Fixing drag chain ropes on board the Japanese Navy battleship Shikishima (1898) on the slipway of the Thames Iron Works shipyard at Blackwall, London. The shipwrights are below deck, presumably below the forecastle deck, fixing a very heavy chain and a substantial rope to a large timber bulk. A note on the vertical format negative says the photographer is using Camera A and his caption reads "Men tying check ropes on J.B. Shikishima to pull her up when launched".