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Lot Essay
The following is a description as it appeared in The Sphere: 'A British cruiser swings through the strait of Gibraltar past the towering rock and into the Mediterranean: The time is late evening, when a low-lying raincloud swathes the summit in mist, a common sight at Gibraltar-- Drawing by Montague Dawson'
'At one time, Gibraltar could have served as a base for the whole of the Mediterranean Fleet: It's harbour has an extent of 260 acres and provides fine anchorages for vessels of the biggest class. To-day, few of the big units of the Fleet could shelter there for any length of time, owing to the possibility of attack from the air, despite the heavy anti-aircraft barrage which the defenders of the Rock could put up from their innumerable shore batteries. The cruiser in Mr. Dawson's drawing has just passed through the strait seperating Spain from North Africa and is leaving the Rock to port as she steams onward into the Mediterranean. The phenomenon of the low cloud wreathing the Rock in mist is a common sight in the late evening: It provides one solution of the water-supply problem for the defenders, as owing to special catchment and storage schemes the garrison can always be sure of an adequacy even during a prolonged siege. The cruiser is of the Arethusa class: a vessel of 5.220 tons, she is armed with 6-in. guns and a number of weapons. They are considered ideal for Mediterranean conditions-their tonnage is the minimum for ocean-going efficiency, and their armament adequate to deal with the convoy raiders they are likely to encounter. The Arethusa carries one aircraft aboard, launched by catapult: she cost 1,250,000 GBP to build (which is about average for the whole of this class)
'At one time, Gibraltar could have served as a base for the whole of the Mediterranean Fleet: It's harbour has an extent of 260 acres and provides fine anchorages for vessels of the biggest class. To-day, few of the big units of the Fleet could shelter there for any length of time, owing to the possibility of attack from the air, despite the heavy anti-aircraft barrage which the defenders of the Rock could put up from their innumerable shore batteries. The cruiser in Mr. Dawson's drawing has just passed through the strait seperating Spain from North Africa and is leaving the Rock to port as she steams onward into the Mediterranean. The phenomenon of the low cloud wreathing the Rock in mist is a common sight in the late evening: It provides one solution of the water-supply problem for the defenders, as owing to special catchment and storage schemes the garrison can always be sure of an adequacy even during a prolonged siege. The cruiser is of the Arethusa class: a vessel of 5.220 tons, she is armed with 6-in. guns and a number of weapons. They are considered ideal for Mediterranean conditions-their tonnage is the minimum for ocean-going efficiency, and their armament adequate to deal with the convoy raiders they are likely to encounter. The Arethusa carries one aircraft aboard, launched by catapult: she cost 1,250,000 GBP to build (which is about average for the whole of this class)