Part 1

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FAMOUS FIGHTERS OF THE FLEET

FAMOUS FIGHTERS OF THE FLEET

Glimpses through the Cannon Smoke in the Days of the Old Navy

by

EDWARD FRASER

They left us a kingdom none can take, The realm of the circling sea, To be ruled by the rightful sons of Blake And the Rodneys yet to be.

Henry Newbolt.

As it was in the days of long ago, And as it still shall be.

Rudyard Kipling.

With Illustrations

London Macmillan and Co., Limited New York: the Macmillan Company 1904

All rights reserved

DEDICATION

The lasses and the little ones, Jack Tars, they look to you; The despots over yonder, let 'em do whate'er they please, God bless the little isle where a man may still be true, God bless the noble isle that is Mistress of the Seas.

Tennyson.

PREFACE

This book, as far as its subject is concerned, is something of an experiment, something of a new departure. It is an attempt to interest people by recalling some of the associations of the brave days of old that cluster round and attach to certain historic man-of-war names. As far as that goes, indeed, having for its subject, as it has, the doings in battle of famous hearts of oak of the fighting times--

Those oaken giants of the ancient race That ruled all seas,

the book ought not to require an elaborate introduction, any special pleading on its behalf, among those whose pride it is to count themselves the

Sons and sires of seamen Whose realm is all the sea.

Further, it may possibly be, that in a degree, this book may serve as a reminder, even to some of those who to-day man His Majesty's Fleet, of what an inheritance is theirs, and how tremendous an obligation. The heroism of the Old Navy lives evermore in the man-of-war names of the modern navy, and should lead our sailors more even than they do, to 'glory,' in Kinglake's stirring language, in their ships' 'ancient names, connecting each with its great traditions, and founding upon the cherished syllables that consciousness of power which is a condition of ascendancy in war.'

The names of the men-of-war, the stories of which are told here, stand in the forefront among the famous names of the Sea Service for their associations with great and dashing exploits. They are possibly not the most widely known of all, not so familiar to everybody as are certain other names similarly associated with other famous feats of arms of the fighting days,--but that, after all, is perhaps all the more reason that their stories should be told now. 'We are few, but of the right sort,' said Nelson on one of the memorable occasions of his life, and it is hoped that the half-dozen stories within these covers may with justice say the same for themselves. The story of Lord Charles Beresford's little _Condor_, if not an Old Navy event, has much in keeping with the old order, and is included on its merits as being as gallant a piece of fighting-work in its way as has been done in the British Navy in our time.

My aim throughout has been to interest my readers. That a man-of-war's life-record is not necessarily a dull subject, a mere collection of dry facts, nor its incidents all matters of common knowledge, the following pages, it is hoped, will show. In the main, as far as possible, the accounts and impressions of eye-witnesses of the various events related, as written down while the events were in progress or were still fresh in recollection, old logs and letters, diaries and journals, and the newspapers of the time, have been relied on. Strangely appealing and mutely eloquent at times are some of our old ship logs, with their pages faded and yellow and blurred, often with the stain on them of what was once, more than a century ago, a fleck of fresh sea spray that rested there just as it was whisked in through an open port; now and then indeed with on them a dull rusty brown smear or spot, grimly suggestive of something else. And, too, a terse, blunt note, scrawled painfully down after a day under fire by the hard fist of some rough Old Navy skipper, gone long since to his last reckoning, says more--a good deal more--often, than pages could do of smoother prose, by people who were not on the spot.

Practically all the literature of the subject in book form has been laid under contribution. Among modern writers I am particularly indebted to Captain Mahan and Professor J.K. Laughton, R.N., of King's College, London, and to Mr. David Hannay, to whose brilliant monograph on Rodney I am in a special degree under obligation.

For myself, I am well aware of the pitfalls that beset the path of the landsman who presumes to write of nautical matters. So, indeed, it has ever been since Agur the son of Jakeh, in the days of King Solomon, placed it on record that "the way of a ship in the midst of the sea" was "too wonderful." For any shortcomings of mine in this regard I ask the kindly indulgence of my naval readers.

