On a man-of-war. A series of naval sketches

Front matter

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Preface

In submitting this book, or collection of letters, to the public, I desire to preface it with, some appropriate remarks.

I was, truly and honestly, asked to write some letters descriptive of life on a man-of-war, narratives of real facts and incidents in my naval career.

With some diffidence — this is also true — I sent material for three or four letters to the office of the Detroit Free Press, with directions to curtail, amend or suppress, as the superior editorial mind should think proper. To my surprise and pleasure, the letters appeared in full, without correction or abbreviation.

Upon the appearance of these letters from time to time, in the Sunday paper, I was overwhelmed with compliments from my friends, expressing the hope that the letters would be continued. Five cents for a paper is very little, I know, and the sacrifice is still less when you borrow the paper. I shall, therefore, watch with considerable anxiety, to see if the interested readers of my single articles will stand the test of paying one dollar and a half for the entire series combined.

If my readers — my readers sounds good — take as much pleasure in reading these letters as I Lave taken in reviving these old reminiscences, I shall feel amply repaid (this, of course, does not include the price of the book, one dollar and a half, bound in calf).

As this volume is instructive, written "to meet a long felt want," I would say that none should be without a copy of it. To that end, I respectfully suggest to my readers — that is, the purchasers of my book — not to lend it, but to advise would-be borrowers that it would be pure madness for any one to take any chance of being without this valuable work.

A SCRAP FROM THE U. S. NAVAL ACADEMY.

Now list, ye winds, while I repeat A parting signal to the fleet,

Whose station is at home ; Then waft a sea-boy's simple prayer, And be it oft remembered there

While other climes I roam.

Farewell to Father, reverend hulk, Who, spite of metal, spite of bulk,

Must soon his cable slip , But, e'er he's broken ground, I'll try The flag of gratitude to fly,

In duty to the ship.

Farewell to Mother, first-class she, Who launched me on life's troubled sea„

And rigged me fore and aft ; May Heaven, to her, her timbers spare, And keep her hull in good repair,

To tow the smaller craft

A SCRAP FROM THE U. 8. NAVAL ACADEMY-.

Farewell to Sister, lovely yacht, But whether she'll be spliced or not,

I cannot now foresee ; But may some craft a tender prove, Well found in stores of youth and love.

To take her under lee.

Farewell to Jack, the jolly boat, And all the little craft afloat

In home's delightful bay; When they arrive at sailing age, Some trusty pilot may engage,

To get them under weigh.

Farewell to all on life's wide main, We ne'er perchance may meet again,

Thro' stress of stormy weather; Till, summoned by the Board above, We'll anehor in the Port of Love,

And all be moored together.

ON A MAN-OF-WAR.

" The seaman, safe on shore, with joy cloth tell What cruel dangers him at sea befell."

Letter I. Details Of Fitting Out A Ship For A Cruise The

OFFICERS AND CREW THE ARMAMENT THE EVO- LUTIONS A CALL TO THE MAINMAST THE WATCH- ES THE BOATS' CREWS IN COMMISSION THE LOG.

My Dear Fellow — You have often asked me to give you some idea of the general routine on board an American man-of-war, and I know of no better way than to jot down my actual experience in the fitting out of a ship from a navy yard.

On the 9th of June I was suddenly detached from the United States Naval Academy by the following order :

You are hereby detached from the Naval Academy, and you will proceed to Boston, Massachusetts, without delay, and report to Rear Admiral Stringham for duty on board the

U. S. S. , second rate.

I am very respectfully your obedient servant,

GIDEON WELLES,

Secretary of the Navy.

To Lieut. , United States Navy.

I arrived at the navy yard and presented myself at the commandant's office at 10 a. m. to report, and being provided by the friendly clerk in the office with the objectionable uniform cap, invented by one of the old Admirals, and only worn when one was afraid not to wear it, I entered the Admiral's sanctum to introduce myself and get his indorsement on my orders that I had so reported.

