An interpretation of an incident in 1854 when the artist went to the Baltic as a guest of Captain Harry Keppel in HMS St Jean d' Acre during the Crimean War of 1854-56. The ship, a first-rate three-decker with 101 guns, is portrayed hove-to, flying the Church pendant as a signal for 'man overboard'. The man who has been swept into the water can be seen in the centre foreground of the painting in the heavy swell, his arm raised to attract the attention of the two men standing up in the rescue boat on the crest of a wave to the right. Sailors line the rigging of the St Jean d' Acre, to watch the rescue. In the early 19th century, the Navy adopted the black and white livery for its ships which is shown here. The painting has been signed by the artist.