Naval and Maritime Book
Reviews by Rob Jerrard
Books from Pen and Sword
Books Limited
Depth
Charge, Royal naval Mines, Depth Charges and Underwater Weapons 1914-1945
Author:
Chris Henry
ISBN:
1844151743
Publishers:
Pen & Sword
Price
£19.99 RRP UK
Publication
Date: 2005
I
should first say that because of my age, the years which this book covers were
before my time in the RN. It covers up
to 1945. Chapter 10 covers,
"ahead throwing weapons". My
first two ships, HMS Grafton 1958 and HMS Chichester 1959 did have "ahead
throwing weapons", but not "hedgehog".
The first hedgehog was fitted to LCT 162. HMS Grafton being a Blackwood class 14 anti-submarine frigate had
to "limbo", a three-barrelled depth charge mortar and HMS Chichester
being a first rate Salisbury type 61 aircraft direction frigate, carried a
"squid" a triple-barrelled depth charge mortar.
According
to several books I have consulted HMS Aisne a battle class destroyer I served
in (1966) also had squid, but I confess I cannot recall it.
I
can vouch for the excitement of seeing these weapons in action. Indeed I have some very good photographs of
Chichester firing her squid off Singapore, taken from HMS Albion alongside us. For some reason we were allowed to remain on
the forecastle that day, instead of the usual, "take cover". 
I can also recall that in Grafton we very often fired
the limbo because we were part of the 2nd TS at Portland, Dorset and
went out daily to train with Submarines.
I
understand that the limbo A/S mortar was introduced into the Whitby class frigates
after successful sea trials in the weapon class destroyer Scorpion. They gave all-round training instead of
having to point the ships, as with squid.
This
book has some previously unseen photographs from the collection held at the
Museum of Naval Firepower in Gosport,
which was originally the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Priddy's Hard,
familiar to HMS St Vincent boys I am sure.
Within
the book there are also lots of highly technical drawings of mines and rare
photographs of ships.
HMS
Vernon features in the book since on the eve of the First World War it was one
of the first establishments developing and testing naval weapons, and the
mining school was formed there
The
author describes "squid" on page 165
“Squid
was a three-barrelled mortar that fired a particularly large projectile, which
weighed 4001b and contained 2001b of explosive. According to Willem Hackmann, ‘Its most novel feature was the
automatic setting of the depth pistols of the projectiles by the Type 147
depth-determining asdic set. The three
barrels were set at a fixed elevation, but mounted at their base on a
horizontal training axis driven by a motor.
This could alter the training angle by about 30° side to side. The three
barrels were fixed slightly out of alignment so that when fired the bombs would
land in a triangular pattern of about 120ft on each side. Unlike Hedgehog, Squid was able to explode
its charges at varying depths and if a ship were armed with two weapons, they
could be arranged to fire at different depths. Squid was revolutionary because it was developed in conjunction
with a depth measuring ASDIC unit. The projectiles had time fuses, which were
set automatically when the depth of the target was known. The sinking speed was
expected to be 40ft per second. The body had a flat nose and rounded front end,
but otherwise it was cylindrical, terminating in a stabilizing tail. The nose
was weighted by being made from cast iron. Gas checks were built into the body.
The fuse was set into the nose and had a two-stage arming device, which was
initiated on set-back in the mortar ('set-back' being the term for the shock
transmitted to the fuse when the projectile is launched) and fully armed on
impact when it entered the water. These two features were combined with an altered
clock-timed mechanical fuse, number 211 Mark 3. These devices were chosen
because they were already in production and available in quantity. The
technical history produced by the department explained the workings of the
mechanical fuse:
The
mechanism, when started, continues to run until the ‘hand' reaches a form
recess in the hand race, the position of which has been preset by the setting
motor actuated by electrical impulses transmitted from the Depth Setting
Control (DSC) in the ASDIC room in accordance with the last depth prediction.
Firing occurs when the hand is ejected into the recess in the present position.'
This
weapon did not come into service until 1943 but it quickly had an impact.
This
fascinating book not only covers the history of these weapons but it also tells
us something of the lives of the men who worked at HMS Vernon. Little is known of such men as Herbert J
Taylor MBE, who retired on 22 December 1945 having never been recognised
officially by the authorities. An
appendix gives a complete list of his inventions.
Rob
Jerrard
Treaty
Cruisers - The First International Warship Building Competition
Author:
Leo Marriott
ISBN:
1 84415 188 3
Publishers:
Pen & Sword Books Limited
Price
£19.99
Publication
Date: 15 December 2005
Press
release
The
Washington Naval Treaty of 1921 and subsequent treaties in the 1930s
effectively established the size and composition of the various navies in World
War II. In particular they laid down design parameters and tonnage limitations
for each class of warship including battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers
and destroyers.
With
one or two exceptions, battleship construction was deferred until the mid 1930s
but virtually all navies embraced the concept of the Bin gun-armed 10, 000 ton
heavy cruiser and laid down new vessels almost immediately.
Treaty
Cruisers traces the political processes which led to the treaties, describe the
heavy cruisers designed and built to the same rules by each nation and then
considers how the various classes fared in World War 11 and assesses which were
the most successful.
Ships
from the navies of Britain (County Class), France (Duquense, Suffren and
Algeria Classes), Italy (Trento, Zara and Bolzano Classes), Germany (Hipper
Class), the USA (Pensacola, Northampton, Portland, New Orleans, Wichita and
Baltimore Classes) and Japan (Furatake, Asoba, Myoko, Takoa, Mogami, and Tone
Classes) are included. Appendices cover construction tables, the history of
each ship, technical specifications, armament and aircraft carried.
Review
I became aware from an early
age that my uncle had been lost when HMS Barham was torpedoed on 25 November
1941. I also knew that he had served in
HMS Devonshire (because I have the commissioning book) when it was attached to the
First Cruiser Squadron Mediterranean Fleet 1931-1934 Captain DB Le Mottee and
dispatched on special service in China.
My father was not what you
would describe as a great talker.