You see, my dear boy, that the paymaster pays according to your " orders," and until I reported I was on "leave" pay, whereas as soon as I reported I became entitled to " other duty " pay, which is twenty per cent higher. As soon as the ship is put in commission the officers are entitled to " sea pay," which is still higher.

After reporting I went at once to the ship, which was moored at the wharf and filled with carpenters and riggers busily engaged fitting the ship for Bea. The ship is in the hands of the navy yard officers until she is put in commission and is turned over to the commanding officer of the ship in the presence of his officers and crew, at that time complete and ready for sea. Until this ceremony takes place the officers of the ship have no authority on board, the employee of the yard getting their orders from the officers attached to the navy yard only, and not from the officers of the ship.

The various officers, on reporting for duty to the commander, are, however, directed to report on board daily, and watch that their various departments are being properly supplied by the authorities of the yard.

The first lieutenant or executive officer, has a general superintendence, and conveys the wishes of the commander of the vessel to the junior officers. The second lieutenant, who is ordnance officer and navigator, assisted by the gunner, and by his signal quartermaster, looks after the storage of the shell rooms, shot lockers and the various chronometers, compasses, sextants, lead lines, etc., belonging to the navigator.

A certain allowance of seamen, ordinary seamen, landsmen and boys is detailed from the receiving ship as a crew for the vessel fitting out, and every officer, who is interested, visits the receiving ship to find out if there is some particular one that he wants, and works wires as best he can to get his choice included in the list finally detailed to the ship.

The captain is on the lookout for a good cook and steward; so also is the caterer of the ward room mess, the steerage mess, and the warrant officers' mess; and as the pay is higher in the order mentioned, the quality is generally the same.

When the ship is quite ready the crew is sent on board, and all hands being assembled on the quarter deck the flag is hoisted at the peak and the pennant to the main truck, and the ship formally turned over

L2 ON A MAN-OF-WAR.

to its commander by the commandant of the yard, and the ship is in "commission."

The executive officer at once organizes the crew, dividing the men into two watches — starboard and port watch, so many men as f orecastlemen, foretopmen, maintopmen, mizzentopmen and afterguards.

The f orecastlemen do duty from the foremast forward; the foretopmen, aloft and on port side from foremast to mainmast; the maintopmen, aloft and on starboard side from foremast to mainmast; mizzentopmen, aloft and on port side from mainmast aft; and afterguards on starboard side aft.

A foretopman would look with pitying contempt on a young officer who directed him to "squilgee down " in the starboard gangway, and would call one of the maintopmen to look out for his own part of the ship. One of our admirals was ordered out to take command of the Mediterranean squadron, and, upon coming on board the flagship, was met at the gangway by an old classmate (the one he was to relieve) with the salutation, "Hallo, old fellow, how are you ?" and observing that the Admiral had carefully combed his back hair forward up and over to cover the bald top of his head, added, "Well, that's the first time I ever saw afterguard doing foretop duty."

The executive officer selects from the crew the petty officers as allowed by the allowance book. I had fifty to choose. One master at arms, who is chief of police, and in charge of berth deck; two ship's corporals, aids to master at arms; four coxswains; two captains of the forecastle; two captains of the foretop; two captains of the maintop, mizzen and afterguard; two boatswain's mates, one gunner's mate, four quarter gunners, etc. When the list is made out the captain approves and directs the paymaster to take them up on his books according to the pay of their respective offices. A seaman gets $18 a month and his ration, while the petty officers get $20, $24 and even $30, and in steamers the machinists get, I think, $76.50 a month.

