The British Navy Book

Conclusion

"The Fleet of England is her all in all:
Her fleet is in your hands,
And in her Fleet her fate."

Having now traced the beginnings of the Royal Navy, glanced at some little-known episodes of the naval history of Great Britain, sketched the development of our men-of-war and their weapons, and finally endeavoured to portray—in a very inadequate way, I am afraid—the gallant men who man them, and some of their deeds in the greatest and most terrible war that has ever been known in the history of the world, I have arrived at the time when I must hoist the signal "Permission to part company" with my readers.

But I cannot leave the subject of this book without some reference to the part played by the navy in the Dardanelles. The outstanding points in regard to the navy's participation in these operations were without doubt the tremendous effect of the monster guns of the Queen Elizabeth, the severe fighting which fell to the lot of the Naval and Marine Brigades in the attack of the Turkish shore positions, and last, but not least, the wonderful exploits of our submarines. The achievements of Lieutenant Norman D. Holbrook, who, in the B11, crept under five rows of mines and blew up the Turkish ironclad Messudiyeh; and of Lieutenant Commander Martin Nasmith, who, in the E11, penetrated right into the Sea of Marmora, torpedoing transports and creating a scare in Constantinople itself, are examples of that brilliant daring which has been exemplified again and again during the war.

The operations against the Dardanelles forts opened on the 3rd November last year, when an allied British and French squadron bombarded those nearest to the entrance. Operations were then practically suspended until the 19th February, when the allied fleets returned to the attack in greater force, and made a resolute attempt to break down the defence of the narrow waterway leading to Constantinople. The outer forts having been silenced, the Queen Elizabeth, with four other battleships, entered the Dardanelles and bombarded the defences of what are known as the Narrows. But they were unable to advance farther, partly on account of the heavy mobile batteries of the Turco-Germans, but more especially from the great danger of floating mines and of torpedoes launched from stations on shore. These submarine weapons began to take heavy toll of the allied ships. The British battleships Irresistible, Ocean, and Goliath were all sunk—the two first on the same day. With them, too, went down the French battleship Bouvet, and, later on, the Triumph and Majestic succumbed to torpedoes said to have been fired from one of two submarines which are supposed to have made their way to the scene of action from Germany. Space forbids any further account of these operations, which are still being continued; but, in order to give some idea of what they were like, I cannot do better than quote from a letter just written to his chum by a midshipman on board one of the ships engaged in the Straits, so vivid an account does he give of the fighting as it presented itself to his eyes:

"Since we have been out we have been in four or five big actions and a large number of small ones. I think the hottest one that this ship personally has been in was on Sunday, ——. This ship and one other were ordered to reduce, or attempt to reduce, two of the most powerful forts going. The action commenced just when you—if you were a good boy—were going to church. As usual we cleared for 'immediate action' on the way in. I must say before the action I felt rather as if I was going to the dentist to have a bad tooth out, but once the show started and we were fighting I felt as happy as a lark, despite the infernal noise and smell!

"My action station is in No. — turret, two — guns. I wear the officer's telepads, and have to sing out all the orders, ranges, &c., that come down from the controls, and work all the voice pipes, &c. If the lieutenant of the turret gets knocked out I am supposed to take charge. The forts opened a heavy fire as soon as we were in range, and as we were the leading ship we had the concentrated fire of both forts on us for the first quarter of an hour, one fort shifting to the second ship later. The water round both ships soon became like an animated moving fountain, with the ships as the centre, from the splashes made by the falling shell, most of the splashes reaching as high as the foretop (about 110 feet). We really had a most miraculous time, considering the large amount of shells fired at us and the comparatively small number of hits we received. Also the way we managed to avoid getting any casualties was a miracle, some of the men having most marvellous escapes. However, we let them have it pretty hot as well, and it was absolutely ripping to feel the ship lurch and stop on her course as we let rip broadside after broadside at them. After two and a half hours the forts ceased firing altogether, and we drew off, having done our job.