However one day when I asked again about the ships his brother served
in, he suddenly remembered that he had served in HMS Hawkins before WWII. The Hawkins Class were the precursor of the
Treaty cruisers. Because of my interest
in Hawkins and Devonshire and the fact that I served in HMS Lion, a Tiger Class
cruiser, the last cruisers built for the Royal Navy makes this book of
particular interest to me. I am also
confident it will find a wide readership in all those ex-RN personnel, who
either served in or remember the County Class cruisers, names familiar to many
of us, Berwick, Cornwall, Cumberland (famed for steaming 1000 miles from the
Falklands in 34 hours to join other ships at the River Plate), Kent, Suffolk,
Australia, Canberra, Devonshire, London, Shropshire, Sussex, Dorsetshire,
Norfolk, York and Exeter. It may also
be of interest to children and grandchildren of men who served in these ships.
Prior to any alterations
(London was reduced to two funnels) the earlier ships were often referred to as
three funnelled cruisers and easily recognised.
Dorsetshire was the last to
be built. Devonshire was finally
scrapped in 1954 having been present at the Royal Fleet Review of 1953. Cumberland was the last survivor - she was
broken up in 1958 after a career spanning thirty years.
There was of course more
than one Treaty and not all applied to or were accepted by all countries. Most books will divide up British Treaty
cruisers into classes eg Kent Class were Berwick, Cornwall, Cumberland, Kent,
Suffolk, Australia and Canberra. London
Class were, Devonshire, London, Shropshire and Sussex. Norfolk Class were Dorsetshire and
Norfolk. Next came York and Exeter,
both in classes of their own. There
should have been a Surrey Class, Northumberland and Surrey were both cancelled.
It is still possible to see
some of these ships in films, the three funnels making them easy to
identify. London presents a recognition
problem because when modernised between 1939-41 she had a funnel removed and
subsequently took on the appearance of a Fiji Class light cruiser. York and Exeter being termed ‘B’ Class
cruisers also had two funnels.
Treaty Cruisers will also
appeal to enthusiasts outside the because it also covers Ships from the navies
of, France (Duquense, Suffren and Algeria Classes), Italy (Trento, Zara and
Bolzano Classes), Germany (Hipper Class), the USA (Pensacola, Northampton,
Portland, New Orleans, Wichita and Baltimore Classes) and Japan (Furatake,
Asoba, Myoko, Takoa, Mogami, and Tone Classes) are included.
Their names are not so
familiar although the German Treaty Cruisers come to mind, Hipper, Blücher and
Prinz Eugen.
The book is very well
illustrated and the Appendices are very informative. Appendix III for instance
discusses the one common factor in all the various Treaty cruisers, that they
were armed with 8” guns, details of which are discussed. Appendix II lists all the ships.
Appendices
cover construction tables, the history of each ship, technical specifications,
armament and aircraft carried.
There is no doubt that
cruiser enthusiasts will welcome this book.
Rob Jerrard
Armada
1588 The Spanish Assault on England
Author:
John Barratt
ISBN:
1 84415 323 1
Publishers:
Pen & Sword
Price
£16.99
Publication
Date: 17 November 2005
PRESS
RELEASE
Compelling
new account of the defeat of the Spanish Armada Story told in clear, concise
detail, day-by-day, hour-by-hour.
Based
on contemporary sources, eyewitness accounts, the latest historical and
archaeological research
Exposes
myths and misunderstandings about the battle
The
defeat of the Spanish Armada is one of the turning points in English history
and was perhaps the defining episode in the long reigns of Elizabeth I of
England and Philip II of Spain. The running battle along the channel between
the nimble English ships and the lumbering Spanish galleons has achieved
legendary status.
In
this compelling new account John Barratt reconstructs the battle against the
Armada in the concise, clear Campaign Chronicles format, which records the
action in vivid detail, day-by-day, hour-by-hour. Armada 1588 questions common
assumptions about the battle and looks again at aspects of the action that have
been debated or misunderstood. Included are full orders of battle showing the
effective strengths and fighting capabilities of the opposing fleets. There is
also an in-depth analysis of the far-reaching consequences of the wreck of
Philip II’s great enterprise.
John
Barratt has written widely on English sixteenth and seventeenth-century
history, and is well known for his books on the land and sea warfare of the
period. His recent research has focused on Elizabeth I's war with Spain, in
particular on the Armada and on Spanish galley operations in the English
Channel.
REVIEWS
At
a time when the whole country is celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the
Battle of Trafalgar it is apt to pause and with the publication of this
excellent book look further back to 1588 when perhaps the realm was in an even
greater danger, when invasion looked even more certain.
As the cover piece tells us,
the Spanish Armada is one of the turning points in English history and it was
perhaps the defining episode in the long reign of Elizabeth I of England and
Philip II of Spain. The running battle
along the channel between the nimble English ships and the lumbering Spanish
galleons has achieved legendary status.
It may well assist readers
to study the biographical notes, Orders of the Battle, Roll Call, Campaign
Glossary and Bibliography before reading the main text. Much will depend upon your previous
knowledge of the events of 1588 and your understanding of nautical terms. There are plenty of black and white
illustrations to assist to the reader and this book also uses the now familiar
‘boxed out themes’. This enables the
reader to study particular aspects whilst moving through the main text, eg,
what is the difference between a pirate and a privateer, who were trained bands
and militia, what was a race-built galleon?
This must have been a very
exciting and worrying time for England.
Do we remember Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher? The Royal Navy certainly does.
HMS Drake is the name retained by the naval base at Devonport and HMS
Hawkins and HMS Frobisher were cruisers that served before during and after
World War II, indeed my uncle Ronald Jerrard served on HMS Hawkins before World
War II.
Staying with the theme of
ships names we see just how far back names familiar to us today were already
used in the English fleet, Ark Royal, Victory, Triumph, Dreadnought, Revenge,
Swiftsure, Vanguard, and Tiger were all there.
There were also a variety of armed merchant vessels with names
unfamiliar such as Violet of London, Grace of Topsham, President of Dartmouth,
Bartholomew of Topsham to name just a few. (Topsham is a small town on the
river exe in Devon).
In this new account John
Barratt reconstructs the Battle against the Armada in the concise clear
campaign chronicles format, which records the action in vivid detail, day
by-day, hour-by-hour. He questions,
assumptions about the Battle, looks again at aspects of the action that have
been debated or misunderstood.
Writing as I do in Budleigh
Salterton I am reminded of the words of Sir Walter Ralegh, whose birthplace is
a short walk to the village of East Budleigh.