The crew is then stationed for every evolution, and each man can find his station by his hammock number, displayed in some suitable place framed for their inspection. As each man has to be stationed for "getting under weigh," "bringing ship to an anchor," " tacking ship," " wearing ship," " loosing and furling," " reefing topsails," " in and out boats," " up and down topgallant and royal yards," etc., it is no small piece of work to watch and station a crew of 500 men. Then the crew has to be " quartered," or stationed at the guns. Our ship had twenty-two guns on the gun deck — ten nine-inch forming the first division, in charge of the third lieutenant, and

14 ON A 1CAN-OF-WAB.

twelve long thirty-two's, forming the second division, in charge of the fourth lieutenant; eight thirty-two's on the quarter deck, four thirty-two's forward, with a hundred-pounder rifled Parrot on the forecastle and another aft.

The navigator had charge of the powder division, passing the different cylinders or cartridges for the guns of the various calibers.

The captain is stationed where he chooses, generally on the bridge, and the executive by his side, or where he can see the best and make himself heard.

I then assigned the different crews to the eight boats. This is a very nice operation, as you want the best men, who generally pull the best oar, and if you take too many from one part of the ship you are soon notified that Brown, the " captain of the forecastle," is at the mast and wishes to speak to the first lieutenant. (The mainmast is the tribunal of justice on board a man-of-war, and a man at the mast must be attended to.)

" If you please, sir, we didn't have but two men, starboard watch, this morning to wash decks."

"Two! Why not?"

"Why, there's four gigsmen, and they was to sleep in till six bells " (the captain was out till one o'clock), "and there was one in the dingey (market boat), and Smith he's cook of the mess Flattery is uX A MAN-OF-WAB. 15

on the list (sick list), and Tom Scott didn't come off last night in the ten o'clock boat. I wish, sir, you'd give us a man for sweeper, sir. That Jones, sir, ain't fit for captain of the head, sir."

If I promised him a man from the main top you can depend upon it I heard from the "captain of the maintop " right away.

The captains of the tops and coxswains of boats are petty tyrants and exact the most implicit obedience from their inferiors.

The flag is hoisted at 8 a. m. in summer and at 9 a. m. in winter at the peak of the spanker, and should always be taut or close up to the peak. The pennant should never be hauled down, as it is the designating mark of a ship in commission, and when the long day pennant is changed at sunset for the short night pennant the latter is sent up in a ball and the stop broken as the other comes down. I have heard an irascible old captain " holler " at a quartermaster for neglecting this ceremony, saying, " D — n your eyes, do you want to put the ship out of commission, sir ?" The Union Jack, white stars on a blue field, is hoisted on a flag-staff stepped on the bowsprit cap, and is displayed at the same time with the " colors," and like them hauled down at sunset. During a funeral ceremony the colors are half-masted or lowered about one-third the way down, and I heard the captain one day, coming on board and observing the halliards slacked down about two inches go for the officer of the deck with the sarcastic question,

" Anybody dead, sir ?"

Whereupon the officer of the deck turned hastily to the quartermaster with:

" Get a pull of those peak halliards there."

After a ship is put in commission the watches are at once organized, the starboard watch being on four hours and then the port watch, the watch from 4 to 8 p. m. being subdivided into the dog watches from 4 to 6 and 6 to 8 in order to produce rotation, otherwise one watch would have the " eight hours out," 8 p. m. to 12 and 4 to 8 a. m., and the other the " mid watch," 12 to 4 a. m., every night. In harbor an " anchor watch " only is kept, being " one or two men from each part of the ship," as may be directed by the captain.

There are generally four watch officers, lieutenants, masters, ensigns and even midshipmen, according to the size of the ship, the number of officers and the liberality of the commander in giving the youngsters a chance to work ship and stand a watch.

In large ships the midshipmen go in charge of boats, carry messages to other ships, stand a watch on the forecastle at sea, attend to heaving the log, taking the temperature and making the entries on

ON A MAN-OF-WAR. ±J

the log slate of barometer, direction of wind, state of weather, the proportion of sky clear, etc.

