PART I..

CHAPTER I.

The English estimates for the naval force in commission for the pres. ent year (1879) were for 45,800 officers and men (including the coast guard on shore). These estimates do not include 13,000 marines, 6,200 of whom are ordinarily afloat.

As the disposal of this force may be interesting, I give the following abstract:

In a paper read by Capt. J. C. Wilson, R. N., before the Royal United Service Institution (July 2, 1875), the number of blue jackets, or men of the seaman class, taking the average of several years, is put at 18,683. The number given in the return to the House of Commons, August, 1875 (see Appendix), is 19,283. The former number, however, can be taken

as the usual average, and is about that now employed. The rates into which the men are divided are estimated as follows:

The annual waste in this number amounts to from 11.5 to 14 per cent., so that to keep up this class in the English service there must be annually added to it 2,400 or 2,500 persons. It is the supply and training of these that we have to consider.

Thirty per cent. of this annual waste is occasioned by desertion, entail ing a loss to the country of $1,200,000 annually, the cost of training and supporting a man the average time until he reaches a state of real effectiveness as a seaman being computed at $1,500. Every blue jacket thus represents a large money value, apart from his value to the service, obtained by a long course of training and discipline; he cannot be immediately replaced; it takes years of labor and a great deal of money to do it.

Of the 5,305 boys allowed under this year's estimates 2,400 are new entries for training. The remaining 2,905 are those who having passed out of the training ships are either in active service or are awaiting disposal. As these boys on first entry are bound to serve until twentyeight years of age, and as by serving another enlistment of ten years they are enabled to retire as pensioners, it follows that nearly all the seamen class of the British service are continuous-service men. * As men benefit pecuniarily but little more (as to pension) by any further enlistment, comparatively but few serve beyond their second term. The result is that the English fleet is manned by very young men, none unless they have entered on a third enlistment being over thirty-eight years of age. The boys forming the basis of this force are now all passed through the training ships.

The vessels employed in this service are five line-of-battle ships, each having a brig as tender. There is also attached to each ship a hulk which serves for newly entered boys and for various purposes which shall be mentioned hereafter. These ships, and the number of boys on board (June 23, 1879), are as follows:

"Non-continuous-service men are enlisted for five years, but the number of these is comparatively small, as will be seen by reference to Appendix A.

The excess over 2,400 is accounted for by the fact that many of the boys are retained on board until they are assigned to sea-going ships.

I shall use the Impregnable as the sample ship of the squadron. This is the only one under command of a captain, all the others being commanded by officers of the grade of commander. The captain of the Impregnable is styled the "inspecting captain of training-ships," and has, under the Admiralty, the control of the boys in all the others. All questions relating to the management are referred to him: he makes a quarterly inspection of each ship, regulates the cruising of the brigs, and when the brigs are assembled to cruise in company takes command of the squadron. This important post has been held for the last two years by Capt. H. D. Hickley, who has brought the system to a perfection which it will be difficult to surpass.

The officers of the Impregnable are as follows:

Captain (inspecting captain of training-ships).......

Commander....

Lieutenants...

Chaplain and naval instructor (combined in same person).

Staff surgeon.

Surgeon.

Paymaster..

Assistant paymaster..

Gunners..

1

1

3

1

1

1

1

1

4

3

3

Boatswains.

Carpenters..

One gunner and two carpenters are employed on board the Circe, the hulk attached to the Impregnable.

The chaplain has the immediate supervision of the school instruction, and has under him the following staff:

Head master..

Schoolmasters.

Pupil teachers.....

1

10

4

There are also fourteen petty-officer instructors, who give instructions in things pertaining to seamanship. These last are men who have passed through the Excellent or Cambridge (gunnery training ships), and make most excellent teachers and drill-masters.

The ship's complement is as follows:

The ship is a three-decker of 3,880 tons. The alterations made to fit her for the service have been to make 70 feet of the after part of the middle deck into a school-room; to make a large drying room for boys' clothing (to be used in wet weather), and a large bath-room on each of the lower decks, with washing and bathing accommodations amply sufficient for the entire number on board. The basins and bath-tubs have water supplied from fresh-water tanks, fresh water being allowed for all purposes, whether for washing the clothing or the person.

The Circe has bath-rooms fitted in the same manner. There is, in addition to all the facilities for bathing and cleanliness on board the two ships, a floating bath moored near by, where details are sent daily to bathe, or to be taught swimming. This bath is the invention of Captain Hickley, and has been generally adopted, both in the training service and for other schools where swimming is taught. It may be described as a trough 50 feet long by 30 broad, the edges of which are made with sufficient flotation to allow the weight of many boys to be borne: the sides, which slope inward, and the bottom are open sufficiently to permit a free flow of water through it: the depth of water inside is about 5 feet. Captain Hickley advises, in the building of any others, to make the edges broad enough to allow houses to be built upon them to afford shelter in dressing and undressing in cool weather. The spars and equipment of the ship aloft are complete. There are thirty-seven boats carried, most of which are fitted for exercise under sail.

The Circe is an old frigate with nothing but the lower masts standing. One deck is fitted as a carpenter shop for training carpenter boys, and the remainder of the ship is devoted to store-rooms. Most of the stores and all the clothing of the training ship are here kept.