THE NEW FLEETS IN BEING
BACK once again on the old cruiser with training completed and awaiting
draft to the zones of war. Then came the sailing orders. The name of
each officer was called in turn and he disappeared into the ship's
office, to return a few minutes later carrying a sheaf of white and blue
Admiralty orders, his face grave or gay according to destination.
Some were for the Spanish Main and bemoaned their fate at being ordered
to a station so remote from the principal zone of war. Others were
destined for the Mediterranean and comforted themselves with hopes that
trouble was brewing elsewhere than in the Adriatic, to which a lucky few
were appointed. The Suez Canal and Egypt claimed their share, but by far
the greater number were bound for the misty northern seas.
About the training given to the 200,000 men little can be said here
because of its diversity. They came as volunteers from all quarters of
the globe, were collected at the great depots in Portsmouth, Chatham and
Devonport, were trained in the art of signalling, squad drill, gunnery,
seamanship and the hundred and one things required by the "handy man,"
then belched forth into the ships.
Some had sailed the sea for years before in vessels of all kinds and
needed little more than the sense of cohesion and unquestioning
obedience imparted by discipline and drill. Others knew more of the
working of a loom, or the extraction of coal, than of seamanship, and
spent a cheerful but arduous few months in training depots and on
special ships completing their education. Cooks there were who could
make little else besides Scotch broth, while others, the engineers--or
motor mechanics, as they were called when appointed to some of the
petrol-driven patrol boats--knew their profession or trade better than
they could be taught, and proved themselves untiring and indomitable
when it came to the real thing--as will be seen later.
Having now described the training of both officers and men, we come to
the ships they were called upon to navigate down to the seas of
adventure.
ARMED LINERS
To set on record the formation of the ships of the new navy in
divisions, squadrons or units, and to classify them here under separate
headings--an easy enough matter with regular fleets constructed for
definite duties--is a task of considerable difficulty with a
heterogeneous fleet composed of several thousand vessels with seldom two
alike.
Beginning with the ocean liners, as the largest and most powerfully
armed of the new fleet: these were mostly grouped for administrative
purposes in one large formation, known as the "Tenth Cruiser Squadron."
But when at sea they operated in smaller units and frequently as single
ship patrols. Their principal zone of activity was the vast stretch of
Arctic sea extending from Norway and North Russia to Iceland, the
Hebrides and Labrador. Their work was arduous in the extreme, as will
easily be realised from the nature of the seas in which they primarily
operated.
Strictly speaking, were distinct divisions possible, the Tenth Cruiser
Squadron did not form part of the auxiliary navy in its true sense,
although many of the officers and men were drawn from newly raised
corps. It acted rather as a distinct patrol fleet, filling the wide gap
of sea between Scotland and the Arctic ice.
FIGHTING SLOOPS
Next in order of importance came the newly built screw sloops, with
powerful guns and engines. Their numbers varied and they were
continually being added to. Some of these vessels were used for patrol
duties and others for minesweeping. The sloop flotillas had many zones
of activity. One was the North Atlantic, with special care for the coast
of Ireland. Another was the North Sea, with a marked preference for the
east coast of Scotland and the Straits of Dover.
These flotillas also were frequently assigned duties independent of the
auxiliary patrol organisation, but nevertheless formed an important part
of the vast anti-submarine and anti-mine navy.
In the Mediterranean also there were a number of patrol gunboats and
minesweepers similar to the fighting sloops. Their principal base in
this region was on Italian soil.
ARMED YACHTS
We now come to that portion of the auxiliary fleet whose special care
was the seas around the United Kingdom and the Colonies. First came the
armed yachts, over 50 in number, with tonnages varying from one to five
hundred. These were obtained from the owners, armed as heavily as their
size and strength permitted, and mostly became the flag-ships of patrol
flotillas. They were nearly always equipped with wireless, hydrophone
listening apparatus, depth charges and all the appliances for
anti-submarine warfare.
Their losses were not heavy considering the dangerous nature of their
work and could almost be counted on the fingers of both hands. This was
due mainly to their good speed and manoeuvring qualities. They made
wonderfully efficient auxiliary warships, maintaining the sea in almost
all weathers and accounting for quite a number of U-boats. These vessels
were, of course, never used for the rougher work of minesweeping.
