CHAPTER I

ENTRY INTO THE NAVY

PAGE

Entry into the Navy - Life in the Britannia - My First Sea-going Ship - A Sailing Passage to Bombay - Discipline on Board - Chasing Slave Dhows - The Slave Market at Zanzibar - Lessons in Seamanship - Gazetted Sub-Lieutenant - With H.M.S. Active on the West Coast of Africa - Life on Ascension Island - A Punitive Expedition up the Congo - A Successful Operation - More River Expeditions - On Board the Guardship at Cowes - An Incident of the Crimea.

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CHAPTER II

A CRUISE ROUND THE WORLD

Admiralty Attitude towards Gunnery – Uselessness of Inspection – A Typical Report of the Period – Course of Instruction on board H.M.S. Excellent – Mud Island – Convict Labour – A Scheme of Drainage – Gunnery Lieutenant of H.M.S. Inconstant – A Training Squadron – Masts and Sails – The Young Princes as Midshipmen – The Boer War takes us to the Cape – Voyage to Australia – Parting with the Bacchante – Invention of an Electrical Range Transmitter – How the Admiralty regarded it – Back in Simon's Bay – A Fire on Board – Putting out the Flames in a Diver's Dress.

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CHAPTER III

WITH THE NAVAL BRIGADE IN EGYPT

Ordered to Alexandria - Naval Brigade Ashore - Collecting Unexploded Shell - Fleet's Deplorable Shooting - Improvisation

Mounting 7-ton Guns - Blowing up a Dam - Queen Victoria and her Troops - Bluejackets and their Medals

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CHAPTER IV

H.M.S. EDINBURGH AND WHALE ISLAND

H.M.S. Excellent again – King George's Gunnery Course - Improvements in Big Gun Targets – Service on board H.M.S. Duke of Edinburgh – Making Ships look Pretty – Duke of Edinburgh's Interest in Gunnery – Invention of a Signalling Lamp – How the Admiralty treated it - Sinking of H.M.S. Sultan – A Unique Salvage Operation - Back to Whale Island – A Prophecy fulfilled – How a Cricket Pitch converted the Admiralty – Convict Labour – A Committee on Naval Uniform – A Naval Barnum – How the Royal Naval Fund was instituted – Farewell to Whale Island.

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CHAPTER V

H.M.S. SCYLLA AND GUNNERY

In the Mediterranean again – Condition of Gunnery and Signalling – Revolutionising Night Signalling – The Admiralty and Inventions – A Source of Discouragement – The Boat that went Adrift – The Scylla's Cruise – Improvement in Gunnery – A New Sub-calibre Gun and Target – History of the "Dotter" Prize Firing – The Scylla's Triumph – On Half-pay.

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CHAPTER VI

HOW THE 4.7-INCH GUN REACHED LADYSMITH

In Command of H.M.S. Terrible - State of the Ship's Gunnery – Useless Appliances – Making Good Defects – Arrival at the Cape – The South African War – Deficiency in Long-range Guns – Mounting Naval Guns for Service Ashore – Why the 4.7-inch Guns were sent to Ladysmith – Admiral Sir Robert Harris's Statements – A Recital of the Facts – How the Mountings were turned out – The Value of the 12-pounders – Appointment as Military Commandant of Durban – Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein – A Keen Soldier – Assistance in the Defence of Durban – General Buller's Visit – The Man-hauled 4.7-inch Gun – An Effective Object Lesson – Communication with Ladysmith – Mounting the Terrible's Searchlight on Shore – Successful Signalling.

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CHAPTER VII

MARTIAL LAW IN DURBAN

Military Commandant of Durban – Multifarious Duties – Censorship : an Effective Threat – The Spy Trouble – A Boer Agent's Claim for Damages – Contraband Difficulties – The Bundesrath – Guns for General Buller – A Gun-Mounting in Fifty-six Hours – Hospital Ships – Mr. Winston Churchill – Relief of Ladysmith –A Letter from Sir Redvers Buller – Farewell to Durban.

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CHAPTER VIII

IN THE FAR EAST: THE BOXER RISING

H.M.S. Terrible's Welcome in the East – Hong Kong's Lavish Hospitality – News of the Boxer Outbreak – Orders at last ! – Arrival at Taku – Tientsin's Plight – The Relief Column – Long-range Guns left behind – A Neglected Base – Anomalies of the Situation – Useless Appeal to the Admiral – Belated Use of the Rejected Guns – Capture of Tientsin – Relief of the Legations.

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CHAPTER IX

GUNNERY ON THE CHINA STATION

A Return to Gunnery at Sea - Results of the First Prize Firing - A Machine to increase Efficiency in Loading - The Deflection Teacher and its Effect on Shooting - Re-modelling the Target - Target Practice of the Fleet - Underlining an Inference - Admirals and Prize Firing - Back at Hong Kong - Raising the Dredger Canton River - Lieut. Sims, U.S.A., and Gunnery - Sir Edward Seymour's Valuable Reforms - Admiralty Opposition - Prize Firing of 1901 - First Ship of the Navy - The Barfleur and the Terrible's Example - The Admiralty and Improved Shooting - A Disastrous Order.

