As inscribed:
'Hard lying is a naval term which means extra pay for the more strenuous work entailed on small ships.
The corvettes, of which this is a specimen, have certainly earned their extra pay; it is a small ship doing the big stuff in the far flung seas escorting convoys.
She is seen from the deck of a merchant ship, the crew of which in their relative comfort, look upon the corvette with no envy as she fights the gale

This painting portrays a Corvette, typical of the Flower Class which were built as escort ships. There were a number of subtle differences in design, which makes individual identification something of a challenge, not aided by the effective dazzle-paint livery, created by Pears' contemporary, Norman Wilkinson.

Research suggests this is HMS Spiraea which played an active part in the battle of the N. Atlantic. (Layed down 1940-sold to Greece 1945).