WHALERS
The whalers were few in number and resembled small destroyers. They were
powerful craft and well armed, but their sea-keeping qualities left
much to be desired. In fact, to use a naval term, they were dirty boats
even in a "lop." It was said that if an officer or man had been for long
in one of these ships he was proof against all forms of sea-sickness. A
big assertion, as even old sailors will admit--but they call it "liver."
MINESWEEPERS
About the screw and paddle minesweepers little can be said beyond the
fact that they numbered about 200 and performed some of the most
dangerous work in the war. Many of them were old passenger steamers from
the Clyde, Bristol Channel, Thames and south and east coast resorts, the
famous _Brighton Queen_ being, until her untimely end on a mine off the
Belgian coast, one of their number. The loss among this class of ship
was about 10 per cent.
TRAWLERS
By far the largest portion of the auxiliary patrol units consisted of
armed and commissioned trawlers. Their numbers far exceeded 1000, and
nearly half were used for the dangerous work of minesweeping. About a
trawler little need be said, for beyond what can be seen in the
accompanying illustrations there is little of interest until we come to
the question of their curious arms and appliances, fit subjects for a
special chapter.
A large number of these units were fitted with wireless and carried
masked batteries of quick-firing guns. To give here their zones of
operation would be to set out in detail not only the seas around the
British Isles, but distant waters such as the Mediterranean and the
White Sea. They had distinct duties to perform, which may be summed up
as follows:--(1) minesweeping; (2) night and day patrols alone or in
company over immense areas of sea; (3) convoy duty; and (4) fishery
guard.
Their losses were heavy, both in ships and men, amounting to about 30
per cent. Many were the lonely sea fights engaged in by these vessels. A
few will receive the praise they deserve and the remainder will rest
content with the knowledge of duty done.
DRIFTERS
If numbers or losses were the dominant factors the armed drifters should
be high in the list. There were engaged considerably over 1000 of these
craft, and the losses amounted to about 20 per cent.
It may be necessary to inform some of my readers that a drifter is not
necessarily a vessel that is content to start out on a voyage and rely
on _drifting_ to its destination, as its name implies. The term is
derived from the drift nets used by these vessels for fishing in time of
peace. They are, in almost all respects, small editions of the deep-sea
trawler--_minus_ the powerful steam-driven winch for hauling in the
trawl nets.
[Illustration: SOME OF THE 550 MOTOR LAUNCH HULLS BEING CONSTRUCTED ON
THE BANKS OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER, CANADA
_Yachting Monthly_]
For war purposes the holds of these, and many other types of auxiliary
warships, were converted into officers' cabins, or gun platforms for
masked batteries. A few carried special nets in which to entangle the
wily "Fritz." Others had aboard special types of submarine mines, and
one, commanded by the author, was used for the transport of wounded from
Admiral Sir David Beatty's flag-ship, H.M.S. _Lion_, after the Jutland
fight.
These were, as might be expected, good sea boats, and carried out duties
of great danger and value. Several hundred were fitted with wireless.
Their zone of operations was far flung, extending from the Arctic Circle
to the Equator. It was, however, in the unequal fights with German
destroyers in the Straits of Dover and with Austrian torpedo boat
destroyers in the Adriatic that they made a name for valour. In two of
these engagements no less than six and fourteen drifters were sunk in a
few minutes.
MOTOR LAUNCHES
About the now famous motor launches, or "movies," as they are called in
the Service, much will be said in later pages. They numbered over 500,
and, with but few exceptions, were a homogeneous flotilla of fast
sea-going patrol boats, heavily armed for their size. Some idea of their
appearance under varying conditions will be gained from a study of the
illustrations.
They were all commanded by R.N.V.R. officers, whose training on H.M.S.
_Hermione_ and elsewhere has been described in an earlier chapter. They
carried a crew of nine men and two officers, and their zones of
operations extended from the icy seas which wash the Orkneys and
Shetlands to the West Indies and the Suez Canal.