Throughout the stories, I trust, the amplest justice has been done, and the fullest credit given, to those who were our gallant foes on the several occasions.

In conclusion, I am greatly indebted to Lord Selborne, First Lord of the Admiralty, for allowing me to use information which has proved invaluable for my purposes; to Mr. A.B. Tucker of the _Graphic_ for assistance with my proofs and maps, and suggestions as to certain footnotes; and to Commander C.N. Robinson, R.N., for placing at my disposal his fine collection of old naval prints and drawings.

E.F.

CONTENTS

PAGE

1. The _Monmouths_ in War 1 How Arthur Gardiner fought the _Foudroyant_.

2. Rodney's Ship on Rodney's Day 43 The _Formidable_ that broke the line.

3. Won at the Cannon's Mouth 172 His Majesty's Ship _Undaunted_.

4. 'Billy Blue': A Ballad of the Fleet 199 One of the _Royal Sovereign's_ days.

5. The 'Fighting' _Temeraire_. 213 Where, how, and when she made her name.

6. 'Well Done, _Condor_!' 287 Alexandria, 1882.

ILLUSTRATIONS

The Enemy in Sight--'Full Speed Ahead!' _Frontispiece_

PAGE

'Ready, Aye Ready!' Our Cruiser _Monmouth_ of to-day 1

In Action at Midnight 25

The _Monmouth_ fighting the _Foudroyant_ at close quarters 28

'Success to the _Formidable_!' Nov. 17, 1898 43

'Ut Veniant Omnes!' The Big 50-Ton Guns of the _Formidable_ 46

Rodney's _Formidable_ on the day before her Launch 52

Rodney's Sword 53

Admiral Lord Rodney, K.B. (after Gainsborough's portrait) 57

The Pitons of St. Lucia 61

The Count De Grasse 63

Clock-face from the _Ville de Paris_ 71

Bell of the _Ville de Paris_ 72

Chart showing Rodney's pursuit of De Grasse 83

Monument of the three Captains--Blair, Bayne, and Lord Robert Manners--in Westminster Abbey 111

Fighting the Guns on the Main Deck 114

The Critical Moment of Rodney's Battle--how the French Line was broken 122

The _Formidable_ breaking the Line. April 12, 1782 126

One of the 'Fighting Lanterns' of the _Ville de Paris_ 147

De Grasse's Flag comes down. Rodney watching the Surrender of the _Ville de Paris_ 148

'Count De Grasse resigning his Sword to Admiral Rodney' 150

The 'Rodney Temple,' Spanish Town, Jamaica 162

Admiral De Grasse as a Prisoner of War 163

Captain Robert Faulknor 172

Captain Faulknor storming Fort Louis 187

The Death of Captain Faulknor 197

'Billy Blue'--Admiral the Hon. Sir William Cornwallis, G.C.B. 199

'Cornwallis's Retreat' 208

The 'Fighting' _Temeraire_ tugged to her last Berth to be broken up 213

Where Turner met the _Temeraire_ 215

Camp of the Grand Army at Boulogne, 1804 227

Captain Lucas--the French hero of Trafalgar 253

The Battle of Trafalgar. Oct. 21, 1805--2.15 P.M. 260

Admiral Villeneuve's Sword 265

Admiral Villeneuve's Signature 279

The _Temeraire_ entering Portsmouth Harbour on her return from Trafalgar. Dec. 20, 1805 281

Relics of the 'Fighting' _Temeraire_ 284

Alexandria--July 11, 1882. The _Condor_ attacking Fort Marabout 287

Bombardment of Alexandria. July 11, 1882--9 A.M. 295

Vice-Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, K.C.B. 298

I

THE _MONMOUTHS_ IN WAR

HOW ARTHUR GARDINER FOUGHT THE _FOUDROYANT_

Aye stout were her timbers and stoutly commanded, In the annals of glory unchalleng'd her name; Aye ready for battle when duty demanded, Aye ready to conquer--or die in her fame!

