Merchantmen-at-arms : the British merchants' service in the war

David W. (David William) Bone

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• Publié par: enno
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 48
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Merchantmen-at-Arms, by David W. Bone This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: Merchantmen-at-Arms THE BRITISH MERCHANTS' SERVICE IN THE WAR Author: David W. Bone Illustrator: Muirhead Bone Release Date: April 11, 2010 [EBook #31953] Language: English *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MERCHANTMEN-AT-ARMS *** Produced by Tor Martin Kristiansen and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) In memory of Thomas A. Noster, American Merchant Marine, from June 29, 1942-August 15, 1945. Cover Merchantmen-at-Arms Frontispiece MERCHANTMEN AT GUN PRACTICE F r o n t i s p i e c e MERCHANTMEN AT GUN PRACTICE Merchantmen-at-Arms THE BRITISH MERCHANTS' SERVICE IN THE WAR BYDAVID W. BONE DRAWINGS BY MUIRHEAD BONE Emblem LONDON: CHATTO & WINDUS 1919 All rights reserved TO ALGERNON C. F. HENDERSON AS REPRESENTING A SYMPATHETIC AND UNDERSTANDING GOVERNANCE IN AN IMPORTANT SECTION OF THE BRITISH MERCHANTS' SEA SERVICECONTENTS PART I PAGE I THE MERCHANTS' SERVICE Our Foundation 3 The Structure 14 II OUR RELATIONS WITH THE NAVY Joining Forces 21 At Sea 26 Our War Staff 30 III THE LONGSHORE VIEW 44 IV CONNECTION WITH THE STATE Trinity House, our Alma Mater 53 The Board of Trade 61 V MANNING 67 PART II VI THE COASTAL SERVICES The Home Trade 77 Pilots 87 Lightships 91 VII 'THE PRICE O' FISH' 97 VIII THE RATE OF EXCHANGE 103 IX INDEPENDENT SAILINGS 110 X BATTLEDORE AND SHUTTLECOCK 116 XI ON SIGNALS AND WIRELESS 120 XII TRANSPORT SERVICES 125 Interlude 132 'The Man-o'-War's 'er 'usband' 134 XIII THE SALVAGE SECTION The Tidemasters 141 A Day on the Shoals 147 The Dry Dock 156 XIV ON CAMOUFLAGE—AND SHIPS' NAMES 163 XV FLAGS AND BROTHERHOOD OF THE SEA 169 PART III XVI THE CONVOY SYSTEM 177 XVII OUTWARD BOUND 184 XVIII RENDEZVOUS 190 XIX CONFERENCE 198 XX THE SAILING Fog, and the Turn of the Tide 205 'In Execution of Previous Orders' 212 XXI THE NORTH RIVER 217 XXII HOMEWARDS The Argonauts 224 On Ocean Passage 230 'One Light on all Faces' 236 XXIII 'DELIVERING THE GOODS' 244 XXIV CONCLUSION: 'M N' 252 APPENDIX 255 INDEX 257ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Merchantmen at Gun Practice Frontispiece The Clyde from the Tower of the Clyde Trust Buildings xi Gravesend: A Merchantman Outward Bound 3 The Bridge of a Merchantman 7 The Old and the New: The MARGARET of Dublin and R.M.S. TUSCANIA 15 In a Merchantman—Bomb-Thrower Practice 21 A British Submarine detailed for Instruction of Merchant Officers 31 The D.A.M.S. Gunwharf at Glasgow 33 Instructional Anti-Submarine Course for Merchant Officers at Glasgow 39 The Loss of a Liner 44 The Mersey from the Liver Buildings, Liverpool 49 The Master of the Gull Lightship writing the Log 53 At Gravesend: Pilots awaiting an Inward-Bound Convoy 59 Transports leaving Southampton on the Night Passage to France 67 Liverpool: Merchantmen signing on for Oversea Voyages 69 The Ruler of Pilots at Deal 77 A Heavily Armed Coasting Barge 83 The Lampman of the Gull Lightship 93 Minesweepers going out 97 Southampton Water 103 'Out-Boats' in a Merchantman 105 Firemen standing by to relieve the Watch 111 Queen's Dock, Glasgow 116 The Bridge-Boy repairing Flags 121 A Transport Embarking Troops for France 125 Transports in Southampton Docks 129 135The LEVIATHAN docking at Liverpool Salvage Vessels off Yarmouth, Isle of Wight 141 In a Salvage Vessel: Overhauling the Insulation of the Power Leads 145 A Torpedoed Merchantman on the Shoals: Salvage Officers making a Survey 151 A Torpedoed Ship in Dry Dock 157 Dazzle 163 An Apprentice in the Merchants' Service 171 A Standard Ship at Sea 177 Building a Standard Ship 179 The Thames Estuary in War-Time 184 Dropping the Pilot 187 Examination Service Patrol boarding an Incoming Steamer 190 Dawn: Convoy preparing to put to Sea 193 Evening: Plymouth Hoe 198 A Convoy Conference 201 The Old Harbour, Plymouth 205 Convoy sailing from Plymouth Sound 207 Inward Bound 217 A Transport Loading 219 A Convoy in the Atlantic 224 227The Bows of the KASHMIR damaged by Collision The Mayflower Quay, the Barbican, Plymouth 233 Evening: The Mersey from the Landing-Stage 241 The Steersman 243 The Work of a Torpedo 244 Transports Discharging in Liverpool Docks 245 Troop Transports disembarking at the Landing-Stage, Liverpool 249'M N' 252 THE CLYDE FROM THE TOWER OF THE CLYDE TRUST BUILDINGS THE CLYDE FROM THE TOWER OF THE CLYDE TRUST BUILDINGSINTRODUCTION RITTEN largely between the shipping crisis of 1917 and the surrender of German undersea arms at Harwich onW November 20, 1918, this book is an effort to record a seaman's impressions of the trial through which the Merchants' Service has come in the war. It is necessarily halting and