THE YOUNGEST NAVY IN THE WORLD
On the morning when the news of the sinking of the _Emden_ reached
London there was at least one good Briton of that city whose elation
was curiously mingled with puzzlement. He was puzzled to know how
Australia came by a navy; he had seen references to an Australian
navy before, but had always supposed that a misprint had been made
for "Austrian navy."
His wonder is so far excusable that the first ship of that navy
was only launched as recently as 1911, when the battle cruiser
_Australia_ left the stocks in the yards of Messrs. John Brown & Co.,
of Glasgow; and she only arrived in Australia two years later. The
other units of the navy are of even later construction. The existence
of these vessels in Australian waters is a tribute to the enterprise
and foresight of the Commonwealth of Australia. Their history and
performance since the outbreak of the war has utterly confounded the
naval experts of this country, who, if they had had their way, would
not have had such ships in such a place.
For a quarter of a century before the foundation of the Australian
navy, the whole question of naval protection for Australasia had been
one profoundly unsatisfactory, both to the Imperial government and to
the governments of the Southern Nations. Australia and New Zealand
paid a naval subsidy to the Imperial coffers; recently it amounted
to the annual sum of £200,000 from Australia and £40,000 from New
Zealand. In return, the Admiralty maintained a number of obsolete
warcraft in Australian waters, at a cost vastly exceeding the
annual tribute. The Australasians wanted better ships; the Imperial
Government desired a larger subsidy; it was an arrangement that
pleased nobody.
The makeshift fleet in Australasian waters was explained by
postulating the theory that when trouble came, the battle for the
defence of Australasia would be fought in the North Sea, or somewhere
far from the reach of Australasian ports. The experience of the
first twelve months of the war may surely be held to have exploded
that theory. The North Sea fleet did not prevent the _Emden_ from
bombarding Madras, and sinking merchant shipping worth £2,500,000 in
Eastern waters. It would not have prevented the _Scharnhorst_ and
_Gneisenau_ from battering Wellington and Sydney, and destroying
half the ships in Australasian waters. But the theory was the pet
one of all the experts, and it was employed seriously to disturb the
pleasant relations between the Motherland and the Dominions.
For, about the year 1905, the uncontestable fact that the Dominions
were not contributing sufficiently to the naval protection of
the Empire could no longer be evaded. The question was discussed
at Colonial Conferences; it was the subject of bitter newspaper
articles. The Dominions wished to meet some part, at least, of their
great obligations, but not in the way required by the Imperial
Government. Put bluntly, the demand made of them was tribute; they
were to supply money for naval defence, and have no voice in its
expenditure.
Canada took a straightforward course, and withdrew her naval subsidy.
New Zealand, with an admirable spirit, had a Dreadnought built, and
handed it over to the Imperial Government. The battle cruiser _New
Zealand_ has done fine service in the North Sea since the outbreak of
war, but had Australia been as sentimentally generous, Australasia
would certainly have had cause to regret it.
But Australia planned to build a navy of her own; and a scheme for
the construction of the first instalment of warships was drawn up by
Rear-Admiral Sir William Cresswell, now first naval adviser to the
Commonwealth. He came to London in 1906 to support his scheme, and to
his sane and able advocacy of it Australia and the Empire owe a debt
it will be hard to repay. It would be possible to quote some of the
criticism he received here, but it would serve no good end. Suffice
to say, it was couched in the superior vein that proves so irritating
to the Colonial in Great Britain, especially when he knows he is
right.
At the Colonial Conference of 1907, the matter came up for
discussion, and Mr. Deakin and Senator Pearce, who represented
Australia, succeeded in carrying their point. Expert reports were
obtained, the probable cost was reckoned, and bravely faced; and
Australia began to build her own warships. It is an open secret that
she did so with the tacit disapproval of the Admiralty, and in face
of the violent criticism of the experts.
Thus it happened that when war broke out, the Australians were able
to place at the disposal of the Admiralty the following up-to-date
warships in Australasian waters:--
[Illustration: H.M.A.S. "Australia" in Sydney Harbour.]
The battle cruiser _Australia_ of 19,200 tons displacement, in length
555 feet, with an 80 foot beam, and a draught of 26½ feet. Her
armament consists of eight 12-inch guns, sixteen 4-inch guns, and
two torpedo tubes. Of her ship's company of 820 more than half are
Australians. She flies the flag of Rear-Admiral Sir George Patey,
K.C.V.O.
Three light cruisers: the _Sydney_, _Melbourne_, and _Brisbane_,
all of 5,600 tons displacement, and with a speed of 26 knots. (The
_Sydney_ made 27 when steaming to her duel with the _Emden_.) Each
has eight 6-inch guns, four 3-pounders, four machine guns and two
torpedo tubes. The _Sydney_ and _Melbourne_ were built in Great
Britain, but the _Brisbane_ is of local construction.
Six destroyers: the _Parramatta_, _Yarra_, _Torrens_, _Warrego_,
_Swan_, and _Derwent_. All are of the same type; of 700 tons
displacement, 26 knots speed, and carry one 4-inch gun, three
12-pounders and three torpedo tubes.
