The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her Last Berth to be broken up
The painting depicts the last journey of the Temeraire, a famous warship sold by the Royal Navy in 1838. It was towed up the Thames from Sheerness in Kent to a ship-breaker's yard in Rotherhithe, South London. Turner contrasts the veteran ship, seen against the setting sun, with the modern steam-propelled tug.