The officer of the deck is an important personage. He gives every order that is given on deck, directed, of course, by the captain or first lieutenant. He is responsible for the cleanliness of the ship, that the routine is carried on and the general duty during his four hours' watch. He makes and takes in sail, sends away boats and directs the disposition of them on their return, and everybody goes to the officer of the deck for everything. At the end of his watch he writes up his remarks opposite the tabular statement written up by the midshipman somewhat as follows:

At Sea, August 24th, 1870.

" Commenced clear and pleasant with light southerly breezes, sky cirro cumulus, ship under plain sail. At 2.30 a. m. wind veered to northward and eastward, overcast and cloudy, with occasional squalls; took in royals, hauled down flying jib. At three single reefed topsails and changed course to northwest. F. L. W."

The log slate is copied into the log book and signed by the officer every day. The log book also shows how many sticks of wood were served out to the cooks and also how many gallons of water, with the balance on hand. The engineer's log shows how many pounds of coal have been burned and how much is left on hand. We had tanks carrying 40,000 gal- I Ions of water, and I drank some of the water when we returned to Boston one year after it had been put in, and it was sweet and pure.

Letter II. How A Vessel Gets Under Aveigh All Hands Loose

SAIL ALOFT SAIL LOOSERS BRINGING THE SHIP

TO ANCHOR.

In my last letter I explained substantially the fitting out of a man-of-war from the navy yard, so now, if you are interested, I will endeaver to give you some idea of the routine of a ship in commission.

The next morning after the ceremony of putting the ship in commission, the captain gave me orders to get the ship under weigh, under sail at 2 p. m. and go down the harbor to an anchorage. Of course I was nervous. I was only twenty-two years old, and felt that there were some things about a ship that I did not. know; besides, when I stood upon the bridge, I felt so small and the ship looked so infernal long, that I determined at once that the only way to run the ship at all was to claim the privilege of doing all the talking myself. Even on shore, you know, there is a general tendency for every one to suggest how to do it; "they all do it."

In one of Marry at's stories, he describes the getting under weigh of a small schooner, officered by some immense men, where Lieut. B., leveling a long trumpet at the officer of the forecastle, hailed him in pon-

20 ON A MA\-oF-\YAli.

derous tones: " Are you ready, sir ? " and was answered in a deafening shout of "Aye, aye, sir," by that doughty officer, who at the same time was so close to him that he nearly blew him off his feet. But here I had a clear space of about 175 feet to "holler" in, and if the boats'n's mates whistled and people shouted as I had heard them do on some other ships, I knew that I would stand no chance of making myself heard at all.

I had w r atched, quartered, and stationed the ship's crew for everything, but still w T ondered if I had not forgotten something. Perhaps Avhen I gave the order to "frow de ank," de ank might have no rope to it. The experience of a classmate of mine did not reassure me, for under precisely similar circumstances w r hen he gave the order, " Aloft, sail-loosers," he said every mother's son of 'em went aloft, and he found he had forgotten to station any men at the clew-jiggers and buntlines on deck, so he had to call them down and start anew.

Well! all the navy yard people, including some

rather pretty girls, came down to see the S gel

under weigh; so I marched into the cabin, and swallowing a lump in my throat I said boldly:

" I will get under weigh, sir, if you please."

The captain smiled a little and said, " Certainly, Mr. , whenever! you are ready."

So, having no other excuse for delay, I said to the officer of the deck:

"Well, sir, I will relieve you; we will get under weigh."

As we were fast to the wharf, there was no anchor to raise, so I sent a messenger boy to the boatswain, " All hands loose sail," and soon I heard his pipe followed by a second from his mate and third from another mate, and then altogether rising higher and higher and falling, this twice repeated and then the hoarse cry, "Loose sail," "loose sail," "loose sail." I could hear the master at arms on the berth deck: " Look alive there now, tumble up there, on deck there everybody; loose sail " — until I thought I had lost all the sail I wanted to. The men all quickly went, each to the place assigned him, the officers all took their stations, one on the forecastle, one in each gangway and one aft, all curiously looking up to see how the executive would work ship. I felt a little relieved to see that they all seemed to be about where I had seen them in other ships, when I was a junior, and I hoped that I had made no mistakes; and with the feeling that I should not be surprised if the mainmast with all its heavy rigging should suddenly tumble overboard, I put up my trumpet and gave my first order on that eventful cruise:

" Aloft, sail-loosers. Man the boom tricing lines."

