The Memoirs of Admiral Lord Beresford
were forfeited. In 1818, he accepted the chief command of the Chilian
Navy, then of the Brazilian Navy, and then entered the Greek naval
service. King William the Fourth upon his succession reinstated
Dundonald in his rank in the Royal Navy.
Admiral of the Red Sir William Parker, Bart, G.C.B., {37} went with
Nelson in pursuit of the French Fleet to the West Indies and back in
1805.
Admiral of the White Sir Lucius Curtis, Bart, C.B., served in the
Mediterranean in 1804 and 1805.
Admiral of the White Sir John Louis, Bart., served in the Mediterranean
in 1804.
Admiral of the White John Ayscough was flag-lieutenant in the _Queen
Charlotte_, Lord Rowe's flagship, in the Channel in 1797; he afterwards
served with distinction in Holland, Quiberon, Cadiz, Egypt, the West
Indies; and, with two frigates and some sloops, protected Sicily
against the invasion of Joachim Murat.
Admiral of the Blue Sir Edward Chetham Strode, K.C.B., K.C.H., served
under Lord Hood in the _Victory_ in the Mediterranean, taking part in
the evacuation of Toulon, in the sieges of St. Fiorenza, Bastia and
Calvi, in Corsica. In August, 1794, he was lieutenant in the
_Agamemnon_, commanded by Nelson. He performed much distinguished
service until, in 1841, he attained flag rank and went on half-pay.
Admiral of the Blue William Bowles, C.B., entered the Navy in 1796, was
employed in the Channel and off Cadiz, in the North Sea, West Indies,
and North American station. In command of the _Zebra_ bomb, he went
with Lord Gambier to Copenhagen. In 1813, and again in 1816, he
performed excellent service in protecting British trade in Rio la Plata
and the neighbouring coasts.
Admiral of the Blue James Whitley Deans Dundas, C.B., entered the Navy
in 1799, took part in the blockade of Alexandria in 1800, and served
with distinction in the North Sea, Baltic and Mediterranean.
Admiral of the Blue Henry Hope, C.B., took part in the blockade of
Alexandria in 1800, and served in the Mediterranean.
Admiral of the Blue the Hon. Sir Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew
performed long and gallant fighting services in the Dutch East Indies.
Admiral of the Blue Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B., etc. etc., {38} had a
most distinguished fighting record in the West Indies and on the coast
of Syria. In 1841 he represented Marylebone in Parliament, in which
respect, as in others, his career resembled that of Lord Charles
Beresford.
In 1854, Sir Charles Napier was appointed to the command of the great
fleet which sailed for the Baltic in the spring of that year. Admiral
Penrose Fitzgerald, who received his nomination to the Navy from Sir
Charles Napier, and who served in the second Baltic expedition of the
following year, makes some instructive observations in respect of the
treatment of Sir Charles Napier by the authorities.
"... The issue was really decided in the Black Sea, and both Baltic
expeditions were, practically speaking, failures. The admirals were
told by the Government that they were not to attack stone forts with
their wooden ships, and were then censured by the same Government for
doing nothing, when there was really nothing else to do. Sir Charles
Napier, who commanded the British Baltic fleet in the summer of 1854,
was shamefully treated by the politicians, and, being a hot tempered
old gentleman, he couldn't stand it. He got into Parliament as member
for Southwark and gave them back as good as they gave.... It was the
old story--the politicians shunting the blame on to the soldiers or the
sailors when they fail to achieve such success as is expected of them,
but quite ready to take credit to themselves for their magnificent
strategy and foresight when it turns out the other way.... When Sir
Charles was peremptorily ordered to haul down his flag, as a punishment
for not disobeying orders, he was superseded in command by Admiral
Dundas, who had been a Lord of the Admiralty in 1854...."
Sir Charles Napier requested the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, to
grant an inquiry into his case. He then addressed the following letter
to Lord Palmerston:--"I sent your Lordship my case, which I requested
you to lay before the Cabinet, but you have not favoured me with a
reply. I am aware of the various occupations of your Lordship, but
{39} still there ought to be some consideration for an old officer who
has served his country faithfully, and who has held an important
command. Had my papers been examined by your Cabinet, and justice
done, instead of dismissing me, and appointing one of the Lords of the
Admiralty my successor, you would have dismissed Sir James Graham and
his Admiralty, for treachery to me." (_Life of Sir Charles Napier_, by
General Elers Napier. Quoted by Admiral Penrose Fitzgerald, in
_Memories of the Sea_.)
Sir Charles Napier, remarks Admiral Fitzgerald, "thus gave his wary
enemies a chance of accusing him of disrespect towards those in
authority."
Admiral of the Blue Phipps Hornby, C.B., was promoted acting-lieutenant
from the _Victory_, flagship of Lord Nelson, to the _Excellent_, 74.
As captain of the _Volage_, 22, he received a gold medal from the
Admiralty for gallant conduct in the action off Lissa of March, 1811,
when a British squadron of 156 guns and 859 men defeated after six
hours' action a Franco-Venetian force of 284 guns and 2655 men.
Such is the tale of the admirals of the Red, White and Blue in the year
1858-9. Several of them had actually served in Nelson's ships; the
most of them had served under Nelson's command, when Lord Charles
Beresford joined the Navy.
