The Story of the "Britannia": The training ship for naval cadets

By Edward Phillips Statham

“The Story of the "Britannia" is a book that gives an account of the Naval Academy and the old Naval College. This book focuses on official ideas which have prevailed during different periods concerning the education of young naval officers. It covers the early stages of the cadet during the mid-nineteenth century to their current prominent level.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sharp Ink
• Release date: Feb 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9788028238322

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Edward Phillips Statham

The Story of the Britannia

The training ship for naval cadets

Sharp Ink Publishing

2022

Contact: [e-mail]

ISBN 978-80-282-3832-2

Table of Contents

PREFACE.

CHAPTER I. THE GOOD OLD TIMES.

CHAPTER II. THE ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE.

CHAPTER III. THE ILLUSTRIOUS.

CHAPTER IV. THE BRITANNIA IN THE ’SIXTIES.

CHAPTER V. THE BRITANNIA IN THE ’SEVENTIES.

CHAPTER VI. THE BRITANNIA IN THE ’EIGHTIES.

CHAPTER VII. THE BRITANNIA IN THE ’NINETIES.

CHAPTER VIII. BRITANNIA GAMES.

CHAPTER IX. CONCLUSION.

APPENDIX I. RULES AND ORDERS FOR THE NAVAL ACADEMY (issued from the Admiralty, November 1st, 1773) .

Article I.

Article II.

Article III.

Article IV.

Article V.

Article VI.

Article VII.

Article VIII.

Article IX.

Article X.

Article XI.

Article XII.

Article XIII.

Article XIV.

Article XV.

Article XVI.

Article XVII.

Article XVIII.

Article XIX.

Article XX.

Article XXI.

Article XXII.

Article XXIII.

Article XXIV.

Article XXV.

Article XXVI.

Article XXVII.

Article XXVIII.

Article XXIX.

Article XXX.

Article XXXI.

Article XXXII.

Article XXXIII.

Article XXXIV.

Article XXXV.

Article XXXVI.

Article XXXVII.

Article XXXVIII.

Article XXXIX.

Article XL.

Article XLI.

APPENDIX II. ADMIRALTY CIRCULAR of February 23rd, 1857 (in so far as it relates to Naval Cadets) .

Books, etc. Required on Entry.

APPENDIX III. ADMIRALTY CIRCULAR, August 3rd, 1869.

APPENDIX IV. (From BRITANNIA REGULATIONS, 1876.)

Regulations Respecting Cadets While Under Training.

Routine for Cadets (Summer) .

Routine for Cadets (Winter) .

APPENDIX V.

H.M.S. BRITANNIA. COURSE OF STUDIES.

SEAMANSHIP COURSE. H.M.S. BRITANNIA. 1901.

APPENDIX VI. THE COST OF THE BRITANNIA.

INDEX.

THE BRITANNIA APPROACHING PORTLAND, FEB. 7TH, 1862.

PREFACE.

Table of Contents

THE principal object of the preface in a volume of this nature is to acknowledge the assistance received from various persons; the title speaks for itself, and but little is necessary by way of introduction.

The material for the account of the Naval Academy and the old Naval College has been obtained, with very little exception, from official documents. There is, unfortunately, a considerable period which is not covered by any papers to be found in the Record Office; possibly the records of this period are in existence somewhere, but I have not been able to discover them.

I hope, however, that such information as I have succeeded in obtaining about this establishment, of which so little is generally known, may be of interest.

In dealing with the Britannia, I have thought it necessary to include some account of the various modifications which have taken place from time to time in the examinations and general regulations affecting the entry of cadets, as illustrating the official ideas which have prevailed at different periods concerning the education of young naval officers.

Personalities in a book of this kind are inevitable, but I hope that none will be found which could give offence to anyone.

All the yarns, etc., which appear have been obtained from authentic sources, including my own reminiscences.