"About the most exciting show I have had myself was when I had to go away sweeping up the Straits one night in a picket-boat. Our objective was to locate and blow up an electric cable which was connected to a long row of mines at a certain point in the Dardanelles. We started off at about 7.30 p.m., and it was an absolutely pitch-black night. There were five other boats with us, and of course we could show absolutely no lights. I was steering the boat, and it was hard to see anything at all.... We arrived at about 10 p.m., and at the position for commencing the sweep at about 11.15. The Turks had a lot of beastly search-lights going. The first sweep up they did not discover us, but the second time they fairly caught us and let rip with all sorts of things—Nordenfeldts, rifles, pom-poms, and a few howitzers. It was beastly uncanny hearing the shells shrieking and whizzing about in the still air of the night—much worse than in daytime. However, a picket-boat is a very difficult thing to hit even at the best of times, and in a pitch-black night it wants a lot of luck despite all the search-lights. As soon as they started firing I commenced zigzagging all over the place, and the nearest we had was about ten yards away, although a lot of rifle bullets went whistling overhead. I was never more pleased than when we turned round and started back to the fleet. We blew up something, but whether it was the cable or not I don't know. The boat next to us got into the middle of a bunch of mines, and we had to stand by her; however, by great luck she managed to clear, blowing up two mines with rifles. We got back to the ship about 5 a.m., after quite an exciting night. I really thought I looked quite ferocious that night; life-saving waistcoat, overcoat, sea-boots, muffler, a huge revolver with 60 rounds of ammunition, both my pockets full of sandwiches, and a Thermos flask full of cocoa, which I kept on spilling all over myself in the dark.

"We have been covering the landing and supporting the advance of the troops. It is a pretty strenuous time, as we are at action stations on and off from 5 or 6 a.m. till 7 or 8 p.m., with a night watch to keep as well, so we are kept pretty busy. We also live in a constant state of 'immediate action'."

But as it had been decided to supplement the naval attack by the landing of an army, a disembarkation was effected towards the end of April at five points on the Gallipoli Peninsula and one on the Asiatic shore. The latter was carried out by the French, but it was only intended to be a temporary measure to assist the British landings on the western shore. The troops, which were composed of British, Australians, and New Zealanders, effected their landing in the face of the most tremendous opposition, making their way through masses of wire entanglements under a terrible fire from all kinds of weapons. Their losses were very great, but they effected their object and established themselves on shore, and set about a series of operations against the Turkish positions which are still continuing. The navy's share was to cover the landing with the fire of its big guns, and to transport the soldiers to the shore. Its work was magnificent. The Turkish entrenchments were plastered with high-explosive shell, while the bluejackets and marines employed in the actual business of landing the troops behaved with a coolness, energy, and gallantry which has never been surpassed. Nor must it be forgotten that the navy was represented in the landing force by the newly-formed Naval Division, under the command of Brigadier-General Paris of the Royal Marine Artillery, consisting of several battalions of the Royal Marines and a number of others formed from the R.N.V.R. and other reserves, and distinguished one from the other by bearing the names of celebrated naval commanders—such as "The Drake Battalion". These had all been organized and trained by the staff of the Royal Marines under the Adjutant-General, Sir William Nicholls, and were commanded by naval, marine, or in some cases army officers. As for their work in the campaign, we have, so far, little or no information. Beyond extensive mention in the casualty lists, the press seems to have overlooked them. But their very losses prove that they have been well to the front, and we may be sure that they have given a very good account of themselves.

Everywhere the Royal Navy has proved itself worthy, nay, more than worthy, of its gallant ancestors and their gallant deeds. To quote Lord Charles Beresford, in a letter written to the London Chamber of Commerce: "The brilliant work of the Navy in clearing the North Sea and providing safety for the transport to France of their comrades in the sister service will be gratefully appreciated by the country. Such work could only have been effective by superb organization, loyalty to duty, and discipline, requiring not only caution but courage. The watching fleets of the present day have none of the charm and change to occupy their mind which accompanied the sailing-ship navy, making and shortening sail, trimming sails, tacking, and wearing, necessary for cruising on the look-out. There were no air-vessels, mines, submarines, or torpedoes in the old days, no under-water warfare. The strain upon officers and men of the sea-going fleet in these days is terrific: nothing to occupy their thoughts as in the days of sailing-ships."