_Old Song._

The _Monmouth_ of to-day is one of our 'County Cruisers'--and among them one of the smartest and best. Her special role in war-time will be to help in safeguarding the commerce of the British Empire on the high seas, to see that the corn-ships and the cattle-ships from across the Atlantic, on which the people of these islands depend for their existence from day to day, reach port without molestation by the 'corsair cruisers' of the enemy. It will be her duty to patrol on the trade routes far and wide, and chase off hostile ships at sight, or run them down and fight them. All that, with other duties at times thrown in:--

For this is our office, to spy and make room. As hiding, yet guiding the foe to their doom; Surrounding, confounding, to bait and betray And tempt them to battle the seas' width away.

For her work, whatever it may be, the _Monmouth_ is well equipped. She carries quick-firing guns and Krupp steel armour on her sides, and can steam at high speed--23 knots, or, on occasion, a trifle more.

A glance round on board this brand new twentieth-century cruiser of ours may be of interest at the outset.

An ugly customer to tackle looks the _Monmouth_ in her 'war-paint' of sombre Navy grey, devoid, as are our modern men-of-war, of all that has to do with prettiness and the merely decorative.

Mis arreos son las armas, Mi descanso el pelear,

My ornaments are arms, My pastime is in war,

is the motto of the Royal Navy of our day.

A big ship is the _Monmouth_, a first-class cruiser of not far short of 10,000 tons displacement,--9800 tons, to be exact,--a floating weight heavier than all the mass of iron and steel in the Eiffel Tower. She measures over all, from end to end, from ram to rudder, 463-1/2 feet. To give an idea, in another way, of the ship's size. If she were stood on end inside St. Paul's Cathedral, her bows would project 60 feet above the cross over the dome. Set up on end beside the Clock Tower at Westminster, the ship's length would overtop the tower by half as high again. The Monument piled on the top of the Nelson Column would need an extra 50 feet to equal the _Monmouth_ from stem to stern. Propped up against Beachy Head, the _Monmouth_ would overtop the turf at the edge of the cliff summit fully 90 feet. Laid lengthways inside St. Paul's, the _Monmouth_ would fill the whole length of the nave and chancel from the western door to the reredos. Placed along the front of Buckingham Palace, the _Monmouth's_ hull would overlap the facade for 50 feet on either side. In width the ship is 66 feet broad amidships,--22 yards, just the length of a cricket-pitch, or one foot wider than London Bridge after its recent enlargement. It takes 5 tons weight of paint to coat the hull above water, and 6 tons to coat it below; and costs, the single item of paint by itself, every time it is laid on--L800.

Her three funnels each stand up 75 feet into the air--very nearly the height of the Round Tower of Windsor Castle above the mound at its foot. Each funnel weighs 20 tons, and costs L400 to make--a year's pay of a colonel of hussars. In diameter each is the exact size, to an inch, of the 'Two-penny Tube.' If they were laid flat, a life-guardsman in King's Birthday regimentals could trot through them. Each lower mast is a steel tube, 80 feet from end to end and weighing 20 tons. The rudder weighs 18 tons; and the ram, a steel casting, 19 tons. The propellers each weigh 12 tons, and are each 16 feet across from tip to tip. The stern-post weighs 20 tons.

The armour on the conning-tower is 10 inches thick, and weighs 65 tons, the weight of a Great Western express engine. It cost L7500--a sum equal to the lumped salaries for one year of all the Sea Lords of the Admiralty. The 10 inches of nickel steel of which it is made can stand a harder blow than the 17 inches of iron armour on the turrets of the old _Inflexible_. The conning-tower is the main 'fighting station' of the ship, the nerve-centre of the mighty organisation. Thence in action, from behind a ring-fence of solid metal, are controlled the huge engines, far down below, impelled by

The strength of twice ten thousand horse That serve the one command,

--if one may vary Mr. Kipling,--engines of the power of twenty-two thousand horses, the strength of an army corps of cavalry; also the steering of the ship and the firing of the guns. By means of a simple arrangement in the three primary colours--red, blue, and yellow--painted in bands round the walls of the conning-tower inside, the captain can tell at a glance, at any moment, which of his guns, and how many of them, can train on an enemy at any given point.

