During the mutiny at the Nore, off Sheerness, which followed on from that at Spithead, only two ships' captains managed to maintain some control of their commands. One of these was Captain Charles Cunningham of the frigate, 'Clyde'. On 29 May, he managed to persuade his men to ignore the summons from the rebel leader Richard Parker, in the 'Sandwich', to a conference. Instead, at 9.00 p.m. that night, Cunningham assembled his crew and told them that he intended to take the 'Clyde' into Sheerness. After midnight she slipped her cable and made for Sheerness, anchoring there at dawn. The port admiral, Vice-Admiral Buckner, then defiantly rehoisted his flag in her, the mutineers having hauled it down in the guardship, 'Sandwich'.

In this interpretation, the second image of a pair (see also BHC0496), the 'Clyde' is shown arriving at sunrise in the Medway, off Sheerness Dockyard. She is in the left middle distance, in port-bow view, on the starboard tack, flying a white ensign but with a red one hanging over her port quarter rail as a signal. Nearer, centre left, is a cutter in starboard-bow view, moored to a buoy and with a boat under her stern. In the left foreground is a large mooring buoy. On the right of the picture, against the rising sun, is a sheer hulk used for masting or de-masting ships, shown in bow and starboard-broadside view, with people waving to the 'Clyde' in her stern. Beyond the hulk is part of Sheerness Dockyard, with buildings, a ship on the stocks and a crowd of people waving on the fortifications. In the distance to the north-east ships of the mutinous fleet lie at anchor. The darkness of the earlier image in the pair has given way to brilliance in this allegory of success and triumph for the Navy. The painting is signed and dated on the buoy, lower left, in black on brown, (see also BHC 0496).