But with all this we know what the navy has done, and we know that it will never be found wanting. Only let us all try to emulate the spirit of thoroughness and devotion to duty which has made our navy what it is; let us all try to "do our bit", however small, and, in those inspired words of our great poet Shakespeare which we should always bear in mind—

"Nought shall England rue,
If England to herself do prove but true".

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
At the Villafield Press, Glasgow, Scotland

FOOTNOTES:

[1]

"If we go backward we die: if we go forward we die:
Better go forward and die."—Viking war-call.

[2] "Nulla vestigia retrorsum."—Motto of 5th Dragoon Guards.

[3] I am indebted to the Rev. S. Baring-Gould for the following very interesting note, which indicates that there was some affinity between the ancient Grecian and the Viking ideas with regard to figure-heads: "The Greeks never allowed an image of an entering ship to arrive un-removed, and then it was conveyed to the shore to salute the Goddess of the port. The altar 'to the Unknown God' St. Paul saw was actually to any unknown Deity of an approaching vessel."

[4] "No doubt the noblemen of France prefer land to sea warfare, so hard and so little in accord with nobility ", stated a French Herald in 1456.

[5] Pavises, plural of Pavois. The "Pavois", or "Pavise" as it was generally termed in English, was a big round-topped shield like a tombstone. It was set up with a prop on shore or fastened to a ship's bulwarks, either on going into action or as a decoration. This is why to this day a French man-of-war when "dressed" with all her colours at a review, for instance, is said to be "en grand pavois".

[6] "Of the Tower": this signifies that she was a royal ship, like "H.M.S." of to-day.

[7] A strong bow that needed a tourniquet or winch to draw it back.

[8] A coarse woollen stuff.

[9] Innkeepers.

[10] Threw the enemy's survivors overboard and drowned them.

[11] Called.

[12] At one time the "British Blue" was rather fond of calling himself a "matlow" or "matlo", though it is said the custom is falling into disuse. It has been stated that it dates from the old comradeship of French and English in the Crimean War. The French word matelot, by the way, is derived from matelas, a mattress. Before hammocks, two men used a mattress in turn, one being always on watch.

[13] I say "ordinary" advisedly, as an archer got 3d. a day in 1346 and probably earlier.

[14] "Hereby would I shew you how foolhardy is he who adventures himself in such peril, if he be in debt to any man, or is in deadly sin; for one goes to sleep at night never knowing whether one will awake at the bottom of the sea."

[15] Paul Lacroix.

[16] "Bus", "ships of the largest size, with triple sails".

[17] She was first called the Gret Carrick, then Imperyall Carrick, next Henry Imperiall. The name Henri Grace À Dieu was written with all kinds of variations; sometimes she was merely called the Harry, and finally, after King Harry's death, the Edward.

[18] Each of the Carews adopted the badge of a ship's "fighting-top", which still appears as the crest of the family.

[19] Purchased about 1544, probably from the Hansa.

[20] Seeling means literally to "roll from side to side", but it is evidently here used for the sides themselves.

[21] As guns of these days were called after animals and birds, the "musket" received its name from "mosquito".

[22] The Elizabethan seamen, and indeed their successors, must have inherited somewhat of the old Viking Berserkers' dislike of defensive armour, or any equipment limiting bodily activity. Sir Richard Hawkins complained in 1593 that though he had with him in his expedition to the South Seas "great preparation of armour, as well of proofe as of light corsletts, yet not a man would use them ".

[23] Law's Memorialls.

[24] Chapter VI.

[25] Nicholas. History British Navy.

[26] Massinger.

[27] From the Parish Books of Portishead, Somerset: Acct. of Disbursements:—

"1722.—Gave 5 sailors taken by Pierates	...	10d.
1723.—Gave 1 man that had been in turkey	...	1d.
1726.—Gave 6 poor men tacking by the pirits	...	6d.
1726.—Gave 7 poor sailors burnt	...	1s."

Mr. Henry Caer of Portishead, who has been good enough to send me these extracts, thinks that "burnt" in the last entry means that their ship had been burnt.

[28] i.e. "yield".

[29] This, the old Grecian signal to engage, in 1292 "signified certain death and mortal strife to all sailors everywhere". In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was constantly used as an emblem of "Defiance" and "No Quarter". The mutineers at the Nore hoisted it in 1797, as did the Paris Communists in 1871.

