Launched in 1918 HMS Saxifrage was a Class Q ship designed for anti-sumbarine warfare; renamed HMS President in 1922 and moored on the Thames as a Royal Naval Reserve drill ship. 'Dazzle' camouflage was introduced for warships in 1914, intending not to conceal but to distort a ship's appearance and make targeting by enemy submarines more difficult. As part of the '14-18 NOW' WW1 Centenary Art Commission project artist Tobias Rehberger painted HMS President in comtemporary designs inspired by the 'Dazzle Ships' of the First World War.
This is part of the Job: 2K/23864 Hms President (1918), Victoria Embankment, City And County Of The City Of London, Greater London Authority; within the Volume: VF000276 War Memorials; within the Series: EHC01/285 War Memorials; within the Collection: EHC01 English Heritage(Eh):Archive
© Historic England Archive
Photographer: Millson-Watkins, Lucy: Historic England
Early 20th Century Watercraft, First World War