This is an achromatic hand-held telescope that was used to make general observations on the deck of a ship. It has a tapered leather-covered barrel and brass fittings, including a single draw tube and a pivoted eyepiece cover, of which the cover is missing. The objective lens cap is also now missing.

The maker's name is inscribed on the draw tube as 'H. HUGHES & SON LTD. LONDON E.C.3.', which suggests that the telescope was made after 1917, when postcodes for sub-districts in London were introduced. But the shape of the telescope is similar to 19th-century examples, so it may be that the maker's name and address were added at a later date, perhaps during repairs to the telescope. The number 'III' is also roughly inscribed on one end of the draw tube, presumably as part of the manufacturing and assembly process.