Two convict hulks moored at the quayside steps.

Repro ID: PX3785

Description: This drawing depicts two convict hulks, one of which is thought to be HMS 'Retribution'. The hulks were ships which were no longer seaworthy and commonly had their masts reduced or removed. They were introduced in the early 1770s, when an attempt was made to alleviate the pressure on prisons and they served as a cheap alternative to building more prisons on land. They were first used on the Thames, but others were soon moored in Langstone and Portsmouth Harbours. The conditions on board the hulks were unheatlhy and overcrowded, with little or no ventilation since the ports on the landward side were boarded over as a deterrent against escape.

Creator: John Grieve

Date: c.1822

Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London