And then, with a caution to the men to keep in the slings of the yard until ordered out:

"Trice up — lay out and loose. Man the topsail sheets and halliards — let fall; sheet home, down booms, lay down from aloft. Hoist away the topsails."

The shrill whistle of the boatswains' mates and the prompt obedience to my orders soon restored my confidence, and as we let go our lines and hoisted jib, tinold frigate payed off from the wharf and stood beautifully down the harbor, the band playing and friends waving and cheering on the wharf. I was so delighted that at a nod from the captain I gave the order :

"Stand by to man the port rigging and give three cheers. Lay up — cheer — lay down."

So you see that even when we cheer on board ship we have to do it by rule.

We sailed down the harbor with a fair wind, under topsails, jib and spanker until near where we intended to anchor. Then the word was passed with the same ceremony, and whistling " Bring ship to anchor," the men went to their stations. The two men who were to let go the 7,000 pound anchor looked to see if the trip stoppers were all ready; the compressers were hove back to allow the chain to run freely from the chain lockers; the topsail clews were stoppered and the sheets unhooked, and the order given: "Man the topsail, clew jiggers andbuntlines; jib downhaul; hands by the sheets and halliards; haul taut; shorten sail."

Up went the clew jiggers, down came the heavy yards on to the caps, quick hands squaring the yards as they came down, down went the helm, and as soon as she lost headway came the order:

"Stand clear of the starboard chain — let go the starboard anchor."

And the ship was riding quietly head to wind, and I was able to " pipe down " and turn the deck over to the regular officer of the watch, to clear up the gear and go to supper.

Letter III

a ALL HANDS CALLED" A DAY ON SIIIPHOARD —

TWELVE O'CLOCK, " MAKE IT SO " " A MAN AT THE

MAST" THE STORY OF WILLIAM TRUSTY HOW UK

GOT RELIGION OFF OF JIMMY DAGGS.

At daylight the next morning " all hands were called," hammocks piped up, lashed neatly and stowed in the hammock nettings which run round the rail of the ship, protected from the weather by painted canvass hammock cloths, hauled over when the hammocks are all in, and stopped down securely. The market boat was sent ashore with the various stewards of the different messes, and the order passed to "wash decks." At 7.15 a. m. the decks were thoroughly cleaned and the ship scrubbed inside and out. The mess cloths were then spread, and at seven bells (7.30 a. m.) "piped to breakfast." I then relieved the officer of the deck to dress, so that when the officer of the forenoon watch came on at 8.30, having finished breakfast, the other would be able to >it down to his own, and not delay the ward room boys, making them late to " quarters."

At this time the executive officer receives the reports of the gunner, carpenter, boatswain and sailmaker, all warrant officers drawing pay at from

$1,200 to $1,800 per annum. The gunner reports " the battery secure," and suggests work for the day in his department; the carpenter asks which of the numerous things he shall do first (he has two mates and never catches up with his work during the cruise) ; there's a hole stove in the second cutter, the garboard streak of the launch wants calking, one of the gigsmen broke an oar and he must cut over one to fit, etc. ; the sailmaker reports a chafe in the maintopsail and asks if he can have it unbent and sent down, and reluctantly admits that it might be repaired aloft; the boatswain reports that he has been over the ship from the end of the flying jibboom to the tip of the spanker, that all is in order, only a few new ratlines wanted in the topmast rigging, a little chafe in the eyes of the rigging, foremast head, and, if you give him. time, he'll make a list that would take three months to complete.