It may be of interest to give here an extract from the American journal,
_Rudder_, showing how these vessels came into being.[3] Although the
hulls were constructed in Canada, and much of the assembling was also
carried out on the banks of the St Lawrence, the engines came from the
United States. It was to the organising ability of Mr Henry R. Sutphen,
of the Electric Boat Company, New York, that the delivery of over 500 of
these wonderful little craft in less than a year was due. Here is that
gentleman's story of the "M.L." contract:
"It was in February, 1915, that we had our initial
negotiations with the British Naval authorities. A
well-known English shipbuilder and ordnance expert
was in this country, presumably on secret business
for the Admiralty, and I met him one afternoon at
his hotel. Naturally the menace of the German
submarine warfare came into discussion; we both
agreed that the danger was a real one, and that
steps should be taken to meet it.
"I suggested the use of a number of small, speedy
gasolene boats for use in attacking and destroying
submarines. My idea was to have a mosquito fleet
big enough to thoroughly patrol the coastal waters
of Great Britain, each of them carrying a 13-lb.
rapid-fire gun.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.--Diagram showing principal characteristics of an
armed motor launch. _A._ Wheel-house. _B._ Searchlight. _C._ Chart-room.
_D._ Navigation lights. _E._ 3 or 13 pounder quick-firing gun. _F._
Wheel and indicators in wheel-house. _H._ Hand pumps supplementing power
pumps in engine-room. _I._ Hatchway leading to engine-room. _J._
Hatchway leading to wardroom. _K._ Life-boat. _L._ Officers' cabins.
_M._ Hatchway leading to officers' cabins. _N._ Depth charges (2 or 4).
_O._ Deck box containing life-belts. _P._ Stern petrol tanks (2). _Q._
Officers' sleeping cabin. _R._ Officers' mess-room. _S._ Galley. _T._
Engine-room. _U._ Main petrol engines (2). _V._ Reservoirs of compressed
air for starting main engines. _W._ Foreward petrol tanks. _X._
Forecastle and men's quarters. _Y._ Men's lavatory. _Z._ Forepeak.]
"I explained that I had in mind two distinct
types. The first would have an over-all length of
about 50 feet, and would be fitted with high-speed
engines; such a boat would show a maximum of 25
knots. The alternative would be something around
80 feet in length, with slow turning engines and
a speed of 19 knots. I added that my preference
was for the larger and slower type.
"He asked how many units of that class we could
build in a year's time, and I told him that I
could guarantee fifty. He said that he would think
the matter over, and we parted.
"A few days later I had another interview and was
told that the British Government was ready to give
us a contract for fifty vessels of the larger
type, the whole lot to be delivered within a
year's time.
"On April 9th, 1915, the contract for fifty
'chasers' was signed.
. . . . . . . .
"The _Lusitania_ sailed on her last voyage May
1st, 1915, and a week later her torpedoing by a
German U-boat was reported. My English friend was
sailing that same day from New York, and we were
giving him a farewell luncheon at Delmonico's.
When the appalling news was communicated to him he
appeared much depressed, as indeed was natural
enough, and also very thoughtful. Before he said
good-bye he intimated to me that he intended
advising the Admiralty to increase the number of
'Chasers'; he asked me if I thought I could take
care of a bigger order. I told him that I could
guarantee to build a boat a day for so long a
period as the Admiralty might care to name.
"After he reached England we shortly received a
cablegram ordering five hundred additional
'Sutphens,' our code word for submarine 'Chaser';
in other words we were now asked to build five
hundred and fifty of these boats and deliver them
in complete running order by November 15th, 1915."
[Illustration: FIG. 2.--Plan of armed motor launch, showing internal
arrangements. _A._ Officers' sleeping cabin. _B.B._ Bunks. _C._
Cupboard. _D._ Lavatory. _E.E._ Stern petrol tanks. _F._ Wardroom. _G._
Table. _H._ Settee. _I._ Galley. _J._ Petrol stove. _K._ Engine-room.
