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Authors: Dudley Pope
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mules up to now,â Southwick growled.
âDonât be impatient, youâre going to have their company for weeksâ¦â Ramage chided as he turned over the first page of one of the booklets. The title was repeated, with the extra explanation: â INSTRUCTIONS explanatory of the SIGNALS â.
As Ramage glanced down the seven numbered paragraphs on this first page he felt the all-too-familiar despair. Number III, for instance: âNo signals are to be made by the ships under convoy besides those appointed by the Commander thereof.â What would happen, in fact, was that proper signals made by the commander (himself) would be ignored and incomprehensible flag signals would be hoisted by mules. Days later it would transpire that the mules were using an old signal book from some past convoy.
The next instruction was almost a mockery: âThe ships of the convoy out of their stations are to take advantage of all opportunities, by making sail, tacking, waring, &c to regain the same.â
What forbearance (or plain stupidity) the Admiralty had shown in not making it a direct order that unless the weather made it necessary, the mules must not reef at night, or furl topsails, and drop so far astern that by dawn they would be specks on the horizon, just the trucks of their masts showing up in a powerful glass. Or, even worse, they would be below the horizon, and the whole convoy would have to heave-to until noon while they caught up. Well, Ramage thought grimly, if Yorke played his agreed role at this convoy conference, perhaps this time there would be less of all that nonsense.
The next instruction followed on logically: âIn case of parting company (which the ships of the convoy are to avoid by all possible means) and being met with by an enemy, the Commanders of the ships are to destroy the rendezvous, these signals, and all other papers whatsoever concerning the destination of the fleet, SEE PAGE 13 .â
Idly Ramage turned to page 13, although he knew what it said. It began by quoting the Act of Parliament under which it was enacted that âif the Captain of any merchant ship, under convoy, shall wilfully disobey signals or instructions, or any other lawful commands of the Commander of the convoy, without notice given, and leave obtained for that purposeâ, he was liable to be hauled into the High Court âat the suit of the Crownâ, and fined up to £500 or jailed for up to a year.
The next section warned a master that he could be fined £1,000 for sailing alone from a port where a convoy was being arranged, and more important, Ramage reckoned, he could be fined £1,000 if he should âafterwards desert or wilfully separate or depart from such convoy without leave obtained from the Captain or other Officer in His Majestyâs Navy entrusted with the charge of such convoyâ¦â
Ramage noted that the cheapest infringement for a master seeking a bargain was, ironically, for one of the most important tasks falling to a master in time of attack â he would have to pay up to £100 if, âbeing in danger of being boarded or taken possession of by the enemyâ, he âshall not make signals by firing guns, or otherwise convey information of his danger to the rest of the convoy, as well as to the ships of war under the protection of which he is sailing; and, in case of being boarded or taken possession of, shall not destroy all instructions confided to him relating to the convoyâ.
On the final page, a paragraph set by itself in solitary splendour and headed MEMORANDUM said:
Â
âAll Masters of Merchant Vessels to supply themselves with a quantity of False Fires, to give the Alarm on the approach of an Enemyâs Cruizer in the Night; or in the Day to make the usual Signal for an Enemy. On being chased or discovering a suspicious Vessel, and in the event of their Capture being inevitable, either by Night or Day, the Master to cause the
âDonât be impatient, youâre going to have their company for weeksâ¦â Ramage chided as he turned over the first page of one of the booklets. The title was repeated, with the extra explanation: â INSTRUCTIONS explanatory of the SIGNALS â.
As Ramage glanced down the seven numbered paragraphs on this first page he felt the all-too-familiar despair. Number III, for instance: âNo signals are to be made by the ships under convoy besides those appointed by the Commander thereof.â What would happen, in fact, was that proper signals made by the commander (himself) would be ignored and incomprehensible flag signals would be hoisted by mules. Days later it would transpire that the mules were using an old signal book from some past convoy.
The next instruction was almost a mockery: âThe ships of the convoy out of their stations are to take advantage of all opportunities, by making sail, tacking, waring, &c to regain the same.â
What forbearance (or plain stupidity) the Admiralty had shown in not making it a direct order that unless the weather made it necessary, the mules must not reef at night, or furl topsails, and drop so far astern that by dawn they would be specks on the horizon, just the trucks of their masts showing up in a powerful glass. Or, even worse, they would be below the horizon, and the whole convoy would have to heave-to until noon while they caught up. Well, Ramage thought grimly, if Yorke played his agreed role at this convoy conference, perhaps this time there would be less of all that nonsense.
The next instruction followed on logically: âIn case of parting company (which the ships of the convoy are to avoid by all possible means) and being met with by an enemy, the Commanders of the ships are to destroy the rendezvous, these signals, and all other papers whatsoever concerning the destination of the fleet, SEE PAGE 13 .â
Idly Ramage turned to page 13, although he knew what it said. It began by quoting the Act of Parliament under which it was enacted that âif the Captain of any merchant ship, under convoy, shall wilfully disobey signals or instructions, or any other lawful commands of the Commander of the convoy, without notice given, and leave obtained for that purposeâ, he was liable to be hauled into the High Court âat the suit of the Crownâ, and fined up to £500 or jailed for up to a year.
The next section warned a master that he could be fined £1,000 for sailing alone from a port where a convoy was being arranged, and more important, Ramage reckoned, he could be fined £1,000 if he should âafterwards desert or wilfully separate or depart from such convoy without leave obtained from the Captain or other Officer in His Majestyâs Navy entrusted with the charge of such convoyâ¦â
Ramage noted that the cheapest infringement for a master seeking a bargain was, ironically, for one of the most important tasks falling to a master in time of attack â he would have to pay up to £100 if, âbeing in danger of being boarded or taken possession of by the enemyâ, he âshall not make signals by firing guns, or otherwise convey information of his danger to the rest of the convoy, as well as to the ships of war under the protection of which he is sailing; and, in case of being boarded or taken possession of, shall not destroy all instructions confided to him relating to the convoyâ.
On the final page, a paragraph set by itself in solitary splendour and headed MEMORANDUM said:
Â
âAll Masters of Merchant Vessels to supply themselves with a quantity of False Fires, to give the Alarm on the approach of an Enemyâs Cruizer in the Night; or in the Day to make the usual Signal for an Enemy. On being chased or discovering a suspicious Vessel, and in the event of their Capture being inevitable, either by Night or Day, the Master to cause the
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