To return to the chief object of the preface, my thanks are due for valuable assistance to the following:—

The Admiralty, for special facilities for access to documents; Vice-Admiral Sir Robert H. Harris, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., Vice-Admiral Noel S.F. Digby, Admiral W.H. Edye, Captain M.P. O’Callaghan, Captain C.H. Cross and the officers of the Britannia, Captain A.W. Warry, Captain G. Mainwaring, Captain G.S. MacIlwaine, Commander G.E. Bairnsfather, and other officers who so readily supplied information; Captain G.H. Inskip, for the loan of interesting papers and photographs; Professor J.K. Laughton; Mr. A.C. Johnson and Mr. J.L.D. Barton, former naval instructors on board the Britannia; Mr. Aston Webb, R.A., for the use of his original drawing of the College at Dartmouth; and Messrs. J. Gieve and Son, for the use of old prints.

E.P. Statham.

Arundel,

March, 1904.

THE STORY OF THE BRITANNIA.

CHAPTER I.

THE GOOD OLD TIMES.

Table of Contents

A Youthful Diplomat—Old Methods of Entry—Captain’s Servants—King’s Letter Boys—Lord Dundonald—A Warrior at Eight—Sir P.W.P. Wallis—Absurd Regulations—Education at a Discount—Midshipman Easy—Peter Simple—The Pitchfork System—The Royal Naval Academy—Letter to the Navy Board—Commendable Promptitude—The Scheme Approved—Delay in Building—Scheme of Instruction—Uniform Instituted—Scholars’ Expenses—Rules and Orders—They are cursed troublesome—Commissioner’s Report—Entry and Final Certificates—Captain Broke’s Work Book—A Comprehensive Course—A Successful Institution.

AYOUNG aspirant to naval honours, seeking a nomination for entry under the regulations of 1903, was summoned not long since to appear before a committee at the Admiralty, to be tested by a sort of common-sense, vivâ voce examination as to his probable fitness for the Royal Navy; and among other questions propounded to him, by way of ascertaining his general acquaintance with historical facts and personages, was the following: Who do you think were the greatest naval lords?—a question which might perhaps require some consideration even by a more mature individual.

CADET OF 1849.

Our aspirant was, however, more than equal to the occasion, for he replied without hesitation, Lord Nelson and Lord Selborne, sir. If this boy was not accepted, it must have been because Destiny had so clearly marked him out for a career in the diplomatic service.

In any case, his cheerful selection of a great Admiral and a First Lord a century apart suggests reflections on the vast changes which have occurred in the constitution and administration of the Navy during this period; and particularly, having regard to the subject of this book, in respect of the manner of entering young officers of the executive branch.

Let us see, then, what were the conditions under which a lad could enter the Navy, in the executive branch, in the eighteenth century.

The method—if method it can be called—was grotesquely haphazard; and the only marvel is that it produced so many good officers and seamen: men who could take their ships anywhere, and win against odds when they got there. Indeed, it was the men who were feared by our enemies; our ships were often inferior to those of the French, but they were handled in such a masterly, cocksure-of-victory style, that inferiority of size or metal appeared to be of little account.

These mighty sea warriors, who made the British flag an emblem of fear, were, as a rule, entered as captain’s servants, their friends making interest with some captain about to commission a ship, who would have perhaps eight or ten such youngsters on his books; their pay all went into the captain’s pocket, forming, in fact, a considerable proportion of the emoluments of his office. After a time these lads were, entirely at the will and caprice of the captain, rated as midshipmen or able or ordinary seamen.

Naturally, in making a selection from numerous applicants the captain would give the preference to his own relatives: sons, young brothers, nephews, and so on; failing these, the sons, brothers, or nephews of his friends would come in, or youngsters recommended to him by persons of rank or influence.

By far the greater number of young officers were entered in this manner up to near the end of the eighteenth century; but there was in the early part of the century an alternative which was probably open to those who could command a certain amount of interest. These were entered under the authority of a letter from the Admiralty—the forerunner, in fact, of the present Admiralty nomination.