The _Monmouth's_ 'fighting-weight' is another matter. Fourteen 6-inch guns, Vickers-Maxims of the latest pattern, contribute something to that. This is the sort of weapon the 6-inch gun is. Imagine one set up in Trafalgar Square to fire with extreme elevation. Its 100-pound shells would drop on Kingston Bridge in one direction; beyond Harrow, ten miles off, in another. Other shells would burst over Barnet; sweep the woodland rides of Epping Forest; startle the tennis-players on the trim lawns of Chislehurst in Kent. And not many seconds would elapse between the flash of the discharge and the shell doing its work. Ten miles, of course, is the farthest that the gun could shoot, its 'estimated extreme range.' In war-time that sort of firing would not be worth while, as it would be impossible to mark the shots. Seven miles, roughly, or 12,000 yards, is the limit the gun is sighted for. Then again, imagine our gun firing at a mark. At 2000 yards, the minimum engaging distance in naval war because of torpedoes, aiming from Trafalgar Square at a target set up, say, in Ludgate Circus or at Hyde Park Corner, the shot would smash through a slab of wrought iron 14 inches thick as easily as a stone goes through a pane of glass. Firing at 6000 yards, the maximum distance for opening action in ordinary circumstances, at a target set up at Hammersmith, for example, the shot would cut a hole clean through 6-1/2 inches of wrought iron--armour 2 inches thicker than our first ironclad, the _Warrior_, had on her sides. Fired with a full charge of 25 lbs. of cordite, the shot leaves the gun at a speed of 2775 feet (or half a mile and forty-five yards) a second--a pace capable of carrying it in a minute as far as Reading; with energy sufficient to toss Cleopatra's Needle 30 feet into the air as lightly as a schoolboy flings up a wicket, or heave the biggest railway express engine 100 feet high, to hurl an elephant over the Eiffel Tower, or a cart-horse out of sight to three times the height of Snowdon.

Every round from one of the _Monmouth's_ 6-inch guns costs the country L12. The gun itself costs L1700. As a fact, each gun takes five months of work, night and day, to make; and weighs 7-1/2 tons, like all modern naval guns of any size, it is a 'wire gun,' constructed of steel tape wound round an inner tube or 'barrel,' in the same way that the string is laid round the handle of a cricket-bat, and jacketed over by an outer steel tube. Upwards of 18,200 yards of steel 'wire' are used for each 6-inch gun, 10-1/2 miles of it--a length that, pulled out straight, would stretch for half the distance between Dover and Calais. The set of sights for each gun, as an item by itself, costs L80.

The _Monmouth's_ 6-inch guns are each capable of firing from five to eight shots a minute, and there are on board, besides, ten 12-pounders, three 3-pounders, and some Maxims. The 12-pounders cost L300 each, and take four months to make.

In action, the _Monmouth_, fighting both broadsides at once, would let fly at the enemy at each discharge two-thirds of a ton of projectiles; within the first minute 3-1/2 tons weight of metal; every five minutes, 18 tons--all bursting shells. That is the _Monmouth's_ 'fighting-weight.'

To supply her guns the _Monmouth_ carries, stowed away in the different magazines far down in the recesses of the hold, 200 tons weight of ammunition--30 to 40 tons of it in cordite cartridges; the rest in shot and loaded shell, with each projectile painted its differentiating colour--white-banded 'armour-piercers,' red-tipped shrapnel, yellow lyddite, and so on.

Electricity works the great hooded turrets on the forecastle and quarter-deck, each of 4-inch nickel steel and carrying a pair of 6-inch guns, mounted side by side in double-barrelled sporting-gun fashion on a twin mounting, training the eighty odd tons of dead-weight to right and left, or from one side of the ship to the other, through three-quarters of a circle, as easily as one wheels one's arm-chair in front of the fire after dinner. Electricity also 'feeds' the guns, both in the turrets and in the casemates, as fast as they can be fired, bringing up the ammunition to the guns directly from the magazines.

