A large painting showing a scene on the deck of a ship in stormy weather. Full of incident and human drama, it shows the tilting deck of a coastal schooner battered by the high seas and in danger of sinking. All hands are at the pumps and the captain's wife is part of the project to save the ship. The six members of the crew are surrounded by chains and ropes on the deck, while the angle of the mainmast and rigging all add to the dramatic effect. A member of the crew is running up the distress signal, an upside-down ensign. The waves of the mountainous sea can be seen beyond the ship.

To create the painting Smythe went to sea in the schooner 'Wave', sailing from Gravesend to Guernsey and brought back a set of realistic studies. The dramatic effect of the paint, applied in thick impasto, reinforces this powerful interpretation of his personal experiences of the voyage. Smythe was a prominent Victorian marine artist but he also painted more general landscape themes, creating a dream-like interpretation of the English countryside. He was the step-brother of the more famous W. L. Wyllie. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1874 and is inscribed 'L Smythe/1874', bottom right.