[30] A species of grape-shot.

[31] "Bonnet", an extra piece of canvas laced to a sail to enlarge it. "Vail", to lower.

[32] Or Convertine, originally the Destiny.

[33] Guizot, Cromwell, and the English Commonwealth.

[34] Louis XIV of France.

[35] In the Civil War, according to Warburton's Memoirs of Prince Rupert, apothecaries' mortars were sometimes used in emergencies.

[36] In Henry V's expedition to Harfleur he took with him, among others, two big guns known as the "London" and "the King's Daughter".

[37] Sometimes called Hugget.

[38] Compiled from five authorities, who differ slightly.

[39] Lat., coluber, a serpent.

[40] In 1586 "gunners were provided with milk and vinegar to cool their pieces".

[41] There may have been some 68-pounder carronades in action.

[42] If we except the Neptune, which was built by a foreign Government and eventually acquired by the Royal Navy.

[43] It would perhaps be more correct to call the Lord Nelson and Agamemnon contemporaries of the Dreadnought. They were practically experimental ships offering an alternative type. The cost of thirty of these ships would have been the same as that of twenty-nine Dreadnoughts. The annual upkeep of twenty-nine Dreadnoughts would be less by £15,000 than that of thirty Lord Nelsons.

[44] i.e. Corneilius Van Drebbel.

[45] Sides.

[46] A Mariner of England, 1780-1817. Colonel Spencer Childers.

[47] The Chinese considered this a practical form of warfare even in comparatively recent times. In The Voyage of H.M.S. Nemesis (1841) an account is given of the preparations made against the British fleet. At Canton it was stated that "several hundred divers were said to be in training who were to go down and bore holes in our ships at night; or even, as the Chinese privately reported, to carry down with them some combustible material which would burn under water and destroy our vessels".

[48] There is, however, in this MS. a picture of what is probably intended for a diver wearing a metal helmet without a tube.

[49] i.e. King Solomon.

[50] Included in the ships' companies of the Middle Ages were "seamen who knew how to swim for a long time under water". These divers "pierced the ships (of the enemy) in many places so that the water could enter". In an old work on naval architecture, published in 1629, it is stated in reference to the Turkish pirates of Barbary that "The Corsairs, indeed, are very wily in attack and defence, acquainted with many kinds of projectiles, even Submarine Torpedoes, which a diver will attach to an enemy's keel".

[51] See The Story of the Submarine, by Colonel C. Field, R.M.L.I.

[52] See The Story of the Submarine, by Colonel C. Field, R.M.L.I.

[53] Letter from Mr. Ellis to Lord Lexington, 9th August, 1695.

[54] In the Civil War in America the Louisiana was filled with 430,000 pounds of powder, and exploded against Fort Fisher on Christmas Eve, 1864, with little or no effect. This is the last recorded case of an explosion-ship, unless we reckon the four fireships in the form of rafts that in April, 1915, were sent by the Germans against a fort at Osowiec. Some never arrived; the others were blown up by the guns of the fort.

[55] War with Russia, by H. Tyrell.

[56] i.e. tinder.

[57] Possibly not, as there was a composite battalion at Tangier composed of companies from various regiments, including one of marines.

[58] "Five or six hundred seamen and others of the Marine Regiment."—Reminiscences of Cork, by Crofton Croker (MS.).

[59] Lutterell.

[60] Several years ago the Kaiser bestowed this distinction on a Hessian Regiment on account of its ancestors—so it is stated—having participated in the capture. I have studied the taking of Gibraltar pretty thoroughly, but have never found any mention of a German regiment taking part in it.

[61] Life and Adventures of Matthew Bishop. London, 1744.

[62] Quoted in Cassell's British Sea Kings and Sea Fights.

[63] A soldier who used to be placed in front of a regiment, by whose motions the movements of the exercises with arms were directed. In some regiments at the present day the right-hand man steps a pace forward on the order "Fix bayonets", to give the time and ensure all moving together.

[64] Blackwood's Magazine, October, 1858.

[65] Now Brigadier-General Marchant, C.B., A.D.C.