It is probable that youngsters entered in this fashion were regarded, as a class, with a certain amount of jealousy, both on the part of the captain and that of their contemporaries. There is a decided spice of spiteful cynicism both in the curiously anomalous official designation by which they were distinguished—Volunteers per Order—and also in the more common and popular appellation of King’s Letter Boys; and it is quite conceivable that, when a captain had sailed from England with his snug little assortment of young brothers, nephews, and what not, the arrival of a smart frigate with a batch of King’s Letter Boys to be placed on his books would be decidedly unwelcome; but being "Volunteers per Order," he had no option but to accept them.

No sort of qualifying examination was imposed upon these candidates, and regulations as to age were conspicuous by their absence. Indeed, it is here that the most absurd incongruities existed; for it was not considered in the least degree necessary that the applicants should be of an age to perform any kind of duty when they were entered on the ship’s books, or that they should even put in an appearance on board.

There are numerous instances of children in the nursery being borne on ship’s books, and shifted from ship to ship until they were old enough to embark.

The famous Thomas Cochrane, tenth Earl of Dundonald, whose name is associated with more daring and successful exploits than that of almost any naval officer, was born in December, 1775, and entered as captain’s servant when five years old, being kept on various ships’ books for years. His father, meanwhile, having originally intended him for the Army, had obtained for him a captaincy in the 79th Foot, and he did not join his first ship until he was nearly eighteen.

Some youngsters, through interest, were entered direct as midshipmen, at a very early age. Sir Edward Hamilton, for instance, born 12th March, 1772, was entered as midshipman on the 21st May, 1779, when he was only seven years old; and it is stated that he actually took part in an action on board his father’s ship, the Hector, in 1780! What part this warrior of eight years old performed in action is not stated.

Another officer, Sir Provo W.P. Wallis, whose long life bridged over the gulf from the days of Nelson’s victories to the last decade of the nineteenth century, was borne on a ship’s books from the age of four, until he actually joined his first ship, the Cleopatra, as midshipman, at thirteen.

Sir William Symonds, born in 1782, was actually entered at three years of age, and eventually embarked as midshipman at twelve.

Instances of entries at seven, eight, and nine years old are quite numerous; and, of course, the captain drew their pay, whether they joined or not.

This appears, at first sight, to reflect some discredit upon the captains, who, it may be said, must have been aware that they were, in a sense, obtaining money under false pretences. It is not fair, however, to saddle them with responsibility for the results of absurd regulations, which it was well known at headquarters must tend to such abuses; the whole system was a farce, and any little additional absurdities on the part of the captains were usually winked at with the forced leniency which is one of the inevitable accompaniments of inadequate legislation.

Here, then, we find a sad lack of method in regard to the majority of entries in Nelson’s time, though that great man himself was of the relatively mature age of twelve when he went afloat in 1770.

If there was little or no method in regard to entry, how did the youngsters of those days fare as to education?

Well, as a matter of fact, there was rather less system in this respect than in the other. It depended in a great measure upon the sort of captain a boy shipped with, and also, in a lesser degree, upon the junior officers. The seamanship of those days was pretty readily picked up by a lad who kept his eyes open and was eager to learn; a state of war was far more frequent than quiet times; ships were always on the move, and seamanship came of itself; the navigation required was of a rough and ready description, and the master and his mates were as a rule the only people who took any trouble about it.

Marryat, indeed, gives us some vivid and entertaining pictures of the process of education of a certain kind, as applied by the midshipmen and others to a new comer; also of what may be termed preliminary instruction.

Jack Easy, it will be remembered, received some valuable preliminary training at the hands of Mr. Bonnycastle, who literally licked him into shape with a good pliant cane, and who, having inculcated obedience by this stern method, took care that his scholars should know how to use their fists; an accomplishment which proved of great service to Master Jack when Vigors, the bully of the mess, attempted to ride roughshod over him.

