From Midshipman To Lieutenant.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18550, 25 August 1928, Page 23 (Supplement)

From Midshipman To Lieutenant.

SOME REMINISCENCES OF THE QUEEN’S NAVEE IN SAILING DAYS.

(By

VETERAN.)

(XXIII.) THE w STAR ” has received the manuscript of some ver> interesting reminiscences of the Navy in the late ’sixties, and it will be published weekly on the Old Colonist page.

However, we strolled off towards the fcoat. when a message arrived from tne Commodore that if the bluejackets liked to take potluck for their dinner, and remain on shore, they ought do so. A signal was made to that effect to the ship. As we were unable to carry out his order, we went back to the whare, but found they had all left in boats for the homestead, and not another boat left. After foraging round with a nigger, we came across an old sort of duck punt, but full of holes, and as the native said “No good.” But we were very hungry, and with some rags and soap we plugged her up. and with the native started on the two mile pull along the shore inside the reef. Eventually we saw the very narrow entrance to a lovely little lagoon, and the boats lying at a landing place there and the homestead some quarter of a mile off on a rise surrounded by the cotton and coffee trees of the plantation. We walked right up, being greeted by Ryders. “ Come and have a drink. How did you manage to mis*: the boats? Glad you got here,” etc 11 Gin and coconut please.” We did not explain then why we missed the boats. We spent our Christmas, 1873, in harbour at Levuka, and the afternoon saw us all at the lovely little bathing pool at Wia Tova, about a mile and a half from the landing. Most of our time ashore in Levuka was spent with a big bunch of bananas (6d) and dozens of lovely pineapples (2d each). We thoroughly enjoyed it in the hot. tropical weather. Having completed all our annexation business, we sailed for Sydney, calling at New Caledonia on our way, long enough to attend a dance given by the Governor in our honour. I was not impressed with “La Nouvelle Caledonie.” It was just what it was intended to be—a convict and extradition settlement, the extraditionists being the violent members of the commune. Hangings (or, rather, guillotinings) were of dailv occurrence. The Governor’s A.D.C. and secretary were invited to breakfast one morning, and they arrived on board half an hour late, as the A.D.C. had to represent the Governor at the guillotining of three poor devils. It did not seem to affect his breakfast in the least. He said he

was used to it. The harbour was rather a fine one, and would have been naturally pretty, but all the trees in the neighbourhood had been destroyed, and their places taken by gaunt, ugly buildings, mostly prisons for the large ocMivict population, and storehouses, which are never supposed to be built with any approach to artistic beauty in most countries. They have a cold, austere, repellant appearance. Leaving there for Sydney, we stopped off a curious coral atoll called Elizabeth Reef—a very dangerous place for shipping, quite unlighted, but in the centre of the atoll a lifeboat is moored with provisions, water, etc., on board, in case any shipwrecked people were marooned there. It is only just above water, and verv little dry land space showing. There was not a solitary tree. We sent a boat in, examined the stores and replenished the water casks. While she was away the ship was hove to just off the reef, and I think all the sharks in the world had a meeting there. There were thousands round the ship from five feet to fifteen feet, and we caught them till the ship was a shambles and the commander had it stopped. We rid the world of a good many with rifles, the living fighting and tearing up the wounded and dead. I wonder what they found to eat when we were not there to shoot their mates for them?

We were glad to reach Sydney, and a iittle more civilisation than we had been accustomed to for some months past. The commodore’s wife arrived from England with their two little boys (the youngest is now Admiral Sir William Goodenough). The colony at that time provided a residence for the commodore commanding the station, and there was a similar arrangement at Auckland, both very nice houses. After a stay to refit and replenish stores, etc, we left Sydney for a cruise to Australian ports. First Melbourne, which we found a lovely place and full of gaiety, balls by citizens, the Governor, various clubs, a race meeting, and Sir Edward Clarke invited us all to a hare coursing day at his lovely property at Sunbury. A special train took us and many other guests out to the coursing ground, lovely undulating plains, without trees, well grassed, and stocked

with quite sufficient hares to keep the courses going all day. The guests were taken to a commanding rise, from which we could plainly see the greyhounds and hares, and most exciting it was. The train took the guests back to Melbourne, with the exception of our commander, myself, and one or ’ two more officers who were invited by Sir Edward to dinner, in the old original house his father started his life, lived and died in. It had been added to from time to time, and formed a very pretty old country home. Sir Edward was starting to build the new home of the present day, and we saw the foundations.

We thoroughly enjoyed Melbourne and the Melboumites, and sailed for Portland, a small place where we heard some good kangaroo-hunting was to be had. Arriving there, we found the residents ay ready for us, and, on landing, horses for all who could get ashore. We rode out about four miles to some scrubby country, which had recently been on fire. There some dogs, of all breeds, put up some kangaroos, and one just galloped through this scrub after the poor brutes. Sometimes we managed to bail them up, when a man got off his horse and killed them. It was very poor stuff. The scrub was very dense, and the horses had to constantly shy to one side to avoid collision with burned' stumps, hidden by thick growing suckers, and one had to be careful not to get unshipped. This happened to the commodore, and his foot caught in the stirrup. Luckily the horse was fairly quiet, and I quickly managed to catch him, and lift the old gentleman out of his very nasty position. Adelaide was our objective, and on this cruise we nearly left our bones in Australian waters. The currents in these parts are particularly strong and variable, and many ships have bumped Kangaroo Island, and a very nasty reef about a mile long, of rocks, a few feet above water (I have forgotten its name for the present). The course we were sailing on was set at 8 p.m. to pass seven miles clear of this reef. I had the middle watch (12 to 4), and it is usual for the corporal of the watch to bring up basins of cocoa (which the ship’s cook made at that time) from the galley for the officers on watch, one of the midshipmen taking the lieutenant his up on to the poop. This is generally between 2.30 and 3 a.m. We were sailing along, starboard stun’sails set with light breeze, doing about eight knots. I was standing on the ladder coming down from the bridge talking to the lieutenant on watch, and noticed the moonlight along the water in a streak right under the stun’sail boon as the ship rolled. Suddenly, as she lifted, I saw rocks almost dead ahead. The lieutenant ordered the helm hard a starboard, and turned the hands up to shorten sail and brace sharp up on port tack. I rushed down, called the commodore, who was on deck in a moment, and calmly said. “I think she will weather it.” He ordered me to go forward and report exactly where the weatherxnost end of the reef bore. I returned and said it was a point on the lee bow, and we were only 100 yards off, and the ship had not gathered sufficient way after bracing up to put her about. We bung on, and we just

got clear, to the intense relief of all hands. We simply stood and waited, and the old ship did it. We did not want to lose her. We were very fond of her. A real little yacht to sail. We had been set by the current seven miles out of our course between 8 and 2.30 It was lucky I stood where I was, as neither of the look-out men on the forecastle saw them, and may not have realised if they did. I thought at first I was dreaming, but soon woke up to the fact. Five minutes more and the Australian station would have lost its flagship, but I think the crew would have got away all right.