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chantmen and launches) and including 62 battle ships and
52 Dreadnoughts.
Compare this to the current figure of 79 commissioned ships of
all classes!
On 25th June 1917 he was posted to HMS Victory V1. This
is not, unfortunately, Nelson’s famous ship. The navy used
the name Victory, followed by a number, for various shore
establishments. Victory V1 was in fact the Crystal Palace
Depot in south London, and he was training there for nearly
four months.
He then transferred to Victory 1, which is Portsmouth Barracks,
for just over a month, and qualified as a signaller.
On 21st November 1917 he was, for the first time, on board a
real ship – HMS Britannia.
HMS Britannia was a battleship of the Edward VIII class,
commissioned in 1906. However almost as soon as it
was commissioned it had become superseded by the new
Dreadnought class.
In the early days of the war it was engaged on convoy duty in the
Atlantic. It was frequently steaming at the head of formations
so that it would spot (or hit) mines first, thus saving the more
valuable Dreadnoughts!!
HMS Britannia then spent time in the Adriatic before returning
to port for a re-fit in 1917.
Arthur joined the ship after this re-fit. There is nothing in the
records of note until two days before the end of the war. Britannia
was passing through the Western entrance of the Straits of
Gibraltar. This was a favourite place for U boats to linger as
this narrow gap was the direct route into the Mediterranean.
A submarine, UB50, was doing just this on 9th November 1918
and fired a torpedo at Britannia, which struck home.
After the first explosion the ship listed 10 degrees to port.
A few minutes later a second explosion started a fire in the
ammunition magazine of one of the major 9.2in guns. The
drill, in this eventuality, was to isolate the compartment, open
sea-cocks to flood it and contain the fire. The valves, for this
33
52 Dreadnoughts.
Compare this to the current figure of 79 commissioned ships of
all classes!
On 25th June 1917 he was posted to HMS Victory V1. This
is not, unfortunately, Nelson’s famous ship. The navy used
the name Victory, followed by a number, for various shore
establishments. Victory V1 was in fact the Crystal Palace
Depot in south London, and he was training there for nearly
four months.
He then transferred to Victory 1, which is Portsmouth Barracks,
for just over a month, and qualified as a signaller.
On 21st November 1917 he was, for the first time, on board a
real ship – HMS Britannia.
HMS Britannia was a battleship of the Edward VIII class,
commissioned in 1906. However almost as soon as it
was commissioned it had become superseded by the new
Dreadnought class.
In the early days of the war it was engaged on convoy duty in the
Atlantic. It was frequently steaming at the head of formations
so that it would spot (or hit) mines first, thus saving the more
valuable Dreadnoughts!!
HMS Britannia then spent time in the Adriatic before returning
to port for a re-fit in 1917.
Arthur joined the ship after this re-fit. There is nothing in the
records of note until two days before the end of the war. Britannia
was passing through the Western entrance of the Straits of
Gibraltar. This was a favourite place for U boats to linger as
this narrow gap was the direct route into the Mediterranean.
A submarine, UB50, was doing just this on 9th November 1918
and fired a torpedo at Britannia, which struck home.
After the first explosion the ship listed 10 degrees to port.
A few minutes later a second explosion started a fire in the
ammunition magazine of one of the major 9.2in guns. The
drill, in this eventuality, was to isolate the compartment, open
sea-cocks to flood it and contain the fire. The valves, for this
33