incomplete. The extent of the subject is perhaps beyond the safe traverse of a mariner's dead reckoning. Policies of governmental control and of the economics of our management do not come within the scope of the book except as text to the diary of seafaring. Out at sea it is not easy to keep the right proportions in forming an opinion of measures devised on a grand scale, and of the operation of which we see only a small part. Our slender thread of communication with longshore happenings is often broken, and understanding is warped by conjecture. In pride of his ancient trade, the seaman may perceive an importance and vital instrumentality in the ships and their voyages that may not be so evident to the landsman. By this is the mariner constantly impressed: that, without the merchant's enterprise on the sea—the adventure of his finance, his ships, his gear, his men—the armed and enlisted resources of the State could not have prevailed in averting disaster and defeat. The unique experiences of individual seamen—the trials of seafaring under less favourable circumstances than was the writer's good fortune—the plaints and grievances of our internal affairs—are but lightly sketched. Many brother seamen may feel that the harassing and often despairing case of the average tramp steamer has not adequately been dealt with; that—in "Outward Bound," as an instance—the writer presents a tranquil and idyllic picture which cannot be accepted as typical. The bitter hardship of proceeding on a voyage under war conditions, with the same small crew that was found inadequate in peace-time, is hardly suggested; the extent of the work to be overtaken is perhaps camouflaged in that description of setting out. Reality would more frequently show a vessel being hurried out of dock on the top of the tide, putting to sea into heavy weather, with the hatchways open over hasty stowage, and all the litter of a week's harbour disroutine standing to be cleared by a raw and semi-mutinous crew. Criticism on these grounds is just: but it was ever the seaman's custom to dismiss heavy weather—when it was past and gone—and recall only the fine days of smooth sailing. If the hard times of our strain and labouring are not wholly over, at least we have fallen in with a more favouring wind from the land. Conditions in the Merchants' Service are vastly improved since Germany challenged our right to pass freely on our lawful occasions. Relations between the owner and the seamen are less strained. Remuneration for sea-service is now more adequate. The sullen atmosphere of harsh treatment on the one hand, and grudging service on the other, has been cleared away by the hurricane threat to our common interests. Throughout the book there are some few extracts—all indicated by quotation marks—from the works of modern authors. The writer wishes to acknowledge their use and to mention the following: "Trinity House," by Walter H. Mayo; "The Sea," by F. Whymper; "The Merchant Seamen in War," by L. Cope Cornford; "Fleets behind the Fleet," by W. Macneile Dixon; "North Sea Fishers and Fighters" and "Fishermen in Wartime," both by Walter Wood; the pages of the Nautical Magazine. The grateful thanks of writer and artist are tendered to Rear-Admiral Sir Douglas Brownrigg, Chief Naval Censor, and to Lord Beaverbrook and Mr. Arnold Bennett, of the Ministry of Information, for facilities and kindly assistance in preparation of the work. The writer's indebtedness to his Owners for encouragement and for generous leave of absence (without which the book could not have been written) is especially acknowledged. Mr. Muirhead Bone's drawings reproduced in this book were executed during the war for the Ministry of Information with the co-operation of the Admiralty. They are now in the possession of the Imperial War Museum. With the exception of the illustrations on pages 44, 224, and 252, these drawings were made on the spot. DAVID W. BONEPART I GRAVESEND: A MERCHANTMAN OUTWARD BOUND GRAVESEND: A MERCHANTMAN OUTWARD BOUNDI THE MERCHANTS' SERVICE OUR FOUNDATION LTHOUGH sea-interest of to-day finds an expression somewhat trite and familiar, the spell of the ships and theA romance of voyaging drew an instant and wondering recognition from the older chroniclers. With a sure sense of right emphasis, yet observing an austere simplicity, they preserved for us an eloquent and adequate impression of the vital power of the ships. One outstanding fact remains constantly impressed in their records—that our island gates are set fast on the limits of tide-mark, leaving no way out but by passage of the misty sea-line; there is no gangway to a foreign field other than the planking of our vessels. Grandeur of the fleets, the might of sea-ordnance, the intense dramatic decision of a landing, stand out in the great pieces the early writers and painters designed. Brave kingly figures wind in and out against the predominant background of rude hulls and rigging and weathered sa