This big canvas shows a large expanse of sea from a low perspective, as if seen from a submarine or a boat close to the water line. In the foreground, slightly to the right, a wreath with a scarlet ribbon, marked with a swastika, floats in the swell. The ribbons trail on the surface of the otherwise empty sea in this eloquently expressionistic and haunting image. The wreath is the only sign marking the graves of sailors killed in war, as they lie unseen on the ocean bed. The colour of the sash could be interpreted as a representation of the universal suffering of war, although the presence of the swastika invites a more specific reading. On the horizon, and on the sea to the left, the sun's rays spread a golden glow over the surface of the water, perhaps signifying either hope for the future or a new dawn under Nazi rule.

Although the date of this painting is not known, the swastika suggests a period during the Nazi rise to power between the two World Wars. However, it is known that Admiral Hipper secretly ordered the German fleet a second time to sea after the battle to allow Bergen to paint his pictures of it and this painting may relate to this time.

The artist was an official war artist during both World Wars and during World War I, he undertook a commission to work aboard 'U-53' when it made its way across the Atlantic to Newport, see BHC1284. The resulting images were then used to illustrate the book 'U-Boat Stories'. This painting was transferred to the Museum from the Naval War Trophies Committee in the mid-1940s.