The British Navy Past and Present
Published by The Navy League
Chapter V MANNING. No description of the British Fleet would be complete without some account of how it is manned and trained, but in view of the great changes in training recently made some preliminary remarks are necessary.
From earliest days seamanship has been the art of moving a craft on the water from one place to another, be the distance between them small or great. First the coracle or canoe, impelled by the paddle, limited to rivers and the coast; next the boat, with greater capacity, speed and sea-worthiness, propelled by oars, which attained its greatest development in the galley; and then the sailing ship using the power of the wind to move the vessel to any desired point or part of the world. The skilful seaman was in all cases he who had the best knowledge of the means which propelled his craft and placed her where he desired. The early mariners used this art for trade or fishing, but were not trained for war that is, in the use of weapons; so that when -trading vessels were taken for naval warfare it became necessary to put on board men skilled to arms, and thus practically soldiers were embarked for the fighting work. The duty of the mariners was to move the vessel and put her near or alongside the enemy, when the soldiers plied their crossbows and other weapons of that time. Thus there were two distinct casses, which continued in some form or other for many years; one which propelled the ship and the other which fought her, the latter being superior. The in-convenience of a system under which, if there were any casualties in action among the soldiers, the mariners were of little assistance for fighting while if the sailors suffered great loss the fighting men could not handle the ship, in time became evident, and one class resulted which was equally at home with the power of propulsion as with the weapons. Presumably it was found easier to teach the sailor to be a gunner than to train the soldier to go aloft and handle the ship. From that time up to the advent of steam the skilled seaman way one who knew how to propel his ship and fight the weapons with which she was armed. Moreover, he prided himself most on his knowledge of the first. Gunnery held a secondary place in this regard.When steam was first applied to the propulsion of ships, it having been for some time in use on shore, it became necessary to enter men accustomed to engines and boilers for this work boat. Steam was combined with masts and yards, and was looked upon with disfavour by the sailors. The engineers, as they were termed, therefore, were given an inferior place in the hierarchy of the sea. In fact the engineer officers at first ranked only with warrant officers. Naval men of that day did not, or would not, foresee steam had come to stay, and no efforts were made to graft this new method of propulsion on the training of the combatant officers and seamen. As this new power became more important and took a greater share of the operations of a fighting ship the persons who were trained to it gradually became more influential and took a more leading part in the work of the Navy. The engineers and stokers were not trained to the use of weapons, while the seamen were not taught the work of propulsion. Thus we gradually reverted to the old system by which two classes were maintained, one for the fighting and the other for the propulsion, with the same inconvenience that in an action should there be heavy casualties in either of these branches it could not be reinforced by the other.
Sail power having now disappeared from fighting ships, steam power has become the profession of the sailor, and it is necessary that the seamen, as of old, should be equally proficient with the means by which the ship is propelled and fought. We thus arrive at the same point, whether the man acquainted with the machinery should be taught the weapons or the fighting man the machinery. It is desirable that the latter should prevail, and the new scheme of training is the first step towards this end.
As long as masts and sails existed it was necessary to train seamen in their use, and at that time it would perhaps have been difficult in the time that could be given to training to have made him proficient in the other form of propulsion as well, but sail power having disappeared there is no reason why the use of machinery should not now become an essential part of his training. The same applies to the officer. The most skilful captain of old was he who handled his ship best with the propulsion power in use. He had an intimate knowledge of it in all the attributes appertaining to the seaman's art and he must have to-day the same intimacy which will enable him not only to place his ship where it is desired she may go, but also to sustain her against the effects of the elements, as well as of the enemy. This is now recog-nised, and officers as well as seamen are being taught the use and manipulation of machinery.The seamen are recruited from boys who enter between the ages of fifteen and sixteen and a half years. They go to training ships for about two years, and are then drafted into the fleet, having engaged to serve for twelve years. At the end of that period they can leave or re-engage for another period of ten years. The majority choose the latter course, with a view to obtaining the pension which then becomes due. The regulations for training will be so arranged that in future an able seaman before receiving his rating as such must possess some mechanical knowledge and a fair knowledge of the simpler duties of the stokehold. This system provides a highly trained and efficient force of seamen, which can be increased in numbers by taking more boys annually; and such are the advantages of the Navy that the supply is always greater than the demand. All ships also carry a certain number of marines, who are recruited at a later age, and, after being trained and disciplined in barracks, embark, and so obtain that sea experience which gives the value to this force as an adjunct to the Navy. Their length and conditions of service are the same as for seamen.
