A painting recording the towing of the battleship ‘Howe’ into Ferrol in April 1893 having run aground on Ferrol Rock on 2 November 1892 during service in the Mediterranean. The crew were transferred to the ‘Royal Sovereign’ as the ship was initially thought to be beyond repair. She was finally salvaged with great difficulty, which is the process shown in the painting with HMS ‘Seahorse’ on the far left pulling the ‘Howe’. The tow rope is clearly visible as they move towards the Spanish coastline. After running aground the ‘Howe’ was salvaged in order to be repaired. Water can be seen pouring out of the ship as the careful operation gets under way and small boats hover round the ship.

The painting is signed ‘A. Sanz’ and is dated 1893.