He said" to invade by sea upon a perilous coast, being neither in
possession of any port, nor succoured by any party, may better fit a prince
presuming on his fortune then enriched with understanding". In the author’s last paragraph he borrows
the words of a later British commander, the Armada campaign had been a very ‘
close-run thing indeed’.
If the Armada represents a
gap in your knowledge, this book would be a good buy at what is today a very
reasonable price.
Rob Jerrard
Review
Exciting new account using
the latest research available.
It is always nice to find an
author who knows his subject. In this case, John Barratt has written
extensively on 16th and 17th Century history and is an accomplished author on
the subjects of land and sea warfare from that period. More recently, however, his research has
been focused on the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and the war with Spain,
specifically, the Armada and other Spanish operations in the English Channel.
Research is the key to
producing any factual historical account and in this case the author has used
the very latest historical and archaeological research available in order to
completely reconstructed the battle - day by day and hour by hour. Unlike
previous accounts of the Armada of 1588, this carefully compiled and
well-written work, exposes many myths and misunderstandings of the battle at
sea by introducing new eyewitness and other contemporary accounts of the day.
For those who wish to know
for the first time, exactly what happened when Spain set out to invade England
and Drake decided to finish his game of Bowls (or did he?) before setting out
to see them off, this is the book for you. For those who previously thought
they knew all there was to know about that same period in history, then this is
the book to steer you through a new understanding of the events in question.
The text is well supported
with a carefully chosen selection of illustrations, portraits and maps, which
appear on each relevant page and not in a small glossy collection in the middle
of the book. In this way, each picture is relevant to the adjacent text and
does much to support one’s reading of the work.
NM
Into
the Minefields
Edition:
1st
Author:
Peter C Smith
ISBN:
1844152715
Publishers:
Pen & Sword
Price
£19.99
Publication
Date: 20thOct 2005
Press
Release
Into
the Minefields is the story of the 20th Minelaying Flotilla in WW1 and WW2.
During the early years of WW1 existing minelaying vessels were found to be far
too slow to penetrate into the strategically important waters under the cover
of darkness and survive. As a result, a flotilla of fast destroyers was created
that could be readily converted from their normal role into minelayers. Many of
the guns and torpedo tubes could be quickly disembarked and mine-rails, mines
and sinkers fitted in their place. These specialised ships were then despatched
deep into enemy waters.
Between
the wars further development took place and new minelaying classes were built
with dual capability. They were soon called into action at the outset of WW2
and laid minefields around Norway, Germany and occupied Europe and even North
Russia.
Peter
C. Smith is an accomplished naval historian and has published more than thirty
titles. Into The Minefields has been written with help from HMS Vernon the
Royal Navy's mine school, and includes many first-hand accounts written by
various members of crew who saw service with the flotilla.
REVIEW
The
author tells us that this is not a book about the mine itself but on one
particular method of delivering the weapon.
I must confess that I only had limited knowledge that destroyers had
ever been used to lay mines. Whatever
knowledge I may have must be purely historical due to my age and service.
HMS
Comet was finally refitted as a minelayer as late as 1953 and we learn (page
203) that HMS Contest carried out some of the last destroyer minelaying between
1958 - 59 in the Mediterranean. Since I
left HMS St Vincent (Boys’ training establishment) in January 1957, all of
these minelaying destroyers were either gone or on their last legs, or as Ewart
Brooks would put it “passed over the river into the shade of the trees".
However,
deep in the recess of my mind the names are familiar- Chaplet, Comet, Contest,
all around for a few years before they went between 1960 and 62.
There
have been some excellent books by Ewart Brooks on mine sweeping, “Proud
Waters" and “Glory passed them by".
We tend to forget we also laid these terrible weapons, Brooks tells us
in “Proud Waters" that the
Germans laid 126,000 mines in European
waters, sweeping them cost us 327 minesweepers, 4,600 men and officers. I wonder how many we laid?
This
is the story of the fast surface minelaying which the author describes as
always secret with achievements little known outside a restricted circle and
(until now) ignored by historians recording the main sweep of Royal Navy
operations. Little record remains
anywhere of their operational methods -- he hopes that this first complete
account of their actions will finally set things straight.
I
note on page 202 he was unable to verify whether HMS Chieftain was ever fully
converted for minelaying capabilities.
Accepting the challenge I consulted my library of Maritime and Naval
books without positive result. The Ian
Alan ABC of British Warships by HM Le Fleming, 1956 and 1957 editions (two
shillings and sixpence, those were the days) have (LM) meaning, fitted as
destroyer leader and fitted as a minelayer.
She is also listed as such in “The British Destroyer” by T D Manning,
Godfrey Cave Associates 1979 edition.
This is a facsimile edition of the original published in 1961. Here it says, “Chaplet, Chieftain, Comet and
Contest are also fitted for minelaying".
The
book contains 47 black and white photographs including Contest, Comet and
Chaplet. There isn't a photograph of
Chieftain which has obviously proved difficult. I found one on an Internet site, however it was taken in 1948
which does not help solve the problem of whether she was fully converted.
This
is obviously a very specialised area, but it fills the gap in my Maritime
library and is very welcome.
Rob
Jerrard
Nelson’s
Trafalgar Captains & Their Battles
Edition:
1st
Author:
T A Heathcote
ISBN:
1844151824
Publishers:
Pen & Sword
Price
£19.99
Publication
Date: 15th Sept 2005
Press
Release
Under
Admiral Lord Nelson's command at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805
were two flag officers and the captains of twenty-seven battleships, four
frigates and two minor combatant vessels. In this unique and original work, the
Author has recorded the backgrounds and naval careers of these thirty-five men
who were so instrumental in giving Nelson his final and greatest victory and
securing Britannia's rule of the waves for the next hundred years.