The 4-inch Krupp steel armour on the _Monmouth's_ sides at the water-line, from the ram for three-quarters of the ship's length aft, cost to manufacture, in round figures, L60,000--equal to the total yearly income of four Archbishops of Canterbury or six Lord Chancellors. Two 'turtle-back' decks of thin steel armour further help to keep out shot. Altogether, in dead-weight, the armour all over the ship--on the sides, decks, bulkheads, conning-tower, casemates, barbettes, ammunition-supply tubes--amounts to 1800 tons, a fifth of the ship's entire displacement weight in sea-going trim.

Then another detail, and the most important of all. Speed, for a cruiser, is, of course, the prime essential. It means the power of picking out a foe, of running down a foe, the command of the weather-gage, the choice of the range, the power of bringing on or refusing battle. Twenty-three knots an hour, or 26-1/2 statute miles, is the _Monmouth's_ best pace. Twenty-three knots an hour means the covering of a land mile in 2 minutes 36 seconds; or 100 yards in 7-4/5 seconds. In modern athletics 9-3/5 seconds is the record for 100 yards. The record for the Oxford and Cambridge boat race works out at under 11 knots an hour--considerably less than the _Monmouth's_ everyday cruising speed in time of peace.

How it is done is, of course, an engine-room affair. Two main engines drive the ship: one engine to each of the immense 16-feet-wide twin-screws. At full speed they work up to an aggregate power of twenty-two thousand horses: eleven thousand horses each engine. Thirty-one boilers, of the much-maligned Belleville type, supply the steam. What that means the staff below have good reason to know. The thirty-one boilers, with their 'economisers,' provide seven thousand tubes to be looked after and kept clean. Collectively, the boiler-tubes offer to the fires in the stoke-hold a total heating-surface of 50,300 square feet: an area, that is, of an acre and a sixth, a space about equal to Trafalgar Square within the roadway, or the floor-space of the Albert Hall. Each boiler has two furnaces to heat it, making sixty-two in all. When all are alight they burn 40 tons of coal at once, on a grate-area of 1610 square feet; practically giving off a square space of flame 170 yards each way.

The main engines, however, are by no means all. There are on board sixty-five separate 'auxiliary engines' besides. The weight of the machinery alone on board the _Monmouth_, amounts to 1750 tons--a fourth of the total weight of the ship.

Six hundred and eighty officers and men form the complement of the _Monmouth_, and their pay costs the nation L32,000 a year. To feed them, 'bare navy,' costs two-thirds of that sum a year. The ship herself, as she floats, represents to the country a value not very far short of three-quarters of a million sterling, or, put in concrete form, 8 tons of sovereigns--a railway truck packed tight. Our first ironclad, the _Warrior_, cost less than half the amount expended on the _Monmouth_. The _Collingwood_, a first-class battleship of eighteen years ago, cost to complete L20,000 less than the price paid for the _Monmouth_ cruiser of to-day. Ten _Victorys_ or _Royal Georges_ could have been built and fitted for sea at the cost of this one cruiser of ours.

Such, in brief, are some of the 'points' of our modern _Monmouth_. The reputation that she has to live up to, the ancestry of her famous name, in particular the magnificent feat of arms that one of our _Monmouths_, the most famous of all, once achieved--these have now to be told.

* * * * *

The _Monmouth_, as a fact, bears a name that ranks second to none for brilliant associations and memories of heroism. Hardly another man-of-war has so many 'battle honours' to its credit. No ship of the Old Navy perhaps ever won such distinction in battle for sheer hard fighting as did the six _Monmouths_, one after the other, from which our cruiser _Monmouth_ of to-day takes her name. Were it possible for His Majesty's ships-of-war to have ship flags for display at reviews or on other ceremonial occasions, just as the regiments of the army use regimental colours, the _Monmouth's_ flag would show a record of upwards of thirty fights, and even then the list would not be complete. No flag, probably, could display the detailed record of the occasions on which _Monmouths_ of old did their duty before the enemy at sea.