<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> T H E B O S U N ' S C H R O N I C L E The official Ezine of the Thomas Kydd Shipmates' network <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> VOL. 8, ISSUE 3, April 2007 Avast, Shipmates and anchors aweigh! 1 DISPATCHES 2 BOOKSHELF 3 FEATURE 4 SALTY SAYINGS 5 CONTESTS 6 ASK JULIAN 7 MELBOURNE TO OSAKA 8 NEW ON THE WEB ==================== 1 DISPATCHES + Appledore Book Festival Julian has been invited to give a talk at the Appledore Book Festival on October 3. Situated at the mouth of the rivers Torridge and Taw in North Devon, the town has a long maritime history, and was well known for its boat building and repairs. It is said that in recognition of the courage of Appledore sailors who fought against the Spanish Armada in 1588 Queen Elizabeth I made it a free port. + Shipmates Ahoy! Among the many emails recently to Julian were ones from lawyer John Acuff, and stuntman Tom Morga. John Acuff was a navigator aboard USS "Mazama" (AE-9), an ammunition ship. He recalls a heart-stopping moment during the Cuban Missile Crisis in Guantanamo Bay. "We had been anchored with our guns trained toward the river. As we were leaving, with the entrance mined and restricted, a merchant vessel from China decided to force us to give way. Our captain told him 'carrying 10,000 tons of high explosives, request you stand clear'. He did." John says he has been reading English sea stories for years and discovered Kydd on Amazon. "I was interested as Kydd was what we called in our Navy a Mustang, one who was commissioned from the ranks." --- Tom Morga worked on "Master and Commander" and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. He told Julian, "Off and on for a number of years I've been living vicariously in the age of sail and it's been a unique and wonderful experience. I'd read all the O'Brian books and enjoyed Forester's works. The ride was exciting but then it was over. However last November on my birthday one of the stuntmen working with me on "Pirates" gave me KYDD. I was amazed. It was so good and from the perspective of a pressed seaman. So, thanks to you it's not over, and it's even more exciting, and it won't be over for a very long time!" There'll be an interview with Tom in a future issue of the Chronicle about his experiences on the sets of nautical films. + Chapter one of "Kydd: The Admiral's Daughter" We'll be uploading the first chapter of book eight to the website on April 19 to coincide with the UK publication of the paperback of COMMAND. "The Admiral's Daughter" will be launched in the UK and the US in October. This marks the first simultaneous publication in the series. + Voyage of a lifetime Shipmate Rick Wehmeyer emailed Julian: "I've been a fan of your Kydd series from the get go and always look forward to the next one. I'll be sailing in the Tall Ship "Tenacious" on the Bermuda to Southampton voyage departing April 2. I'm looking forward to catching up on my new Kydd novel while onboard." Rick suffered from a stroke two years ago, and happened to come across the link on Julian's website to the Jubilee Sailing Trust, which provides tall ship sailing experiences to people of all physical abilities. Now, "lots of rehab later" Rick plans to embark on the voyage of a lifetime... www.jst.org.uk Rick plans to write a journal and we'll bring you some of the highlights of his voyage in a future issue. Julian visited "Tenacious" last year - a signing event for his book of the same name! There's a photo of him aboard the ship in his Album Page on the website. + News from the world of Geoff Hunt, painter of the original artwork that graces the Kydd covers Geoff was in Portsmouth recently at the invitation of the chief executive of the Mary Rose Trust, Rear Admiral John Lippiett. As a result of this visit, Geoff is planning to do a painting of the "Mary Rose" reflecting the latest archaeological information. He also spent time in the yard where the new Type 45 destroyers are being built, and will be painting that scene on location shortly. Geoff says: "My head was spinning at the end of the day and all I could think was 'Mary Rose - amazing - everything made out of wood and Type 45s - amazing - everything made out of sheet steel'." On the print front, Geoff is working on a new series called "Speed Under Sail", depicting the fastest sailing ships down the ages. These limited edition prints will be offered over the next two years by Art Marine. The first, "HMS Fantome in Pursuit of a Slaver, 30th April 1841" celebrates the heroic role of the British Navy in the suppression of the slave trade. www.artmarine.co.uk/speedundersail Geoff is also excited about a new initiative by the Royal Society of Marine Artists, of which he is president - special cash prizes for work by artists between 16 and 