Mr. Midshipman Easy is, however, far too great a favourite of fortune to be accepted as a typical example.

Frank Mildmay, in his new uniform, tumbling up against the Port Admiral, whom he failed to salute, and so humbled by the rebuke he received that he went about touching his hat to everyone he met, is a truer picture. Another valuable piece of education was imparted by Murphy, his senior, in the form of a hiding for not comprehending the significance of the captain’s hint at the dinner table, Go and see how the wind is. Poor Mildmay went out, and returned, in all good faith, with the required information; whereupon Murphy was instructed to show him the ropes, and Nemesis supervened.

Peter Simple, joining as a more than usually verdant specimen, intuitively obeyed when someone said, Hand me that monkey’s tail, youngster; from which it was argued that he was not such a fool as he looked, and much was expected of him afterwards.

In such fashion, for the most part, were our future admirals and captains pitchforked, as it were, into the Service, to swim or sink as best they might; and many were the anomalies which prevailed also in the senior ranks. Captains barely out of their teens, with grey-haired first-lieutenants to dry-nurse them; so-called midshipmen of any age up to thirty-five; and so on. Looking back on those days through the perspective of years—those days when our position as a naval Power was a-making year by year, and was completed at Trafalgar—we are apt to say that the world went very well then.

Curiously enough, there existed for many years, side by side with this rough and ready pitchfork system, another way, as the cookery books have it, of getting into the Navy; and a way, moreover, which was fenced about with very precise regulations as to age, and involved a course of pretty hard study. That this mode of entry should have been made entirely optional, and consequently partial, seems strange; but such was the case.

Anyone who is acquainted with Portsmouth Dockyard is familiar with the appearance of the old Naval College, standing just to the southward of the Commander-in-Chief’s house; but comparatively few people, even among naval officers, know very much of its history, or when and why it was built.

It is not clear at the present time at whose suggestion the Royal Naval Academy was instituted, but there is in existence in the Record Office a letter from the Lords of the Admiralty to the Navy Board—which was a kind of executive commission for carrying out all naval construction, etc.—dated March 3rd, 1729, which reads as follows:—

Gentlemen

,—His Majesty having been pleased to direct, by Order in Council dated the 21st of last month, upon an humble memorial from this Board, that an Academy shall be erected in the Dockyard at Portsmouth for the better education and training up of forty young gentlemen for His Majesty’s Service at sea, instead of the Establishment now in force for Voluntiers on board His Majesty’s ships; We do hereby desire and direct you to consider and lay before us, as soon as conveniently may be, a draught or plan of such a building as you shall judge may be proper for the reception not only of the aforesaid forty young gentlemen, but also of a Mathematical Master, three Ushers, and a French Master, by whom they are to be instructed, together with an estimate of the charge thereof; and you are also to give us your opinion at what place in the yard the said building may be most conveniently erected.

The allusion to the Establishment now in force for Voluntiers is clearly intended to include the King’s Letter Boys only, as no other youngsters were shipped at that time under this title; and, in fact, the completion of the Academy was followed by the abolition of the King’s letter, but not of the term Volunteers per Order.

No time was lost over the business: the Lords of the Admiralty wrote their letter, as we have seen, on March 3rd, ten days after the Order in Council was signed; and the Navy Board, with most commendable promptitude, posted their letter, with plans, estimate, and recommendation of site complete, on the 12th; that is to say, allowing for Sunday, they took only seven clear days about it! Probably, however, the matter had been under consideration previously, pending the approval of the scheme by the King in Council; but even so, there is an object-lesson to corporations, Government boards, and committees of all sorts and conditions of men; for the Admiralty date their second letter on March 13th, and the whole thing is put through:—