_L.L._ Main engines. _M._ Compressed air reservoirs. _N._ Auxiliary
petrol engine driving dynamo, bilge pumps, fire pumps and air
compressor. _O._ Electric storage batteries, switchboard and electrical
starting arrangements for auxiliary engine. _P._ Chart-room with petrol
tanks below. _Q._ Magazine. _R._ Fresh-water tanks. _S._ Forecastle.
_T._ Bunks for crew. _U._ Forecastle lavatory. _V._ Watertight
forepeak.]
The armament of a motor launch consisted of a 13-pounder quick-firing
high-angle gun, capable of throwing a lyddite shell for over four miles,
and was as useful against aircraft as it was against submarines. In
addition to this heavy gun for small craft they carried about 1200 lb.
of high explosive in the form of depth charges for bombing under-water
craft, a Lewis machine gun, rifles and revolvers.
These vessels were driven by twin screws connected to twin engines of
about 500 h.p. They possessed, in addition, an auxiliary petrol engine
of about 60 h.p. for compressing the air required to start the main
engines, for working the fire and bilge pumps, and for driving a dynamo
to recharge the electric storage batteries. The triple tanks carried
over 3000 gallons of petrol, and the consumption, when travelling at
full speed, was a gallon a minute.
Many were fitted with wireless, and all of them had on board the most
approved pattern of hydrophone, with which to listen below the surface
for the movements of hostile submarines. They had electric light in the
cabins and for navigation, fighting and mast-head signalling purposes. A
moderately powerful searchlight, fitted with a Morse signalling shutter,
was also part of their equipment.
These little miniature warships possessed a small wardroom and sleeping
cabin for the officers, a galley with petrol range for cooking, an
engine-room, magazine for the ammunition, chart-room, and ample
forecastle accommodation for the crew of nine men. All parts of the ship
were connected with the bridge by speaking-tubes and electric bells, and
the aft deck accommodated a steel life-boat.
The duties of these craft varied considerably. For over three years they
maintained a constant patrol in the North Sea, Atlantic, English
Channel, Irish Sea, Mediterranean, Adriatic, Suez Canal, Straits of
Gibraltar, and in West Indian waters. Only one who knows by experience
can fully appreciate what work in these northern seas, with their winter
snows and Arctic winds, and their chilly summer fogs, really means to a
mere thirty tons of nautical humanity in as many square leagues of
storm-swept sea infested with mines and hostile submarines. But when
this book has been finished the reader will be in a position to judge
for himself.
The losses of motor launches were not heavy considering the dangerous
nature of their cargoes (3000 gallons of petrol within a few feet of
1500 lb. of high explosive in a wooden hull) and the duties they were
called upon to perform in all weathers short of heavy gales. Several
were blown up with terrible results to those aboard. Others caught fire
and were burned--allowing only just sufficient time to sink the
explosives aboard. A few were smashed to pieces on exposed coasts after
struggling for hours amid heavy seas. One struck a mine off Ostend.
Another was destroyed by shell-fire in the Mediterranean, and the part
they played in the raids on Zeebrugge and Ostend, in which two were lost
and a V.C. gained, is now world famous.
COASTAL MOTOR BOATS
There was, besides M.L.'s, another smaller but faster type of submarine
chaser. These little vessels, of which there were about 80 actually in
commission, possessed no cabin or other accommodation for long cruises.
They were simply thin grey hulls with powerful high-speed engines. They
were known as C.M.B.'s, or, to give them their full title, Coastal Motor
Boats. The purpose for which they were constructed was to operate from
coastal bases, and to be launched from ocean-going ships to chase a
hostile submarine which had been located by seaplanes and reported by
wireless in a given locality. This, however, was what they were
_intended_ for, but bore little relation to the work they actually
accomplished. Their nickname was "Scooters," and they certainly did
"scoot" over the sea.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.--Diagram showing principal characteristics of a
coastal motor boat (C.M.B.). Speed 50 miles per hour. _A._ Hydroplane
hull, so constructed as to rise on to surface when travelling at full
speed. _B._ Covered wheel-house. _C._ Navigating well. _D._ Wireless
aerials. _E._ Depth charges (2 small size). _F._ Manhole to
engine-room.]
