As an official war artist, Stephen Bone spent time in a variety of naval shipping during the Second World War. Here, Bone evokes the living conditions of submariners. The separation between officers and ratings can be seen, as even in a cramped environment, naval hierarchy had to be maintained. Rather than accurately representing the interior of the submarine, where the living quarters would have been dotted around narrow corridors, Bone condenses the space around the Davis chamber to allow a glimpse of both wardroom and mess deck. In the wardroom, an officer wearing a seaman's jersey smokes a pipe and reads a journal, his head resting on his right hand. A meal and an empty chair awaits the arrival of the lieutenant whose jacket has been left on the chair. It is possible that the artist has intended to place himself in the painting in this way, since he was a lieutenant in the RNR, but the empty seat and warm meal might also be for the viewer. Bone also signed his name on the book in the foreground to the far left. Foul-weather gear hangs on the wardroom door to the far right. Beyond is a ladder with a person descending towards the group of sailors seen framed through the hatch and relaxing around a table or on a bench. Some look round towards the viewer and their space is cramped in comparison with the officer, who sits on his own. (See related drawing, PAI0525).

The National Maritime Museum holds over 30 oil paintings by Bone, painted for the War Artists Advisory Committee.