A painting on paper showing survivors from the sinking of the British ship ‘Lancastria’. This was regarded as the worst loss of life that Britain ever suffered from one vessel. The ‘Lancastria’ was a Cunard liner built in Glasgow. She spent many years as a cruise ship. At the outbreak of the Second World War she was docked in New York where she was adapted to become a troopship. Early on the morning of 17 June 1940 she anchored off St Nazaire at Charpentier Roads to begin evacuating British troops and civilians. This continued well into the afternoon when it is estimated that there may have been over 7,000 people on board a ship which was at capacity at 3,000. It was at this point that German aeroplanes overhead sighted the unprotected ship and began bombing her. Four bombs hit, including one which dropped down the funnel and exploded in the engine room. Less than 20 minutes later, the ‘Lancastria’ rolled onto her port side and sank. Many people perished although some made it to the two launched lifeboats, while others jumped overboard as the boat sank. The constant presence of enemy aircraft made any rescue operation very difficult. One of the bombs had ruptured the ‘Lancastria’s’ fuel tank, causing fuel oil to leak, making pulling survivors from the water extremely difficult. It is estimated that 4,500 or 5,000 people died, with about 2,500 rescued. Initially the story was suppressed in Britain to keep up morale.