Two submarines: the AE1 and AE2.
Thus had Australia provided for the defence of her coast, at a
cost which excited strenuous criticism in the Commonwealth itself.
Until war broke out--then every penny of the money was saved by
the 12-inch guns of the _Australia_. "No," wrote an officer of the
_Scharnhorst_, shortly before Admiral Sturdee had made an end of that
armoured cruiser, "we did not raid any Australian port, nor sink any
Australasian shipping. And why? Because we knew our 8·2-inch guns
were no match for the armament of the _Australia_."
It is interesting to remember that at the launching of the
_Sydney_ Captain R. Muirhead Collins, C.M.G., the Secretary to the
Commonwealth Office in London, made a speech almost prophetic in its
prescience of the glory with which that vessel was to cover herself
in her first ocean combat.
"From time immemorial," he said, "much significance and ceremony had
been attached to the launch and christening of a ship. Apart from the
mystery of the sea, and the fact that those who went down to the sea
in ships saw the wonders of the deep, the act of placing a vessel in
the water appeals to us all strongly, because ships are freighted,
not only with human lives, but with human interests.
"How much stronger is the appeal to our emotions when ships, those
great engines of war, carried with them the future of the Empire
and of the English-speaking races under the flag? (Applause.) To
the launch, therefore, of this cruiser, as in the case of the
vessels which had preceded her, there was the added significance
that they are freighted with, or carry with them, national and
Imperial aspirations. National aspirations, because they represent
the determination of a young, strong and vigorous community, proud
of their British descent and of the glorious traditions of the sea
which they share, to be no longer satisfied to dwell under the
protection of the Mother's wing, but to take on the responsibilities
of a self-governing community and to support the Mother Country in
the great task of defence of the Empire--(applause)--and Imperial
aspirations, because we see in the unity of the Empire, which
depends on free communication by sea, the guarantee of freedom and
security of peace to all those who dwell within its borders.
"We see in the co-ordination and consolidation of the naval resources
of the Empire the chief means of its preservation, founded as it is
on maritime enterprise and supremacy. Naval defence alone, however,
will not suffice to save the Empire. Co-ordination in military
preparations will also be required, based on the recognition of
the obligation of every citizen to take his share. In this respect
Australia is setting an example in its system of national training.
(Applause.)
"We must go back to the days of ancient Greece for a record of
maritime confederacy. It failed; and the Empire, which under other
conditions it might have safeguarded, was destroyed and its peoples
conquered, because, in the words of a recent writer, the Athenians
neglected to make the outlying States of their Empire living and
active parts instead of mere dependencies on the central government.
These new vessels, which were to form the Australian unit in our
naval forces, were the embodiment of a living and active partnership
in the defence of the Empire. The Navy of Britain had always been
justly the Briton's pride. That pride and that interest should now be
extended to embrace the Navy of the Empire."
It is instructive to contrast the events in Eastern waters, where the
Admiralty, in pursuance of the great theory that the Empire was to
be saved by a battle in the North Sea, had weakened the China fleet
almost in proportion to the strength supplied in Southern waters
on Australian initiative. The operations against Kiao-Chau so far
occupied the British warships that the _Emden_ was able to bombard
Madras, to enter the British port at Singapore and to sink the
warships of our Allies while at anchor under the protection of the
Empire's flag, and to heap insult and damage upon the first sea power
of the world.
New Zealand, but for the Australian fleet, would have been as
defenceless as the East Indies. The Dominion, while thrilled with
a genuine and comprehensible pride at the fine work done elsewhere
by its Dreadnought, was frank in admitting that the practical end
of the argument lay with Australia. Mr. Massey, the Prime Minister,
in a speech of the utmost import to Australasia, declared that the
future policy of the Dominion would be one of co-operation with the
Commonwealth for the naval defence of Australasian shores.
The work of the Australian warships in the reduction of the German
Pacific Colonies has already been detailed. In the first seven weeks
of the war the _Australia_ and the _Melbourne_ covered 12,000 miles.
Not a single British merchant ship was molested in Australasian
waters, while all the German shipping in the locality was gobbled
up in the most summary fashion. Then, their work at home being
completed, the vessels of the Australian fleet set out for wider
adventures.
Some day the manœuvres which led to the destruction of the German
Pacific squadron will be described by an expert, and the world will
know what part the _Australia_ played in bringing about that desired
consummation. A cruise of 48,000 miles, by which the marauders were
swept ever farther East, was the share of the battle cruiser of the
Commonwealth. She burned 5,000 tons of coal and 6,000 tons of oil
fuel, and had the satisfaction of overhauling and sinking a big
German liner, of the Woermann line, which was fitted as a store ship
and laden with all sorts of necessaries for the German warships.
Later she was visible at a British port, where, after an official
inspection, Admiral Patey was complimented on the fact that her guns
were still in better order than those of any vessel of his Majesty's
fleets. She is now serving the Empire many thousands of miles from
her own waters, and when next the _New Zealand_ is heard of, it may
well be that the _Australia_ also will be there.