25. The sea and marine subjects must be the inspiration - and the winners and other selected pieces will be hung on display at the RSMA Annual Exhibition 17-28 October. www.rsma-web.co.uk ===================== 2 BOOKSHELF Send a gunboat by Anthony Preston & John Major Conway Maritime ISBN: 9780851779232 Originally published in 1967, "Send a Gunboat" has remained the standard reference work on the remarkable story of the Victorian Royal Navy's fleet of small warships, which enforced the "Pax Britannica" around the world for nearly a century. This new edition features a Foreword by Professor Andrew Lambert of King's College, London, and an Afterword by Dr Eric Grove, of the Centre for International Security and War Studies. Together, they set this classic work in context and bring it up-to-date. In Lambert's words: "The contemporary relevance of 'Send a Gunboat' has never been greater." Reader offer Conway Maritime is offering a special discount to UK Shipmates. You can order a copy for only GBP22.00, including free p&p by calling 0870 787 1613 and quoting reference CH722. www.conwaymaritime.co.uk And if you would like a chance to win a copy of the book, see CONTESTS! ==================== 3 FEATURE What's in a name? Julian takes a great deal of care choosing the names of the ships in the Kydd series. Sometimes he uses real ships of the period from the historical record, if that fits in with his storyline, but at other times, the dictates of the plot demand that his vessels are fictitious ones. In KYDD, for example, "Duke William" was modelled on the old ship-o'-the-line "Royal William". A number of Shipmates have asked how did the Royal Navy name its ships in Kydd's day. Names were assigned to ships on a circulating basis, with the general principle that there was no duplication in vessels in current service. Inevitably, with wars being fought across the oceans of the world, and slow and uncertain communication back to the Admiralty, ships would be purchased on distant stations and given names already allocated to others. This was usually remedied when news got back to the Admiralty. One exception to this no duplication rule was for cutters, which quite often were named after larger vessels in service. When a ship retired or was lost at sea, her name went back into the "names list" for new ships being built. Today, the procedure is very similar. The Queen approves the names of warships on the recommendation of the First Sea Lord, as advised by the Ships Names and Badges Committee and as endorsed by the Secretary of State for Defence. There are a number of guiding principles. Many ship names have a long and illustrious heritage and a name with a tradition of Royal Navy use is preferred. Other factors include the number of battle honours associated with a name and whether a name is already linked with a particular type of vessel. A ship's name might commemorate links between the Navy and a particular town or district. Going further "The Sailing Navy List" by David Lyon, and published by Conway Maritime in 1993, provides a comprehensive record of all ships built, purchased or captured by the Royal Navy between 1688 and 1860. --- Did you know... + "The Young Teazer" was a US privateer involved in a famous chase and dramatic burning in 1813. + There was a WWII British destroyer named HMS "Teazer". + In the US Navy there have been three ships named USS "Kidd", one of which was the only vessel in the history of the USN to ever have leave granted to fly the flag of piracy. + HMS "Victory", now moored at Portsmouth Dockyard, had not been given a name when building commenced. Although the name "Victory" was deemed suitable, there was some hesitation in calling her this as the previous vessel of the same name had been wrecked with all hands lost! All told have been six RN ships called "Victory". ==================== 4 SALTY SAYINGS To keep aloof Today, this phrase means to stand apart from, to be indifferent in manner. The origins of this phrase are definitely salty, probably deriving from the old Dutch word "loef", meaning windward. It was adopted by English sailors in the sixteenth century. The luff is the leading edge of a sail and "to luff" is to point a ship further into the wind. The helmsman of a ship in Kydd's day cried "aluff" if a gale threatened to blow the ship too close to shore. Luffing the ship would head her into the wind and thus keep her away from harm. ==================== 5 CONTESTS Deadline for all entries: April 25 + Conway Maritime Prize For a chance to win a copy of "Send a Gunboat" email the Bosun with the answer to this question: Name the surviving sloop of the Victorian navy preserved in Chatham Dockyard. + Monthly Lucky Dip For a chance to win the mystery sea gift, email the Bosun with the dedication of Nelson's own words that Julian chose for