There was a significant threat from German U-boats during the First World War, as they sought to disrupt Allied supply lines across the Atlantic. This dramatic watercolour captures the scene on 1st July 1917, shortly after Royal Mail Steam Packet Company passenger steamer Demerara was torpedoed in the Bay of Biscay by German U‑boat U‑84, while en route from Liverpool to Buenos Aires. Lifeboats are seen in the water and being launched from the listing Demerara, as a French vessel approaches to its aid. Other ships in the distance also appear to have been hit. Fortunately, the attack on Demerara proved unsuccessful and she was as able to beach on Île de Ré before later being refloated.

Shoesmith was a maritime painter, poster designer and illustrator. Before becoming a full-time artist in 1918 he had a career at sea and served as an Officer with the RMSPC. As such, it is not impossible he witnessed this event or was commissioned to document it. A member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours and the British Society of Poster Designers, he exhibited at the Royal Academy, Paris Salon and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Much of his work was for Royal Mail Lines although other shipping companies also employed his skills, such as Canadian Pacific Railways, Blue Funnel, Union Castle and Anchor Line. Following the death of his widow in 1974, the contents of his studio were bequeathed to The Ulster Museum, Belfast who continue to hold a major collection of his work.