Five minutes before 8 a. M. eight bells is reported to the commander, who may direct that the topgallant and royal yards be crossed, or sails loosed, or some similar evolution be executed with the hoisting of the colors at 8 a. m. If yards are to be crossed " all hands are called," the yards sent up, and at the third roll of the drum the yards swing across, the colors rise to the peak, the pennant changes from short to long pennant, the Jack is hoisted forward at bowsprit cap, the bell strikes eight times, the band plays, the boats to be used during the day are lowered from the davits, and all at once you can imagine a Babel of sounds, but in a well disciplined ship there is no confusion, and comparatively little noise, beyond the shrill whistles of the boatswain and mates, which, by their modulations, indicate " lower away," " hoist," " belay," and " veer," so that orders by voice are not actually necessary.

Sometimes in addition to all the above, sails are loosed, and it tasks an officer to the utmost to see that all goes on well and at once.

At 9.30 the drum beats to quarters, whereupon every man repairs to his station at the gun, or particular place assigned him. The officer of the division inspects his division with their arms and accoutrements to see if they are clean and tidy, and that the "bright work " is properly burnished for inspection, reporting the condition to the executive officer, who, in turn, reports to the commander. If that officer expresses his desire to inspect the ship he walks past the various divisions, who salute with the weapons with which they are armed, the powder boys solemnly bringing the priming wires, which they have to clean, to a " present; " and, accompanied by the executive officer, peers into every nook and corner, inter-

ON A MAN-OF-WAR. Zi

spersing the general denunciation with an occasional word of commendation, or vice versa.

When Admiral Porter and others inspected this same ship they crawled into. the magazines and visited all the store-rooms, and asked me suddenly:

" What hatch is this, sir ? "

" The block room, sir."

" Please open it."

When the hatch was taken off, and the combings appeared clean and whitewashed, they winked at each other, and had another obscure one lifted to see if there was any neglect.

I have heard of an austere first lieutenant who was seen to lift one of the shell boxes from its rack on the gun-deck and mark it with his lead-pencil before replacing it, " to see if those negligent rascals would scour it out when they holystoned decks."

After " quarters " there is generally an exercise at great guns, boats, yards and sails, manual of arms, broadswords, howitzer drill, or something of the kind, after which the ten o'clock boat is called away, and those who have permission go ashore, the boat shoving off at the stroke of the bell by order of the officer of the deck, so that those who are not on hand lose their passage and cannot get another boat until 1 p. M.

Daring the forenoon the work of the ship occupies

ZO ON A MAN-OF-WAR.

every man on board, the executive officer is busy in

consultation with his staff of workmen as before described, the various orders being executed according to rule and system.

For example, the gunner at 7.30 gets permission of the executive officer to scrape and relaequer No. 2 gun, first division. When ready, about 10.30 a. m. he goes to the officer of the deck and states his authority, the latter sends a messenger boy to the officer of the first division, who comes up and requests that the officer of the deck will have No. 2 gun's crew called to quarters, upon this the gun and crew are turned over to the gunner to do as he desires. When he has finished what he wished to do, he secures the gun and reports the fact to the officer of the deck.

At seven bells (11.30 a. m.), all work ceases, sweepers are piped and " a clean sweep down fore and aft " ordered; the mess cloths are spread, the ship's cook brings a sample of the bean soup or the boiled fresh or salt beef to the mast for inspection, and if approved he is ordered to " serve it out." At noon the officer of the deck reports to the captain — " 12 o'clock, sir" — and is ordered to "make it so." Eight bells is struck and the boatswain and mates pipe to dinner. If at sea the navigator comes up before 12 to take observation for latitude, and if in port he takes — a drink instead.

ON A MAN-OF-WAH. 2'J

An Irishman happening to hear the officer of the deck send the orderly to report twelve o'clock to the captain, at once remarked, "Bedad I'd like to be a captain; all he has to do is just to sit in the cabin and they say, ' Eight bells, sir,' and he says, ' Strike it,' says he."