While
concentrating upon the events of Trafalgar, these carefully researched
biographies provide an invaluable insight into the history and social structure
of the Royal Navy during the period in which they served. Collingwood, Nelson's
second-in-command and successor, whose austere manner contrasted to that of his
warm hearted chief, first saw action at Bunker Hill (17 June 1775), the first
major battle of the American War of Independence. Codrington, captain of the
3rd-rate Orion at Trafalgar, went on to command the multi-national fleet that
destroyed its Ottoman opponents at Navarino (20 October 1827), the last major
combat between wooden sailing ships. Other famous names include those of Thomas
Masterman Hardy, Nelson's flag captain in Victory and Thomas Fremantle, whose
teenage bride helped nurse Nelson after the disastrous attack on Sanda Cruz
where he lost his arm. Some were noblemen or playboys, like the Earl of
Northesk or Sir Eliab Harvey. Others were from more modest origins or had even
served on the lower deck. Some had fought in major battles before Trafalgar
(several in the same engagement). A number were survivors of shipwreck, fire,
or captivity. All however had been bred to the sea and first sailed in their
teens or even earlier.
Nelson's
Trafalgar Captains and their Battles places the important events of its
subjects' lives clearly in their historical, naval and political contexts. With
the entries arranged in alphabetical order, it can be used as a handy work of
reference, or simply enjoyed as an informative and entertaining read.
Preface
October
2005 is the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, a victory that
confirmed British supremacy over the Combined Fleets of Napoleon and his allies
and left the oceans of the world clear for British shipping and British trade.
At the time, most British people saw it as they had the defeat of the Spanish
Armada in 1588, or as they would the Battle of Britain in 1940 - a deliverance
from the threat of invasion by a well-trained army with a record of recent
victories. In fact, Napoleon had already despaired of gaining control of the
Channel and abandoned his invasion plans eight weeks before Trafalgar. As the
veteran Admiral St Vincent put it, it was not that the French could not come,
but that they could not do so by sea. The significance of Trafalgar was not
that it safeguarded British shores (the wooden wall of the Channel fleet and
the choppy waters of the Channel tides did that), but rather that by the
annihilation of the enemy's main fleet, it guaranteed British maritime
ascendancy across the world. For the next century, British ships were free to
carry British products to every part of the globe and return with raw materials
for British mills and food for the British population. British traders and
bankers had already created a society wealthy enough to defend itself and to
subsidize its allies. Nelson's triumph ensured that the expanding British
Empire and its financial heart, the City of London, would flourish under the
unchallenged protection of the Royal Navy for another 100 years.
Most
of the works, published or republished in connection with this occasion, are
about Nelson himself, on the battle and its preceding campaign, or on the
general history of the Navy in the Georgian period. This book is an account of
the lives of all the men who commanded at Trafalgar under Nelson. Often treated
as extras in the biographies of their great commander, they are here collected
together as a group in their own right. Some already have their own
biographers. Others well deserve them, and many led lives that bear comparison,
in terms of incident and adventure, with fictional counterparts such Aubrey, Bolitho, Hornblower or Ramage. The book is
intended for anyone, whether academic or general reader, seafarer or landsman,
who has an interest in the history of the Royal Navy and a liking for tales of
ships and the sea. It is intended also as a tribute to all who fought at
Trafalgar, including those of the French and Spanish Navies, whose modern
successors, now British allies in NATO and the European Union, also commemorate
the courage and chivalry shown by both sides.
Review
If
you served in the Royal Navy you will know some of the more well known names
because you cannot fail to recall the ships with their names that you either
served in or were aware of. Ships have
been named, inter alia, Nelson, Collingwood, Blackwood, Dundas, Hardy, Pellew,
then there are the Battles, St Vincent, Copenhagen, Trafalgar, and St Kitts
come to mind, all the names of Battle Class Destroyers. I served in HMS Aisne, the difference here
being named after a place of a battle.
It
is certainly an opportune time for us to look into the lives of other persons present
at Trafalgar. However this is certainly
not the first book to be written about Nelson and his captains. Indeed a book was published by that title in
1911, viz, Nelson and his Captains Sketches of Famous Seaman by W H Fitchett,
where he examines the lives of Sir Edward Berry, Captain Edward Riou, Sir Henry
Blackwood, Sir Thomas Trowbridge, Sir Benjamin Hallowell, Sir Alexander Ball,
Sir James Saumarez, Sir William Parker, Sir Edward Pellew, (Lord Exmouth), Sir
Thomas Foley and finally Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Nelson's Flag
Captain. This was not a book about the
Trafalgar Captains but rather a discussion as to whether such a concept existed
as Nelson's School, and these were allegedly the men of that School.
No
review can cover all the officers mentioned in this book. Some of the well-known seem more interesting
for having read more of their lives; I think I know now where Ewart Brookes got
his idea that, "only Englishman have the faith to plant acorns", (see
Proud Waters Jarrolds
1953.) It seems that one of the habits
of Vice-Admiral Collingwood in later years was to carry acorns in his pocket
and to plant them as he travelled about his native land, so that the Navy would
never be short of oak for its ships.
They, or their descendants, survive as his living Memorials.
Captain
Cooke of Bellerophon was killed in action.
This is one of the ships’ names that survived until comparatively
recently. I served in HMS Bellerophon
in 1967 when it was the name for reserve ships Portsmouth, and in fact I served
in HMS Belfast, albeit the cap-tally said Bellerophon. The lower
deck called Bellerophon Billy Ruffian.
As is their way, ships are often given nicknames.
Also
killed was Captain Duff of Mars. One
aspect of this book I found particularly interesting is the coverage it gives
to some of the more minor characters who fought at Trafalgar, e.g. when Captain
Duff was killed, his headless body lay where it fell cover by an ensign until
the end of the Battle. In the meantime
his First Lieutenant (Hannah) had taken command and Villeneuve having been
taken prisoner when his command ship Bucentaure surrendered to the 3rd-Rate
Conqueror (74), was brought aboard by Captain James Atcherly of her Royal
Marines, whose boat had been unable to find its way back to Conqueror through
the Battle smoke. With a no more senior
British officer present, Villeneuve gave up his sword to Hannah.
The
First Lieutenant of Bellerophon, Cumby, also took command when Captain Cooke
fell. He survived the war and died
still serving as superintendent of Pembroke dockyard in September 1837. Bellerophon is also famous for being the
ship that carried Napoleon to exile in St Helena after his defeat at Waterloo.
This
is a very good account of the lives of all the men who commanded at Trafalgar
under Nelson, as the author says they are often treated as extras in the
biographies of their great commander. Here they are collected together as a
group in their own right. It is a pity
we know so little about the careers and lives of the ordinary officers, sailors
and marines who served at Trafalgar.