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CHAPTER X

WEI-HAI-WEI AND THE CRUISE HOME

Wei-hai-wei Controversy - Naval Base or Seaside Resort? - Wei-hai-wei's Useless Forts - A Report to the Admiralty - Further Work stopped - Final Prize Firing - Petty Officer Grounds' Record - The Homeward Voyage - A Congratulatory Address - Reception at Portsmouth - Visit to Balmoral - The King's Deer Drive - How I shot a Hind - His Majesty's Interest in Naval Gunnery

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CHAPTER XI

GUNNERY MUDDLE

Efforts towards Reform - Admiralty Obstruction - Waste of Ammunition - Official Reprimands - Two Gunnery Committees appointed - Conflicting Reports - The Centurion's Gun Sights - A Tardy Discovery - The Dawn of a New Era.

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CHAPTER XII

INSPECTOR OF TARGET PRACTICE

My Appointment as Inspector of Target Practice - Battle Practice Conditions - Order out of Chaos - Improvement at Last - My Visit to Kiel - The Chief Defect of the German Navy - A Lost Experiment - "Director Firing."

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CHAPTER XIII

H.M.S. GOOD HOPE WITH THE CHANNEL FLEET

In Command of the Second Cruiser - Squadron Obsolete Ideas - Inadequate Training for War - Housemaiding the Ship Paramount - The Test of War - Confusion and Unreadiness - Wrong Pattern Torpedo - Lord Charles Beresford and the Admiralty - H.M.S. Good Hope's Gunnery - First in the whole Fleet - Our Cruise in Northern Waters - My New Appointment - An Independent Command - A New Routine and Efficiency

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CHAPTER XIV

AN IMPERIAL MISSION

En route to the Cape - Durban's Welcome - The National Convention - Old Foes and New Friends - An Inland Trip - At Pretoria and Johannesburg - Lavish Hospitality - Farewell to Durban - Festivities at Capetown - Farewell Messages - Off to the New World - Arrival at Rio - Promoted Vice-Admiral - Brazilian Enthusiasm - The President's Visit to the Good Hope - Uruguay and the Navy - Speeches at Montevideo - The Pelorus at Buenos Ayres - A Great Modern City - Departure from Montevideo - Battle Practice at Tetuan - I haul down my Flag

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CHAPTER XV

VICISSITUDES OF DIRECTOR FIRING

My New System of Routine - Approved by Lord Fisher but generally Opposed - What Naval Gunnery means - No further Employment at Sea - Back to Director Firing - Success of the Neptune Trials - The Thunderer and Orion Test - Superiority of Director Firing demonstrated - More Admiralty Delay and a Stiff Protest - Warning unheeded and Proposals rejected - Tragic Fruits of Neglect - History of Parallel Firing - Position of Director Firing at the Out-break of War - The First Dreadnought - Position of the Mast - Perpetuating a Blunder - Mr. Churchill's Wise Decision - A New Blunder in Exchange for the First

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CHAPTER XVI

MY RETIREMENT FROM THE NAVY

A Letter from Prince Henry of Prussia - Created a Baronet and promoted to Admiral - Menace of the Submarine - Protective Measures necessary - The Official Attitude - Lessons of Manoeuvres - The Admiralty unconvinced - Mr. Winston Churchill's Suggestion - Director Firing - My Services dispensed with - A Remarkable Letter from Whitehall.

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CHAPTER XVII

WAR BACK TO WORK, 1914 AND 1915

The Shadow of Ireland - Letter to the Times on Submarines - Criticisms by many Naval Officers - The War settles the Controversy - The War Office and the Lack of Big Guns - Lord Roberts' Advice ignored - Ten Months' Delay and Repentance - The Fleet's Gun Equipment - Recall to the Admiralty - Fitting out the Dummy Fleet - The Submarine Problem demands Attention - Visit to the Grand Fleet - The Peril of the Grand Fleet - Lord Fisher's Influence - The Tragedy of the Battle of Jutland - Official Persistence in Error - The Dardanelles Failure - Gunnery Practice in the "Sixties" - Successive Changes in the Target - Valueless Prize Firing - My Suggestions for Improvement - Method adopted on the China Station and its Results - Admiralty Opposition to its Adoption - King Edward's interest in the Question - Admiralty insist on a New Rule with Disastrous Effects - Immediate Improvement

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CHAPTER XVIII

THE DEFENCE OF LONDON AGAINST ZEPPELINS

A Providential Raid by a Zeppelin - London Undefended - My Recall to the Admiralty - Deficiency of Guns - Unsuitable Ammunition - Commander Rawlinson's Good Work - A Flying Visit to Paris - Co-operation of the French - My Protest against Admiralty Methods - Termination of my Command - The Anti-Aircraft Corps - Target Practice in the Air

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CHAPTER XIX

WAR REFLECTIONS 1915-1917

Guns for the Army - Visit to the Front - Inferior Elevation of the 9.2-inch Gun - The Mounting improved after Official Delay - Naval Searchlights - A Primitive Method - My Improved Design - A New System ultimately adopted - A Letter from the Admiralty - The Dardanelles Commission - A Question of Gunnery - The Essence of the Problem - A Criticism of the Report

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APPENDIX I

Progress of Gunnery .

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APPENDIX II

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INDEX

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