There were three types of C.M.B.'s. One had a length of only 44 feet,
and was intended for carriage on the decks of light cruisers or other
moderate-sized surface ships. The armament was a Lewis machine gun and
two depth charges for anti-submarine warfare. The next class were 55
feet in length and operated from coast bases. These were fitted with one
or more Whitehead torpedoes, launched by an ingenious contrivance from
the stern. Class III. were 70 feet in length, and were commissioned just
before the signing of the Armistice. They were fitted for mine-laying
close up to enemy harbours.
[Illustration: FIG. 4.--Plan of coastal motor boat, showing torpedo in
cleft stern. _A._ Whale-back or arched deck. _B._ Wheel-house. _C._
Navigating well. _D._ Engine-room. _E._ Foreward petrol tanks. _F._
Forepeak. _G._ Depth charges. _H._ Cleft stern with torpedo ready for
launching. _I._ Whitehead torpedo, launched stern first.]
The maximum speed of the 55-feet C.M.B.'s, which were the most numerous,
was 40 knots, or nearly a mile a minute. They were driven by twin screws
coupled to twin engines of 350 h.p. each--working at 1350 revolutions
per minute. Being of very shallow draught, some 26 inches, these little
vessels could skim, hydroplane fashion, over any ordinary mine-field,
and a torpedo fired at them would merely pass under their keel. The risk
of destruction from shell-fire was also reduced to a minimum by their
small size and great speed. Their principal enemies were, however,
seaplanes armed with machine guns.
[Illustration: A 40-FT. COASTAL MOTOR BOAT TRAVELLING AT FULL SPEED
_Thornycroft & Co., Ltd._]
[Illustration: A 40-FT. COASTAL MOTOR BOAT TRAVELLING AT FULL SPEED
_Thornycroft & Co., Ltd._]
It is not difficult to imagine a fight between a C.M.B. travelling at 40
knots, firing with its little Lewis gun at a big seaplane swooping down
from the clouds at the rate of 70 miles an hour, and splashing the water
around the frail little grey-hulled scooter with bullets from its
machine gun. This actually occurred many times off the Belgian coast,
and is a typical picture of guerrilla war at sea in the twentieth
century.
[Illustration: FIG. 5.--Diagram illustrating method of attack by C.M.B.
on surface ship (or submarine on surface). _A._ Object of attack
travelling in direction indicated by arrow _E._ _B._ The position of the
C.M.B. after delivering the attack. _C._ The torpedo, released by the
C.M.B. at point _D_, travelling on course ending at _F_, which, allowing
for movement of ship _A_, is the place where the torpedo should strike
its object of attack. From this it will be seen that the torpedo, when
released, actually follows the ship from which it is fired until the
latter swerves from the straight course, when the torpedo continues
until it strikes or misses the object of attack, the speed of the
torpedo being about the same or a little less than that of the C.M.B.
The total time occupied in such an attack over a course of two miles
would be about 2 1/2 minutes before the torpedo struck its object.]
The C.M.B. was a purely British design, and the firm largely responsible
for the success achieved was Messrs John J. Thornycroft & Company
Limited. There were bases for these sea-gnats at Portsmouth, Dover,
Dunkirk, and in the Thames Estuary at Osea Island. From all of these
points mid-Channel could be reached in less than thirty minutes.
Although useless in rough weather, a trip in a C.M.B., even on a calm
day, was sufficiently exciting. The roar of the engines made speech
impossible, and vision when sitting in the little glass-screened well,
or conning-tower, was limited by the great waves of greenish-white water
which curved upwards from either bow, and rolled astern in a welter of
foam. There was an awe-inspiring fury in the thunder of the 700 h.p.
engines revolving at 1350 per minute, and a feeling of ecstasy in the
stiff breeze of passage and the atomised spray. When waves came the
slap-slap-slap of the water as the sharp bows cleft through the crest
and the little vessel was for a brief moment poised dizzily on the bosom
of the swell caused tremors to pass through the thin grey hull, and, to
complete the review of sensation, there may be added the human thrill of
battle and the indescribable feeling of controlled power beneath one's
feet.