Glimpses of them can be found throughout this book, which made it all
the more interesting. Highly
recommended for those seeking a deeper knowledge of this time.
Rob
Jerrard
Title: Admiral of the Blue the Life and Times of
Admiral John Child Purvis 1747-1825
Edition: 1st
Author: Iain Gordon
ISBN: 184 415 2944
Publishers: Pen and Sword Maritime
Price £19.99
Publication Date: 2005
Press Release
Admiral of the Blue is the superb naval biography
of Admiral John Child Purvis, a highly competent contemporary of Nelson. Purvis's ability as a fighting Commander was
proved in a bloody duel between his sloop-of-war and a French corvette during
the War of American Independence.
Later, as a battleship Captain, he was the first British officer to
confront Napoleon Bonaparte, muzzle to muzzle, during the Siege of Toulon.
Commanding the Princess Royal and then the London, he was involved in much
action in the Mediterranean and served under the legendary Sir john Jervis
(later Lord St. Vincent) during his establishment of the controversial
‘Mediterranean Discipline’.
Later,
he rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet as Second-in-Command, at the request of
Lord Collingwood, whom he succeeded briefly as Commander-in-Chief. The culmination of his long and
distinguished career at sea, was when it fell to his lot to undertake the extremely
difficult but vital operational and diplomatic task of saving the Spanish fleet
in Cadiz from capture by the French and preparing the city for siege. "It will require much delicacy of conduct
and skill," Lord Collingwood wrote to him, "but it cannot be in
better hands than yours. "
Thanks
to the author's gift for meticulous research, this fascinating biography
captures not just the character of its subject, but also the atmosphere and
spirit of the Royal Navy during arguably the most dramatic period of its long
and glorious history.
Review
It is a very good idea to explain, as this author
has, what he calls conventions, rather then presume the reader knows it all
from the start. The conventions before the preface are very helpful in
explaining that on 11th October 1805, 10 days before Trafalgar the Royal Naval
day was changed to be calculated from midnight and not noon as it had
previously been. We are also prepared
in advance as to what an "Admiral of the Blue" was: the Royal Navy
had three squadrons, Nelson for instance had been a Rear Admiral of the Blue
and later a Vice-Admiral of the White.
Promotions were on seniority; as Nelson wrote, he got his promotion to
Post-Captain because somebody else had been killed.
I am not sure I agree with the entire preface,
which states, " few people, other then serious writers and readers of
Naval history, will ever have heard of Admiral John Child Purvis." So far so good, "The names of the great
sea commanders of that remarkable 100
years between 1750 and 1850, when Britannia truly ruled the waves, scream from
the pages of the British Chronicle like a crescendo of boatswains’ pipes, Howe,
Jarvis, Nelson, Hood, Collingwood, Duncan, Cochrane, Cornwallis, Saumarez,
Smith, Trowbridge, Pellew, Keppel.
Their reputations are secure: their deeds are known, or should be, by
every British schoolboy."
I am glad he added "or should be,"
because it would be an interesting exercise to check this in a classroom
today. I venture to suggest, sadly very
few would get beyond Nelson, but it is very true that, "For every one of
these acknowledged and undisputed heroes there were 10,000 sea officers,
sailors and marines whose names are not remembered."
Spelling in quotations has not been altered the
author tells us and he has tried to avoid the use of sic as far as possible;
readers should be aware however that there were small contemporary differences
in spelling eg, Chase was often written as Chace. Punctuation has, to some extent, been modernised in the interests
of clarity, but the more generous and expressive use of initial capitals, which
was the style of the time, has been retained, as the author says, "who can
deny that Horrible Carnage is not the richer by the use of initial
capitals?"
When referring to the duties of an Admiral, the
sort of duties which are seldom chronicled, references is made to court
martials for such offences as mutiny on the one hand, and breaking wind in the
gunroom mess on the other. I must
confess that this is the first time I have been aware that this was ever a
court martial matter. However it is
certainly true to say, that even on the messdeck during my service in the Royal
Navy there were certain conventions complied with eg, religion and politics
were never discussed on the messdeck, and whistling was forbidden.
On Lord Collingwood's death in 1810, Vice-Admiral
Purvis became, albeit briefly, Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean.
Born in Stepney on the 13th of March 1747, he had
spent his first seven years in an Admiralty, House which came with his father's
job as a Secretary to the Sick and Wounded Board. In 1750 his father was appointed Clerk of the Cheque and
Storekeeper to the naval dockyard in Harwich, where the family spent the next
seven years until the young John went to sea as a boy in HMS Arrogance in 1761.
On the 11 February 1778, Purvis was offered a
Lieutenant’s commission in the Invincible, flagship of Commodore John Evans and
commanded by Captain Antony Parry. His
first two months aboard were spent in Portsmouth Harbour and at the beginning
of May the ship was moved out to anchorage in Spithead to be prepared for the
Royal Review.
Purvis was promoted Post-Captain 1st
September 1782.
On 10 of April 1783 with the British naval and
military withdrawal from the United States well underway, Captain Purvis laid
out the Duc de Chartres in the North River, in New York, from where she was
later sold, and took passage back to England where he was destined to remain
ashore on half pay for the next 10 years of peace.
In
1793 Captain Purvis had his own command, HMS Princess Royal; also in the fleet
at the time was the Agamemnon, 64 commanded by one of the youngest captains in
the fleet, the 35-year-old Horatio Nelson who, having had the right influence,
had made Post-Captain at the unusually early age of 21. Purvis, without such influence, had to wait
until the age of 34 for his promotion and had been extremely fortunate that his
chance had, at last come during the final stages of the previous war. Within the months of making Post, peace with
France and Spain had been signed and he, with the majority of sea officers,
including Nelson, had found himself ashore on half pay. The difference between a captain’s and a
lieutenant's half pay meant the difference between being able to lead the life
of the gentleman, albeit not without restraint, and a miserable, existence
which usually entailed a degree of dependence upon family and friends.
In
1787 Captain Purvis took a short lease on Vernon Hill house in Bishops Waltham
and the following year he moved with them to a house in Wickham, Hampshire; a
place very familiar to me since my parents lived there until my father died
last year. It is a small town north of
Portsmouth in Hampshire. After the
death of his first wife, Captain Purvis married again to Mary Longhurst Garrett
who was from the village of Southwick a name which may be familiar to many of
us ex Royal Navy if we served at HMS Dryad which was the Royal Navy training
establishment for radar situated at Southwick over the South Downs, north of
Portsmouth.