The _Melbourne_ and the _Sydney_ returned, somewhat unwillingly,
to undertake that convoy work which, incidentally, resulted so
disastrously for the _Emden_. The present outlook promises that
much will still be found for them to do in this direction, for the
passage of Australasian troops through the Indian Ocean has now
been regularized, and the supply is in course of being enormously
increased.
The fate of Submarine AE1 was later shared by AE2, in a bold attempt
to enter the Sea of Marmora, having pierced the Dardanelles as far as
the Narrows. AE2 possessed, it is claimed, the record for a submarine
in distance covered, for her operations during the war extended over
a distance of 30,000 miles. Before misfortune overtook her, she had
rendered excellent service at the Dardanelles, and was the first
submarine to penetrate the Straits and enter the Sea of Marmora. Her
officers, and all her crew save nine, fell into the hands of the
Turks, and are now in Turkish prisons.
Such has been the performance in twelve months of the vessels which
form the nucleus of a fleet which will one day consist of fifty-two
vessels and be manned by 15,000 men. It is intended by Australia that
the warships shall be manned and officered by Australians, and with
that end in view, training establishments for navel cadets and for
sailors have been established in the Commonwealth. The Australian
Naval College is still in its infancy, but it occupies a magnificent
position at Jervis Bay, about eighty miles south of Sydney, on the
coast of New South Wales.
An area of nearly fifteen square miles has been reserved for the
establishment, and modest buildings have already been erected for
the future Australian middies. A fine stream flows into the bay,
and bathing and boating facilities are admirable. The College was
occupied in March, 1915, and a start was made with twenty-four
boys of thirteen years of age, selected from a large number of
applications. The quality of the boys is illustrated by an incident
of the first few months.
One youngster, during a game of cricket, was injured so seriously
by the ball that an operation was immediately necessary. The lad
walked into surgery, and saluted the doctor, who informed him that an
anæsthetic would be necessary. The boy drew himself up proudly. "For
the credit of the service, sir," he said, "I must decline."
This naval college--the only one in the Dominions--will in 1916 have
150 picked lads in training.
The Royal Australian College is open to all classes. In the first
quota of Cadet Midshipmen--it should be noted that in Australia the
English term "Naval Cadet" has a different meaning--more than one
half were pupils of State Schools. The cadets enter the College at
the age of thirteen and from that day all their expenses are borne
by the Commonwealth Government, even to the munificent grant of one
shilling a week in pocket money. In return the boy is required to
remain in the navy for a period of twelve years on attaining the
age of eighteen, that is, on completing a four-year course at the
College. A penalty of £75 for each year's training undergone will
be imposed on parents or guardians who withdraw a cadet midshipman
without the consent of the Australian Naval Board.
Appointments to the College are made by the Minister for Defence,
upon the recommendation of the Naval Board, from such candidates as
are considered suitable by the Selection Committee, and who have
afterwards passed a qualifying examination in educational subjects.
Nominations bearing a certain proportion to the number of midshipmen
required for the College in any particular entry are allotted by the
Governor-General in Council, as nearly as possible in the following
proportions:--New South Wales, 38 per cent.; Victoria, 31 per cent.;
Queensland, 12 per cent.; South Australia, 10 per cent.; Western
Australia, 6 per cent.; Tasmania, 3 per cent.
For the selection of the most promising youths an interviewing
committee, on properly advertised dates, sits at Brisbane, Sydney,
Melbourne, Adelaide, and Hobart; Adelaide doing duty also for Western
Australia, and Brisbane for the Northern Territory and Papua. The
interviewing committee consists of the Captain of the College,
Captain of Training Ship, District Naval Officer, Director of
Education (with consent of the State Government), and a Naval Medical
Officer.
[Illustration: The Governor-General of Australia.]
On a similarly adequate basis, arrangements have been made for the
instruction of sailors on training ships at several of the chief
ports. The quality of the young Australian sailors on the _Australia_
and the _Sydney_ was one of the most satisfactory features of the
fine service rendered by those vessels.
Such, in brief, are the main features of the scheme now in successful
operation for the establishment of an adequate Australian Navy.
What has been written above is written in no sense of useless
recrimination or vainglorious boasting. The Dominions are asking for
a conference with the Imperial authorities to discuss matters of
Empire defence. One of the reasons which impels them to press for
it now, and not hereafter, may be found in a conversation in which
a leading citizen from Overseas voiced an opinion too little heard
in Great Britain, but familiar enough to those who are in touch with
Oversea ideals.
"You shout with rage," he said, "when some big German cruisers
slip across the sea in the night and pump a few shells into a
one-horse town like Scarborough. But when a little ashcan like the
_Emden_ holds up the proudest ports in your wide Empire, and gets
off scot-free with her little 4-inch guns, you chuckle and say her
captain is a fine sport. A conference is wanted to teach some of your
big men a little Empire sense."
Perhaps there is something in that.
THE HEART OF EMPIRE STIRRED