The C.M.B.'s record of service, although short, is nevertheless a
brilliant one. Towards the close of the year 1916 four of these little
vessels coming from the base at Dunkirk intercepted five German
destroyers returning from a Channel raid. The scooters raced towards the
enemy in a smother of foam. Every quick-firing gun on the German ships
spouted shells at the mysterious white streaks approaching them with the
speed of lightning. So close did these plucky little ships go to their
giant adversaries that the blast of the German guns was felt aboard, but
no shells struck them. Then the line of C.M.B.'s swerved and their
torpedoes were launched at close range. One of the enemy destroyers was
hit and badly damaged, while two others had narrow shaves.
There was no time for German retaliation. For a brief few minutes the
sea around the scooters was ploughed up by the shells from the Hun
artillery, then the four little attacking craft were five miles distant
from the scene of their victory, and presented almost invisible white
specks to the enemy gunners.
At Zeebrugge these craft ran close in under the guns of the shore
fortifications, and covered the approach of the landing parties and
block-ships with a screen of artificial smoke. At Ostend they entered
the harbour under heavy fire and ignited flares to enable the
block-ships to navigate in the darkness. Others, in the same operations,
torpedoed the piers and silenced the guns mounted thereon.
Their exploits savour of old-time sea romance, as, for example, when the
little _Condor_ ran in under the guns of the fortress of Alexandria, or
further back in our naval history, when sail and round shot took the
place of petrol and torpedoes.
For anti-submarine work these wonderfully fast little chasers were used
in small flotillas. They were fitted with short-range wireless sets, and
when the message came stating that a vessel was being attacked in a
certain position, perhaps twenty miles from the coast, a number were
instantly released from the leash, and in a fraction of the time taken
by larger vessels they were on the scene with torpedoes and Lewis guns
for surface attack and depth charges for submerged bombing.
They were commanded, in many instances, by R.N.V.R. officers of the
auxiliary service, and carried two engineers. No crew was necessary, nor
was space available for them. The plucky dash of these vessels into the
harbours of Zeebrugge and Ostend, their subsequent operations on the
Belgian coast, and their losses in the action at the entrance to the
Heligoland Bight in 1918, when they were launched from a big ship, have
earned for them high renown in naval history.
BOOM DEFENCE SHIPS
In addition to all these types of anti-submarine craft there were,
forming part of the auxiliary fleet, over 300 ships, mostly trawlers and
drifters, engaged in maintaining the great lines of boom defences,
closing vast stretches of sheltered waters frequented by the battle
fleets, and a considerable number of examination ships, staffed by
interpreter officers, whose duty it was to examine all neutral shipping
passing through the 10,000 miles of the blockade.
* * * * *
These, then, were the ships of the new navy, and their formation into
flotillas, or units, was usually accomplished by grouping four or five
vessels of similar type together under the command of the senior officer
afloat--mostly a lieutenant R.N.R. or R.N.V.R. In the case of
minesweepers the unit nearly always consisted of an even number of
ships, because their work was carried out in pairs, and with M.L.'s it
usually consisted of five boats, as this was the number required for the
intricate tactical work of submarine chasing.
There were, of course, units from the United States, French, Japanese,
Italian and Brazilian navies, in addition to the formidable British
armada.
The auxiliary units were all based on one or other of the fifty odd war
stations which encompassed not only the coasts of Great Britain and
Ireland, but also the littoral of every land in our world-wide Empire.
The numbers given here do not include the local fleets of purely
colonial naval bases, nor the large flotillas of destroyers and "P"
boats operating in home and foreign waters in conjunction with the
auxiliary navy. If these were incorporated the anti-submarine fleets
would be almost doubled.
Now that the reader is familiar with the _raison d'etre_ of the new
navy, the personnel, the ships and their formation into fleets, the
scope and limitations of their activity, and of the losses they
sustained, the way is clear for a description of the curious weapons
used, the mysteries of anti-submarine warfare, and the bases themselves
before entering the zone of war and seeing something of the actual work
of the auxiliary navy.
FOOTNOTE:
[3] _Yachting Monthly_ and _R.N.V.R. Magazine_, August, 1917.