The weak point of any long service system is that it does not provide a reserve. To obtain this the British Navy has hitherto relied on the mercantile marine, the State giving a certain number of merchant seamen an annual retaining fee, in return for which they perform annually so many days' drill, and engage to join the Navy when required for war or an emergency. That these men have not actually served in the Royal Navy is a defect we are seeking to remedy by embarking them for short periods, but from this source only a comparatively small number can be obtained. Hence we are forming a special reserve from men who leave the Navy after their first period of service, and also from those who complete their time for pension.
For practically one hundred. years officers for the sea ser-vice have joined between the ages of twelve and fifteen. It was considered necessary they should become as early as possible associated with discipline and the somewhat unnatural conditions of a sea life. Placed thus young in positions of responsibility, they acquire a confidence which is a great help in after years and gives early experience which is most useful.Previous to 1859 young officers went straight to sea, but in that year a harbour training ship for them - the Britannia - was established, and has continued ever since. The time under instruction on board this usually lasted two years, being partly scholastic, partly technical. On joining the fleet at the average age of sixteen, their education was continued by naval instructors until the midshipman passed for lieutenant at the age of nineteen, and then received the rank of Sub-lieutenant. Promotion comes in about two years. The difficulty of carrying out efficiently the work of a school amidst the routine of a ship and squadron, and the advantage of a boy being well grounded in his general education before it is diverted in a special direction, has led some officers to advocate that midshipmen should not go to sea until the age of eighteen or nineteen. This I do not think desirable, as the sea is a calling which must be assimilated at an early age, between the ages of seventeen and nineteen inculcate habits of discipline and bring responsibility, which are invaluable hereafter.
Under the new scheme, however, important modifications in the entry and training of naval officers have been introduced. Besides those who became lieutenants and captains, two other branches - the engineer and the marine officer - take an important share in the conduct of fighting a warship. They, up to now, entered under different conditions of age and service, while their training diverged materially from that of the midshipman. To the inconvenience of this allusion has been made. In future all will join under the same conditions, and their training up to a certain point will be uniform. The age of entry will be from twelve to thirteen and in view of the inadequate accommodation afforded by, and other defects incidental to, a hulk, the Britannia is to be replaced by a college on shore at Dartmouth, now under construction. Another similar establishment has been created at Osborne, in the Isle of Wight.
The period of training in these two establishments will be four years, during which time not only will the students' scholastic education be continued, but they will also learn the rudiments of navigation and marine engineering, for which workshops and training vessels are provided. They will then go to sea between the ages of sixteen or seventeen, either in the regular fleet or special sea-going ships. In either case their training will be continued for another three years, when, after passing an examination, the midshipman becomes an acting sub-lieutenant. To be confirmed in this rank he then has to undergo courses of instruction in naviga-tion and gunnery at the Naval College, Greenwich, and the Gunnery School, Portsmouth. Specialisation in engineering, navigation, gunnery, torpedo, and the duties of a marine officer are then taken up, according to the bent of individual officers and the requirements of the service.Thus we obtain a homogeneous body of officers coming, as it were, from one great public school, and receiving the same general training before branching off to the advanced sub-jects, as in ordinary life, men, after college or university training, adopt different professions or investigate that branch of physical science which most appeals to them.
The following estimate may be considered approximately the number of seamen (including engine-room complements, mechanics, etc.), marines and boys required for all effective ships built and building, as also for auxiliary services in case of a general mobilisation for war:
1st class battleships (59) 42,000
2nd (4) 2,500
3rd (2) 1,100
Coast defence ironclads (2) 600
1st class cruisers (62) 42,000
2nd (52) 18,200
3rd (44) 3,800
Scouts (8) 1,600
Torpedo depot and store ships (3) 750
Torpedo gunboats (31) 2,800
destroyers (146) 7,300
boats (109) 3,270
Auxiliary cruisers, store ships, etc. (50) 5,000
Harbour duties, guard boats, etc. 5,000
Total required 135,920
Our resources for meeting such a demand are as follows:
Petty officers, seamen, mechanics etc., and boys 86,700
Marines 19,000
Coastguard 4,000
Active service- Total
109,700
Reserve. Reserve, all classes 40,000
Boys under training 6,000
Total available resources
156,200
Deduction for sick, ineffective, etc.
3,300
Total effective resources
153,000
Total requirements
135,920
Surplus
17,080
This surplus would soon be absorbed filling up casualties, etc., in war time. It is evident that a reserve of 40,600 is inadequate, and steps are being taken to supplement this number. As regards officers we should require for the same services 220 captains, 240 Commanders, and 1,500 lieutenants. We have 520 captains and commanders, so are not short in these ranks. As regards lieutenants and sub-lieutenants, our number of these combined is 1,840, which would be sufficient for mobilisation by utilising retired officers and officers of the Naval Reserve.
[Index] [Chapter VI]
