They exchanged salutes, crisp and precise –no languid, fashionable sloppiness.
“Take a seat, Mr Knyvett. How long sinceyou completed your courses?”
“Pre-war, sir. Three years ago.”
He had attended the full, long course, notthe abbreviated wartime version.
“Good. Useful to have a fully qualifiedman in your position. All up to scratch in your domain?”
“I could use a junior, sir. One of the youngstersto learn the trade.”
“Sensible to have another man who can finda position to a second… Would either sub be suitable?”
“Not ideal, sir. The younger midshipman seemsto have more than two brain cells to rub together.”
“Is he interested?”
“I think so, sir. I have sounded him out.Hedges, by name. By way of being a bit of an oik – father is a trawler owner –but a sound seaman in the making.”
“That’s what we need in time of war. Wellspotted. Take him under your wing. Tell Mr Strachan. None of the lieutenantsinterested or suitable?”
“Salt horse, all of them. None to set theworld on fire. None of them incapable, to my knowledge. I don’t know about thenew man, joined only yesterday.”
“Higgins?”
“That’s him. All I know of him is that hetripped over the coaming entering the wardroom.”
“Only once?”
“Why, yes, sir. Was that not sufficient?”
Knyvett risked half a smile.
“An improvement on his generalperformance. Do not permit Higgins entrance to your chartroom, Mr Knyvett. Ifhe does not burn it down, he will fall onto your instruments and blunt all ofyour pencils by looking at them. He is a disaster on two legs. He is my albatross!”
“I am not sufficiently familiar with theAncient Mariner to comment, sir. I did notice a DSC.”
“He has a Mention as well.”
Simon explained the manner in which Higginshad won his medals.
“And he is yours to nurture in the Service,sir? Might I enquire why?”
“Ask and conjecture all you will, MrKnyvett. My lips are sealed. Try not to make too much of a fuss about hisprovenance. If possible, I shall push him across to one of these new littletorpedo boats they are bringing into service. A wild, unthinking crazy man maymake an impact there.”
“Why, sir?”
“After the war, he may well be let looseupon Society. If he has a chestful of decorations, he may end up with a richwife who will cosset him and keep him out of harm’s way. His mother will be mademost happy by that.”
“What of his father, sir?”
Knyvett was beginning to have suspicions.
“Damned good question, Mr Knyvett! Who isnext down the list?”
“Third in line for command if an unfortunateshell hits the bridge, sir? Guns, I am afraid.”
Knyvett said no more, stood saluted andleft, content that the new captain was aware of his many virtues.
Strachan ushered the gunnery lieutenant intothe cabin, a smile twitching.
“Mr Jackson, sir.”
A great, shambling bear of a man with ablack beard to his chest, hiding all except nose and brown eyes. He stiffenedinto a rigid Whale Island attention and salute.
“Sir!”
His voice was pitched to be heard over afifteen inch battleship gun. It was deafening.
“Take a seat, Mr Jackson. How is your departmentfor readiness?”
“Short of live firing, sir. Fast indumbshow. Need a few rounds on a range, sir. Or on a target at sea, sir.”
“Full magazines?”
“Yes, sir. Finally. Taken a long time,sir.”
“Good. What of the high angle gun?”
“Three pounder, sir. Fused shells. Airburst.Don’t know about them, sir. For aeroplanes. Or Zeppelins.”
“Increasingly a nuisance, aeroplanes. Arethose Vickers on the bridge?”
“Yes, sir. Captain Swann got them, sir.Not me. Need four men.”
“What is their mounting?”
“Pintle, sir. High angle if needed.”
“Very good. Have you anything tucked awayagainst need?”
Jackson looked about him, rathertheatrically, making sure there were no hidden spies.
“Got hold of four Lewis Guns, sir.Infantry pattern, to be carried by a boarding party, if needs be.”
“Excellent! I am much in favour ofinitiative.”
“Automatic pistols as well, sir. Belgianguns. Emptied a gun shop in Antwerp, to keep them out of the hands of the Germans.Brought them with me, being as I could not hand them over, officially, that was.I was aboard Cressy, sir, was sent ashore with a few hands to assist with theevacuation, ended up left ashore, sir. Pinched a little coaster and got out withsome soldiers, sir. And with the automatics. Posted to Naiad in the yard, notsent back to Cressy, which was lucky.”
“Damned fortunate, if you ask me, Jackson!Lucky for Naiad that you are here. All well with the guns, otherwise?”
“New four inch, sir. New design and theykeep jamming. Need to be replaced. Can’t get them right. Design is faulty, inmy opinion.”
That was not good news.
“What of the six inch?”
“Good guns, sir. All I could ask for.”
“What range?”
“Fifteen thousand yards, sir. Not that youwould want to fire them at that distance. No point to it. Broadsides at fivecables, sir, that’s the way to do it!”
“I want to hit a submarine’s conning towerat the limit of practical visibility, Mr Jackson. Shall we say eight thousandyards?”
Whale Island did not indulge in suchdabbling, it seemed.
“Four nautical miles, sir? That’s a longway.”
“So it is.”
Jackson realised that his new master wasnot joking, said that he would do his best.
“I am sure you will. This war demands thebest of all of us, Mr Jackson. What of torpedoes?”
“Have not fired yet, sir. No dummy heads.Fairly sure of our speed and efficiency, sir. The depth bombs, the same.Nothing to practice with.”
“Very well. I shall inspect them when Ilook round the ship, of course. Thank you, Mr Jackson.”
The big man left, far less sure of himselfthan when he had entered.
“That is the two department heads, sir. Iwill send the remainder through by seniority, I presume? What of theengineroom?”
“The three together – I cannot talktechnicalities with them. Doctor as well, after the bulk of the seamanlieutenants and the junior Guns.”
Eight lieutenants, one after the other,two minutes apiece – all products of the pre-war Navy, competent deck officers,the one gunnery specialist not yet standing out.
“Not yet been to Whale Island, sir.Waiting my turn.”
The Doctor showed himself to be as expected– young, newly qualified and seemingly competent.
“I need at least one more orderly, sir.Only two, which is insufficient for three hundred men.”
“Posted in or have you an