[66] Now Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., the famous commander of our Grand Fleet.

[67] Now Major-General Johnstone, C.B.

[68] Engineer-Commander Chas. E. Eldred, R.N., Everybody's Book of the Navy.

[69] "The Progress of Dreadnoughts", Journal of Commerce, 4th March, 1915.

[70] "Your Navy as a Fighting Machine." Fred. T. Jane.

[71] Particulars from Submarines, Mines, and Torpedoes in the War. C. W. Domville Fife.

[72] Paper by Lieutenant C. N. Hinkamp, United States Navy, reprinted in Journal of Commerce, 29th April, 1915.

[73] German ships, by the way, are often provided with a heavier astern fire than a forward one, so that apparently they have long decided to fight a retreating action. The opposite system is pursued in our navy.

[74] Except between 1713 and 1739, when there were no marines.

[75] "Fixed" is, perhaps, not the right word to use. Up to and including part of the nineteenth century, marines and soldiers seem to have been enlisted for an indefinite period—for as long or short a time as the Government chose to keep them.

[76] The Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers were disbanded in 1892 on the report of a Committee of which the late Admiral Sir George Tryon was president. The report said: "The corps of Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers is composed of men who have not, as a rule, practical acquaintance with the sea, but are attracted by sympathy and aspiration. The Committee suggest that there are grounds for maintaining that a Volunteer Force affiliated to the Royal Marine Artillery—from the system of training and discipline that would be established—would be a far more permanently valuable force than any so-termed naval force in which are enrolled men not inured to sea-life and who have no sufficient practical experience at sea, which experience cannot be given by Government under any volunteer system we can devise."

[77] The bluejacket of to-day, by the way, often refers to himself as a "Matlow" or a "Flat-foot", while the marines are often termed "Leather-necks".

[78] i.e. the anchor

[79] i.e. the ship's company.

[80] Said to be a corruption of gendarme.

[81] The first shot, probably from the Amphion—thus the first shot of the war afloat—was fired by Private J. B. King, R.M.L.I. (Plymouth), who died of wounds in Netley Hospital soon after the sinking of the Amphion.

[82] Official account.

[83] Fred. T. Jane, Your Navy as a Fighting-machine.

[84] Naval and Military Record.

[85] In the Morning Post.

[86] i.e. torpedoes.

[87] Naval and Military Record.

[88] Ibid.

[89] Naval and Military Record.

[90] Ibid.

[91] Journal of Commerce, Weekly Edition, 14th April, 1915.

[92] In the Times.

[93] i.e. of guns.

[94] Lance-Sergeant H. Blanchard, R.M.L.I., in The Globe and Laurel.

[95] Captain Luce of the Glasgow in his official report.

[96] Mr. Esmonde, published in Penny Pictorial Magazine.

[97] Quoted by Mr. Esmonde in his letter.

[98] Mr. Esmonde's letter.

[99] Lance-Sergeant H. Blanchard.

[100] Globe and Laurel.

[101] Times.

[102] Editor Aeronautical Journal.

[103] Published in The Sphere.

[104] Naval and Military Record.

Obvious punctuation errors were correced.

The text uses both warships and war-ships. This, and other varied hyphenation, was retained.

The text uses both ZeebrÜgge and Zeebrugge.

The remaining corrections made are listed below.

Page 6 and also on actual illustration near 192, the hyphen was removed from BLUE-JACKETS to reflect the many uses in the text.

Page 44, "Mont-joie's" changed to "Mont-Joie's" (of the Mont-Joie's passengers)

Page 105, "intollerable" changed to "intolerable" (too intolerable to suffer the)

Page 107, "ther" changed to "their" (written over to their)

Page 130, "Greite" changed to "Griete" (Dulle Griete or "Mad Marjery")

Page 172, "fforged" changed to "forged" (forged cases to be shot)

Page 182, "cassion" changed to "caisson" (caisson at least 17)

Page 238, illustration caption, "Blucher" changed to "BlÜcher" (fate of the BlÜcher in)

Page 245, "markmanship" changed to "marksmanship" (was the marksmanship of her)

Page 295, footnote 103, number of footnote added to citation. Footnote text: (Published in The Sphere)

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