one of the KYDD books. Winners all! Congratulations to the recipients of last month's prizes. World Book Day Kydd book set winners were - David Messer, A Whincup, Thomas Le Poidevin, Mick McAdam, Tony Williams and John Alder. The Lucky Dip winner was Anthony Bevan; an early paperback copy of COMMAND is on its way to him. U.S. copies of COMMAND went to Keith Proctor and M Burton Hopkins. ==================== 6 ASK JULIAN Scott Wedekind wanted to know about ship's pennants and sent Julian a multiple-part question: Scott: My understanding is that a rear admiral's flag is flown from the mizzen, a vice admiral's from the foremast and an admiral's from the mainmast. Is this correct and where exactly was it flown from? Julian: First of all, let me define what a pennant is - the term can be used for any long tapering flag. Flags at sea were also known as "colours". The colours of an eighteenth century English warship were the ensign (containing the national flag against a red, white or blue background, depending on the squadron); the jack, generally only hoisted in harbour; and the commissioning pennant. Your first question relates to "flags of command" i.e. the flag of a flag officer, or someone of the rank of rear admiral or above. A flag of command is hoisted instead of the commissioning pennant when the flag officer is aboard his ship. You are correct that a rear admiral flew his flag from the mizzen, a vice admiral from the foremast and an admiral from the mainmast. Scott: What did the flag look like? Were there any distinguishing characteristics to the flag itself? Julian: They were either plain white, blue or red (according to the squadron). In Kydd's day there was a theoretical principle that a flag officer flew a flag of his own colour at the appropriate masthead and the ships under his command took their ensign colour from his flag. However due to a number of factors this was often modified in practice. Nelson, for example, was Rear Admiral of the Blue at the Battle of the Nile in 1798 and flew his blue flag at the mizzen, but all the British ships hoisted white ensigns.It is said that Nelson favoured white for its symbolic purity. Scott: What was a commodore's "broad pennant? Julian: This was a short swallow-tailed pennant, in the commodore's squadron colours. Scott: Where were commissioning pennants flown? Julian: At the masthead. [Bosun's note: The topic of flags at sea is a fascinating one, with the practices and traditions changing and evolving over the centuries. We'll revisit it in a future issue of the Chronicle. And if Shipmates have any more specific questions in this area, we'll try to answer them. See also ASK JULIAN in the July 2003 issue for an explanation of admirals of the red, white and blue.] --- And Bob Williams asks why sailors generally went bare- foot aboard ship. Julian replies: The further I have delved into the fascinating period of the great age of sail, the more I have come to admire how tough Jack Tar was. Although today it is hard to imagine going barefoot aboard a ship exposed to all the elements, this was common practice in Kydd's day. Shoes were an expensive item of clothing and many sailors preferred to keep them for stepping ashore. Also, leather soles could easily slip on a wet deck or spar. In the dark, high up in the rigging, much was done by feel alone, using the hands and feet. Being barefoot gave an increased sensitivity to the immediate environment. Shoes were required to be worn for captain's inspections, however! ==================== 7 Melbourne-Osaka Double Hand Yacht Race Shipmate Bill Paine, now living in Japan, where he runs a sail boat school, is following this race, which started on March 25, with great interest. Bill told the Bosun:"It was first held in 1987 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the opening of the Port of Osaka. The race is held every four years over a distance of 5500 nautical miles without stopovers - Melbourne and Osaka are sister cities and sister ports. Most international ocean races that connect two countries are sailed on an east-west course along a given latitude. The Melbourne-Osaka race is from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere. Competitors start in Melbourne in autumn, and arrive in Osaka in spring, via the summer heat around the equator - sailing through three seasons in about a month!" Copies of COMMAND are among the prizes for the race winners and Julian was very pleased to be presented with a thank-you burgee from the Osaka Yacht Club, which he hung in his study. More from Bill next issue! www.osakacup.com =================== 8 NEW ON THE WEB www.JulianStockwin.com Click on the NEW button on the home page to view a summary of the latest additions. Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Download back issues from the WebSite ++