Mention
is also made in the book of Captain Purvis' brother buying a property called
the Blackbrook estate just outside Fareham in Hampshire. This particularly caught my eye since my son
was born at Blackbrook maternity home, Fareham, Hampshire in 1963. I can only presume this was part of that
original estate. I seem to recall that
a road leading round the back of the maternity home was called Blackbrook Park
Road and my sister lived there.
This
is certainly a very well researched book.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and consider it improved my knowledge of this
exciting naval period. The contents are very clearly documented, enabling you
to return to a particular period. Additionally there are very good indexes,
appendix, and maps plans etc. There are
some very nice black and white photographs including one of the grounds and
house or Blackbrook Estate, Fareham. Apparently Blackbrook cottage was retained
in the family for about 100 years ending in 1927 and then bought by the Church
Commissioners as the Bishops Palace for the diocese of Portsmouth.
Rob
Jerrard
Nelson’s
Hero - The Story of His 'Sea-Daddy' Captain William Locker
Edition
1st
Author
Victor T Sharman
ISBN
1844152669
Publishers
Pen & Sword Books Limited
Price
£19.99
Publication
Date 2005
If
you were a 15 year old Boy Seaman and spent the first year of your naval career
with the legend ‘HMS St Vincent’ proudly proclaimed across the front of your
cap, then in addition to Nelson you will also be familiar with many of the
great naval names mentioned in this book - Earl St Vincent (John Jervis) and
others, some of whom we know of as Nelson’s Band of Brothers, his Captains, Thomas,
Troubridge, Bromwich, Dundas, Poole and Macnamara amongst them. Other names are there too - Blackwood,
Berry, Hardy, Collingwood, Harvey, Hallowell, Miller, Hood and Ball.
Nelson,
like so many others started his naval career very young. We learn on page 3 that no youngster under
the age of 13 was allowed to go to sea in a Royal Naval vessel unless he was
the son of a serving officer. Nelson
was a little over 12 in 1771 but considered 11 ‘much too young’, a remark he
was heard to say to a young Midshipman who said that he was 11 at the Battle of
Cape St Vincent, which took place 14 February 1797.
This
book is about Captain William Locker of which we learn much. However, you can also learn much more about
the character of Nelson from his letters to his old Captain, for whom he had
the greatest respect and to whom he wrote,
"I
have been your scholar; it was you who taught me to board a Frenchman by your
conduct. It is you who always taught me
to lay a Frenchman close and you will beat him. My only merit in my profession is being a good scholar. Our friendship will never end but with my
life."
Indeed
throughout his career, Nelson kept up an extensive correspondence with his
mentor.
I would think we are all the same in that
respect and look back with great affection upon men, who by their conduct
showed us the way. I know for a fact
that these are the sentiments of very many St Vincent boys of whom John Jervis,
Nelson ad Locker would have spoken well, because just as much as Midshipmen,
Boy Seamen were the backbone of the Royal Navy.
Many
of Nelson’s letters reflect the written English language of the period and make
wonderful reading, eg ‘my duty to my Mother’, we would say ‘give Mother my
love’, ‘I own’ for ‘I admit’ and often signing off as ‘your most obliged and
obedient servant, Horatio Nelson’. His
letters to his old Captain are a pleasure to read.
According
to this book, Nelson also had great respect for Earl St Vincent, when St
Vincent, sixty-five years old and tiring, and decided to give up his command at
Toulon and return home to England, Nelson highly rated him, which can be seen
by the letter he sent to St Vincent on hearing this news; one cannot imagine
him addressing any other superior in this way, because he wrote to him in the
following terms,
"My
dear Lord,We have a report that you are going home. This distresses us most
exceedingly, and myself in particular; so much so, that I have serious thoughts
of returning, if that event should take place.
But for the sake of our Country, do not quit us at this serious
moment. I wish not to detract from the
merit of whoever may be your successor; but it must take a length of time,
which I hope the war will not give, to be in any manner a St Vincent. We look up to you, as we have always found
you, as to our Father, under whose fostering care we have been led to
fame. Give up not a particle of your
authority to any one; be again our St. Vincent, and we shall be happy.
Your
affectionate, NELSON"
What
isn’t mentioned is the rift between St Vincent and Nelson. However, since this is a book about Captain
Locker one would not expect that to be gone into. The rift was primarily caused by Nelson’s conduct with Emma Hamilton
and a disagreement over prize money.
On
Page 35 the term 'widow’s man 1' and 'widow’s man 2' are discussed. It seems that these were 'ghost members of
the crew' put on the payroll to provide a fund for widows of officers lost in
service. Each ship could count two per
hundred members of crew. It is
interesting to note that this fund only provided for officers lost. They of course made up the minority of the
crew. I wonder when this convention
finished? I swear there were a few
ghosts on some of the ships I served on.
We also learn that Nelson
wasn’t impressed with French Inns or the food they provided, I wonder what he
would have made of Political Correctness with the 200 Year Anniversary
re-enacted battle calling the Fleets Red and Blue. Since he had been a Rear Admiral of the Blue and a Vice Admiral
of the White, he would have had every reason to be confused. On Page 90 he is quoted as saying.
"Here
we [were] shown into an inn - they called it - I should have called it a
pig-stye:[sic] we were shown into a room with two straw beds, and with great
difficulty, they mustered up clean sheets; and gave us two pigeons for supper,
upon a dirty cloth, and wooden-handled knives.
O what a transition from happy England.
But
we laughed at the repast, and went to bed with the determination that nothing
should ruffle our tempers. Having slept
very well, we set off at daylight for Boulogne, where we breakfasted: this
place was full of English, I suppose because wine is so very cheap."
An interesting fact about
prize money is considered on Page 81.
If you took a prize within sight of the Fleet all money had to be shared
around all of the Fleet.
A thoroughly enjoyable book
about Captain William Locker, which revealed so much about Nelson and his early
development and a must for those who crave more detail of his early life.