Gentlemen

,—You having, with your letter of yesterday’s date, transmitted to us the draught of a building which you judge may be proper for an Academy for the reception and better education and training up of forty young gentlemen for His Majesty’s Service at sea, instead of the Establishment now in force for Voluntiers on board His Majesty’s ships, as also for the reception of a Mathematical Master, three Ushers, and a French Master for their instruction, with a plan of proper outhouses for their accommodation; and you having also transmitted to us an estimate of the charge of the said building, with the plan of the south part of His Majesty’s Dockyard at Portsmouth, wherein is described a place in the south-east angle of the said yard, where, in your opinion, the said building may be most conveniently erected; which estimate amounts to Five thousand seven hundred seventy-two pounds, four shillings: We send you the said estimate confirmed by us, and desire and direct you to cause the aforesaid buildings to be gone in hand with, and finished as soon as conveniently may be, at the place and in the manner you have proposed; and herewith we return you the aforesaid draught and plans, &c.

(Signed),

Torrington, Jo. Cokburne,

Cha. Wager, T. Lyttleton, A. Hamilton.

These letters are given in extenso, as inaugurating a new departure of great importance: a recognition of the necessity for some preliminary scientific training for young naval officers before sending them to sea. The death-knell of the pitchfork system is here sounded, though faintly; like many another long-lived system, it died hard, and even struggled into life again, as we shall see, more than a hundred years later.

Promptly as the institution of a Naval Academy was decided upon, and plans prepared, the completion of the building appears to have dragged on heavily. Improvements and additions were carried out meanwhile, and it was not until the early summer of 1733 that it was actually opened—a very long period to be occupied in the erection of such a building.

The original plan appears to have included the present west front, with the cupola—intended for, and for a long time used as, an observatory—with the north wing, and a very short wing on the south side, which, however, was prolonged during the process of building, the large study, now the billiard-room, and a small infirmary, being added. Over the latter were subsequently built some more rooms, including that now used as an observatory and chronometer room. A large number of minor alterations have since been made from time to time, so that it is not easy to identify the rooms frequently alluded to in letters, engineer’s plans, etc.

Some important alterations and additions were made about 1807, when the whole scheme was reorganised, and the name changed to Royal Naval College, of which more hereafter.

The original curriculum appears to have included the following subjects: Geometry, navigation, writing and arithmetic, French and drawing, fencing and dancing, for which purposes the following staff was maintained:—

Seamanship and ship construction were taught by the master attendant of the Dockyard and master shipwright respectively, who received 10s. per lesson (presumably to a class), while a boatswain and gunner received 5s. each per lesson, and a sergeant the same amount, for teaching the use of the firelock.

THE ROYAL NAVAL ACADEMY, PORTSMOUTH, 1806.

The Commissioner of the Dockyard was ex officio Governor, and received £100 a year additional for his duties in connection with the Academy. He was bound to pay frequent visits thereto, and to satisfy himself that the masters were carrying out their duties in a proper manner, and the pupils duly attentive and of good behaviour.

Each student was to have a room, or cabin, to himself, and a warrant to the Clerk of the Cheque, in the Dockyard, authorises him to expend the following amounts for furniture:—

The gentleman who made out this warrant was evidently either a stickler for phonetic spelling or a rabid Francophobe; a long time afterwards the Governor of the Academy advocates the abolition of the buroes, gunpowder having been found in one of them.

The existing records are for a long period very incomplete, but the Academy appears to have flourished on the whole, and to have fulfilled very fairly the purposes for which it was established.

In March, 1748, a blue uniform was first introduced for the students, and about the same time a detailed account of the expenses incurred by two individuals, designated as A.B. and Hon. C.D., is given, evidently as a guide for arriving at an average expenditure. All the students paid £25 per annum for their board; the total expenses of the Hon. C.D., however, amounted to £68 12s. 4d., as compared with £48 16s. 9d. for A.B., the excess being practically, as might be expected, in the amounts for mercer and taylor.

Many, it is stated, fell short of A.B.’s total, while few, if any, equalled Hon. C.D.; but in these accounts ale-house scores are not included. This is explained by the fact that a brewery formed part of