On 17 July 1707 the Greenwich Hospital commissioners instructed Thornhill to 'make such Alterations in his design by inserting what more he can relating to maritime affaires'. This fully worked up design, featuring ships at either end, together with other nautical elements, appears to have been the artist's response. A key on the reverse of the drawing emphasises the maritime content of the composition. Although the main elements are now in place (the central oval and terminal arches held up by Colossean figures enclosing ships' sterns), there are significant differences from the ceiling as executed. There is no logical connection between the great arches and the central frame, although Thornhill has tried to soften the transition using swags held aloft by putti. Also, Apollo and Queen Mary do not yet appear.

Many of the elements realised in the executed version are already present, if in a different form or position, though only William III appears in the centre (without Mary). Perhaps most significantly, other elements which appear here and were taken out, were apparently later incorporated in the design of the Upper Hall. These include the figures of the four Continents supporting the two side panels, which are now in the Upper Hall ceiling, while a figure with a pyramid (for the stability of dynasties) above William now appears behind the figure of George I in the west wall. Thornhill has also uses zodiacal annotations around the central oval to indicate where emblematic figures in fact appear in the ceiling itself.

Inscription, on the reverse, in a later hand: 'KING WILLIAM as founder or patron Recomending PEACE to/EUROPE who lays her crown at his feet/CYBLE/or the earth offering tribute/CONCORD/WISE/COUNSEL/ARCHITECT/DILIGENCE/AUTHORITY Sovereign/GLORY of Princes/LIBERTY/MAGNIFICENCE/CLEMENCY/MAGNANIMITY/GOOD/RENOWN/HERCULES beating down VICE the Hydra assisted by/PALLAS Aries & co round the oval the other signs of the ZODIAC/EUROPE/ASIA/AFRICA/AMERICA/With Maratime trophies of each [illegible]/Typhis or the first pilot that built the ship [illegible]/swimming on a plank (the origin of Shipping)/Shipping as it now is in perfection/the Taffril of a modern ship laden with [cut off]/The poop of an Antique ship laden with [cut off]/In the Galleyries underneath are all the ARTS [cut off]/ belonging to Navigation & other parts of the Ma [cut off].'

Related designs for the ceiling oval are in the British Museum collection (BM 1884,0726.40.66 (fol. 66v of sketchbook 1884,0726.40.1-147); BM 1884,0726.40.65 (fol. 65v of sketchbook 1884,0726.40.1-147); BM 1884,0726.40.61 (fol. 61r of sketchbook 1884,0726.40.1-147), the Courtauld Gallery, London CG D.1952.RW.2250, and the Victoria and Albert Museum V&A 812-1877.

On secondary support with grey wash line border.