Rob Jerrard
Some
other books of this period you might want to read 
The
Escort Carriers of World War II
Author:
David Wragg
ISBN:
1844152200
Publishers:
Pen & Sword Books Limited
Price
£19.99, Illustrated
Publication
Date: 28 July 2005
I
joined the Royal Navy too late to see any of these ships in action. By 1956 there were light carriers still
about and these too get a chapter in this book. Chapter VII discusses the Colossus Class, which were in fact
small in spite of the name. There were
10 Colossus Class and 6 Majestic Class.
Only 4 Colossus Class were ever commissioned before the war ended. These were Colossus, Glory, Venerable and
Vengeance. I remember Ocean, Theseus
and Triumph during the Indonesian Confrontation at Singapore, when Triumph
acted as a support ship. Of the
Majestic Class I remember only one, Leviathan, which I once dived upon when she
was in dock near the small chips’ canteen in Portsmouth Dockyard awaiting
disposal. This was about 1960 on a Free
Divers course.
This
book is of course mostly about Escort Carriers, CAM, and MAC ships, and it
covers their history extensively. The
author starts with a basic history of how carriers developed in the RN and US
navies.
MAC
(Merchant Aircraft Carriers) were either tankers or grain ships and carried Swordfish
aircraft and work proceeded slowly on producing them. Empire MacAlpine was not ready until April 43, by which time the
first of the mass-produced Escort Carriers were on their way. The first tanker to be converted was Rapana.
We
are told that some aircrews changed the lettering on the sides of their
aircraft from Royal Navy to Merchant Navy.
However I have never seen a photograph to prove this claim. This would be an interesting collector’s
item if it exists? They probably took
this decision because these ships were designated MV (Motor Vessel) rather than
HMS.
Part
2 goes on to Escort Carriers with our first being HMS Audacity, the first US,
who called them auxiliary carriers, was USS Long Island (ACV-1), later changed
to CVE-1. Appendix 2 tells us there
were 18 MAC ships. Appendix 3 lists 45
ships as Royal Naval Escort Carriers, all HMS.
There were of course so many different classes - Audacity, Archer, Avenger,
Activity, Attacker, and Ameer (US Bogues).
I
was not aware that HMS Victorious was at one time known as USS Robin when on
loan to the US Navy before being relieved by USS Essex. Incidentally if you want to see an Essex
Class Carrier in action watch the film ‘Bridges of Toko Ri’ and you will see
USS Oriskany (CV-34) and others.
In
the chapter on, ‘Life on Board’, there is an interesting discussion on
messing. What type of messing you
operated mattered very much to the crew of an RN ship. Food and accommodation affects you and makes
a difference to how you perform your duty.
I never served on a ship with so-called canteen messing. Of my ships, HMS Grafton, Chichester and
Aisne were general messing, and Lion and Victorious were cafeteiria, with mess
halls to eat in rather than on the actual mess deck. Victorious and Lion were very good, but overall I had nothing but
praise for RN cooking standards often performed in terrible conditions at sea.
Chapter
4 gives a Pilot’s eye-view of all the aircraft operated and explains many of
the terms.
All
in all a very well researched book, which covers inter alia,
Escorts
appearing
Life
aboard
The
aircraft
Winning
the Battle of the Atlantic
Hunter
Killer Forces
The
Arctic Convoys
Japanese
Auxiliary Carriers
After
the war
Light
carriers
Appendices
Standard
convoy air patrol codenames
MAC-ships
Royal
Naval Escort Carriers
US
Naval Escort Carriers
US
Naval Escort Carriers by pennant number
Bibliography
If
you have an interest in WW2 Carriers this book is a must.
Rob Jerrard
Yanagi
The
Secret Underwater Trade Between Germany And Japan 1942-1945
Author:
Mark Felton
ISBN:
1 84415 167 0
Publishers:
Pen & Sword
Price
£19.99 HB
Publication
Date: 16 June 2005
PUBLISHER’S
PRESS RELEASE
This
fascinating book examines the little known exchange of military technology and
raw materials by long-range submarines voyages between Germany and Japan during
the Second World War.
Given
the codename 'Yanagi', this trade was a high priority to both Axis partners. As
the Allied grip on the oceans increased, the trade in weapons, including jet
aircraft, missiles, and even atomic bomb technology, as well as raw materials
between the Germans and Japanese was forced beneath the waves. The resulting secret submarine transport
network posed an increasingly heavy but necessary burden on tight resources.
Thanks
to the Author's detailed research, this is the first full account of these
operations including descriptions of individual missions, be they by German,
Italian or Japanese submarine crews.
Even by modern standards these were of impressive duration and demanded
the highest standards of seamanship and discipline.
The
book also throws interesting light on the complex and often difficult
relationship between the two main Axis partners. For all those with an interest in submarine operations during the
Second World War this book is a must.
It will also appeal strongly to those who seek unusual and original
material on the conflict.
Introduction
from the book
The
best way to gain even a cursory insight into the lives and conditions of
service of the men of the U-boat arm of the Second World War German Navy is to
spend an afternoon roaming around one of the preserved vessels to be found
around the world. Although hardly any
examples remain of the 1,171 U-boats of all types commissioned into the German
Navy between 1935 and 1945, a little effort and travel can transport one back
to the world of the ‘Iron Coffins’: a world of fetid air, bad food, and the
constant tension of imminent attack. For those who want to experience for a
fleeting moment the claustrophobic reality of life beneath the waves, U-boats
have been preserved in Chicago and at the U-boat Memorial at Laboe in Germany. These boats are pristine museum pieces that
have been altered to accommodate modern tourists. For a truly eerie experiment in time-travel, a visit to the hulk
of U-534 in Birkenhead, near Liverpool, provides the uninitiated with an
opportunity to experience the stark reality of service aboard a U-boat, and is
testimony to the agonized deaths of hundreds of these machines at the hands of
Allied air and sea power.
