previously been the Prince of Wales) from 1869 to 1909; both were originally 1st rate, 120-gun naval sailing vessels. The artist H. Buch seems to have been working around 1905 - if correct, the Britannia depicted in this image must be Britannia (1869)