In the same year, the number of officers receiving pensions for wounds
on service was 104.
Admirals . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Vice-admirals . . . . . . . . . . 10
Rear-admirals . . . . . . . . . . 4
Captains . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Commanders . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Lieutenants . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Surgeons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Mates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Second masters . . . . . . . . . . 1
Paymasters . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
---
104
===
{40}
The total number of men in the Royal Navy in 1858-9 was 53,700: 38,700
seamen, 15,000 Marines. In 1912-13, the total number was 137,500:
118,700 seamen, 15,800 Marines. In 1810, the number of seamen and
Marines was 145,000: 113,600 seamen, 31,400 Marines.
{41}
CHAPTER IV
THE SHIP OF UNHAPPY MEMORY
I did not like the _Defence_. I thought her a dreadful ship. After
the immaculate decks, the glittering perfection, the spirit and fire
and pride of the _Marlborough_, the "flagship of the world," I was
condemned to a slovenly, unhandy, tin kettle which could not sail
without steam; which had not even any royal-masts; and which took
minutes instead of seconds to cross topgallant yards, a disgusting
spectacle to a midshipman of the _Marlborough_. Instead of the
splendid sun and blue waters of the Mediterranean, there were the cold
skies and the dirty seas of the Channel. I wrote to my father asking
him to remove me from the Navy.
The _Defence_ was one of the iron-built, or iron-cased, armoured,
heavily rigged, steam-driven, broadside-fire vessels launched from 1860
to 1866. They represented the transition from the Old Navy to the New,
inasmuch as they retained large sailing powers and broadside fire,
combining with these traditional elements, iron construction and steam
propulsion. They were the _Warrior_, _Black Prince_, _Defence_,
_Resistance_, _Hector_, _Valiant_, _Achilles_, _Minotaur_, _Agincourt_,
and _Northumberland_. The _Defence_, launched in 1861, was (in modern
terms) of 6270 tons displacement, 2540 h.p., 11.6 knots speed, carried
22 guns, and had a complement of 450 men. She was commanded by Captain
Augustus Phillimore, and was one of the Channel Squadron, which, in the
year 1863, was commanded by Rear-Admiral Robert Smart, K.H.
{42}
CHANNEL SQUADRON
(NAVY LIST, 1863, DESCRIPTION)
Rate H.P. Name Guns Tons Com. Officer Complement
2nd S. 800 Revenge (Flag) 73 3322 Capt. Charles 800
Fellowes
Iron-cased
ship S. 1250 Warrior 70 6109 Capt. Hon. A. 704
A. Cochrane,
C.B.
" S. 1250 Black Prince 40 6109 Capt. J. F. A. 704
Wainwright
" S. 600 Defence 16 3720 Capt. Augustus 457
Phillimore
" S. 600 Resistance 16 3710 Capt. W. C. 457
Chamberlain
Gunboat S. 60 Trinculo 2 --- Tender to 24
Revenge
The Channel Squadron at that time was employed in cruising round the
coasts of the British Isles, in order to familiarise people on shore
with the Fleet. In later life it fell to me, as commander-in-chief, to
conduct similar cruises, of whose object I thoroughly approve.
The _Warrior_ and _Black Prince_, in particular, were stately and noble
vessels whose beauty was a delight to behold. Their great spread of
sail, their long hulls and yacht bows, the vast expanse of flush wooden
decks, their solidity and grace, set them among the finest ships ever
built.
I was somewhat consoled in the _Defence_ by being placed in charge of
the cutter; in which I succeeded, by a small feat of seamanship, in
earning the rare commendation of the first lieutenant. I was about to
sail off to the Fleet from Devonport, when I discovered that the yard
of the dipping lug was sprung. This was serious, as it was blowing
fairly hard. Fortunately, I had one of those knives so dear to
boyhood, containing a small saw and other implements; and with this
weapon I shaped a batten and fitted it to the yard, woolded it with
spun-yarn and wedged it tight. I did not expect it to hold; but,
double-reefing the sail, I put off. All {43} the way to the ship I had
an eye on the yard, and it held. Of course I was late on board; and
the first lieutenant declined to believe my explanation of the delay
until he had had the yard hoisted on deck. Then he was kind enough to
say, "Well, my boy, if you can do a thing like that, there's hope for
you yet." Every little ray of hope is worth having.
But by reason of my love for the cutter, I fell into trouble. In the
dockyard at Devonport, there stood a mast newly fitted with beautiful
new white signal halliards, the very thing for the cutter. I should
explain that, as we were kept very short of stores, stealing in the
Service from the Service for the Service, used to be a virtue. There
was once an admiral who stole a whole ship's propeller in order to melt
the brass from it; and it was another admiral who boasted to me of his
brother officer's achievement. Of course, no one ever steals anything
nowadays; nothing is ever missing out of store; and no midshipman would
dream of attempting to convey signal halliards from the dockyard into
his boat.
But I did. I brought an end of the halliard into an adjacent shed,
concealed in which I revolved swiftly upon my axis, winding the rope
about me. Then I put on an overcoat, borrowed for the purpose. But my
figure presented an appearance so unnaturally rotund that a policeman
experienced in diagnosing these sudden metamorphoses, compelled me to
divest and to revolve, unwinding, in the public eye. He also reported