U-534,
a Type IXC40 sunk in the Kattegat off Denmark in May 1945 and raised in 1996,
is of the same general type and configuration as many of the U-boats discussed
throughout this book, a workhorse of long-range hunting and transportation for
the German Navy during the Second World War because of its large fuel capacity
and extended range. Although U-534 has
no immediate connection with the German operation of U-boats and transport
links with the Indian Ocean and Far East, the configuration of the boat none
the less recommends it to all as a memorial to courage, tenacity and
desperation on the part of the men who crewed these tools of war. To stand in the forward torpedo room of
U-534, with its insides ravaged by fifty years of
contact
with salt water, one can visualize the bunks that would have been slung next to
the torpedoes suspended in their racks, the busy toing and froing of sixty plus
teenagers and men, the smell of unwashed bodies and food on the turn, stumbling
through each compartment filled to capacity with boxes and crates of every
description - everything permeated by grease, and the smell and taste of engine
oil and lubricants. Now imagine, if you
will, remaining confined within this steel tube for nearly 200 days, with no
relief from the constant fear of attack from above and the unpleasant possibility
of death by drowning or worse. It would often take some 200 days of living on
one's nerves and a rudimentary diet, never seeing the sun or having the luxury
of a wash in fresh water, before a U-boat would reach the steamy tropics,
perhaps at Penang in Malaya or Surabaya in Java, completing incredible combat
patrols whose purpose was both the interdiction of Allied commerce, and the
delivery of secret military equipment and personnel to the Japanese. On arrival in the Far East the Germans could
expect a brief respite from immediate death, the chance to repair the battered
submarine, overhaul the diesel engines and batteries, and load up all available
spaces with a cargo of raw materials bought off the Japanese, essential to the
Nazi war effort back home.
For
many of the men, the Indian Ocean was also to offer a happy killing ground for
U-boats already driven from their traditional hunting grounds in the North
Atlantic and North Sea by advances in Allied anti-submarine technology and
convoy escorting prowess. Many U-boat
skippers, often highly decorated individuals who had made their names in the
Battle of the Atlantic, and who, more often than not, proudly wore the insignia
of the Knights Cross (Nazi Germany's premier award for courageous service)
around their necks, found another chance to prove their skills in a strategic
backwater most of us do not associate with the U-boat war. The Japanese, for their part, although to
use their submarine fleet very differently from the Germans, also prowled the
Indian Ocean, and came as far as the North Atlantic to trade with Nazi Germany.
The
traditional hunting of convoys and unescorted merchant ships was conducted
alongside the requirements of both Germany and Japan for raw materials,
manufactured products, and new and advanced technology, and as Allied air and
sea power grew to become irresistible and all-powerful, such a trade between
the two nations, code-named the Yanagi trade by the Japanese, could not be
performed
openly
by surface merchant ships attempting to run British and American naval blockades. Nor could such a trade be conducted
overland, certainly not after the entry of the Soviet Union into the war in
1941. The Yanagi trade was forced
beneath the waves and was borne primarily on the shoulders of the German U-boat
service. Submarines which had not been designed to cope with the added
pressures of carrying cargo, but that retained some fighting potential were
pressed into service, alongside obsolescent Italian submarines, in order to
keep the strategically important Yanagi trade alive until the German surrender
in May 1945.
The
Germans established a network of bases and repair facilities throughout Asia
aimed at supplying the requirements of an assortment of submarines. Some of these submarines, such as the
long-range Type IX U-cruisers, were engaged in anti-commerce interdiction,
while others ran supplies from Europe to Asia and back again, or worked locally
transporting spare parts and goods between the network of German and Japanese
naval facilities that existed throughout the region. Many of these U-boats were sunk en route to or returning from the
Far East, and all boats, regardless of type or purpose, carried Yanagi trade
goods and technical or diplomatic personnel, who used the U-boats as a form of
underwater taxi to shuttle between distant parts of the globe.
The
Japanese, although only to dispatch an occasional submarine to Europe, were to
lose men and vessels as well, but the bulk of both surface blockade-running
operations conducted until 1944 and the submarine-borne trade of 1942-45 was
carried out by the Germans, who suffered the greatest losses in terms of men
and materiel. Both the Third Reich and
Imperial Japan, though not maintaining the closest of relationships as allies
and having an innate distrust of the other and markedly different war aims,
none the less received thousands of tons each of valuable Yanagi goods. The Germans prioritized the kinds of raw
materials unavailable to them in Europe, and the Japanese benefited from high
technology weaponry and other items that kept Germany at the forefront of
military technology developments until their surrender. When the war in Europe was over, the
Imperial Japanese Navy wasted no time in snatching those U-boats and former
Italian submarines lying in ports within their control, and interning their
former allies in prison camps, forcing many defeated German crewmen to instruct
Japanese submariners on the operation of their former vessels.
Standing
in the rusty and silent forward torpedo room or at the chart table in the control
room of the Type IXC40 U-534 is as close as most of us can come to
comprehending the enormous effort expended by the Germans on their U-boat
offensives, and the closest we can get to understanding the conditions on a
boat motoring its way slowly to the Far East in 1944 or 1945. Perhaps the greatest tribute to the hardy
Far --East U-boat adventurers is the fact that often after spending some 200
days cramped inside a constantly moving steel tube, they would endure a return
trip, with some commanders and boats making several forays to the Japanese
sphere of operations. But, for most of
the boats and crewmen featured in this book, there was to be no happy respite
from war. For a significant total, both
German and Japanese, the memorial to this interesting facet of the story of the
Second World War is the rusting hulks their bones still occupy on the seabed,
stretched out through a catalogue of sunken submarines from the North Atlantic
to the Strait of Malacca.
This
book is by no means the definitive work on this fascinating subject. Rather, it is a survey of the entire German
and Japanese cooperative effort at sea during the Second World War. Considerations of space make it impossible
to tell the stories of the many U-boats and Japanese submarines that appear on
these pages in exhaustive detail. Each
story is one of human struggle, endurance and sometimes tragedy, and each would
be worthy of lengthy individual service histories. But placed within the context of German-Japanese naval
cooperation, each has a story to tell as part of the geo-political, economic
and military account of two very different allies attempting to achieve a means
of supplying each other's material requirements by the unlikely employment of
submarines for the task. This was the
secret Yanagi trade.
The
Author
Born
in 1974 Mark Felton gained a BA in History and English at Anglia University,
Cambridge. He holds a Post-graduate
Certificate in Political Science and a MA in American Studies, both at the
University of Essex. He is currently a
PhD student in American History also at the University of Essex where he
teaches part-time. He is a regular
contributor to historical periodicals.
Mark lives with his wife at Colchester, Essex.
Review