Beginning of Knowles' action off Havana, 1 October 1748

The Beginning of Knowles' Action off Havana, 1 October 1748, is the companion piece to Scott's painting of the engagement's conclusion. Together, they document one of the most controversial naval actions of the War of the Austrian Succession, in which Knowles's failure to achieve a decisive victory despite superior numbers led to recriminations and courts-martial. Scott occupied a unique position in Georgian Britain as the painter best equipped to commemorate naval victories with both artistic distinction and technical accuracy. His battle paintings were sought by officers, naval administrators, and patriotic collectors who wanted their country's sea-power documented in compelling visual form.

The fleet is shown in the opening phase of engagement, with the ships in ordered formation before battle damage disrupted their lines. Scott's precise rendering of naval signals and ship positions follows the documentary conventions of Georgian battle painting.