The Bosn’s Call

Volume 24, No. 3, Autumn 2018

Calgary Naval Veterans Association • www.cnva.ca

Laraine and Bpb Orthlieb receive their CNVA Life Memberships from Cal Annis, (Membership Chairman). Laraine is a past Commanding Officer of HMCS Tecumseh and retired from the Naval Reserves in the rank of Commodore.

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Creative services and layout provided by

Cascade Creek PublishingLCdr (Ret’d) George A. Moore, President

1871 Primrose Crescent, Kamloops, BC V1S 0A5Telephone 250-314-1284 • cascadecreek@shaw.ca

Corvette Club: 2402 - 2A Street SE, Calgary, AB T2G 4Z2

calgarynavalvets@gmail.com ~ 403-261-0530 ~ Fax 403-261-0540

Updated 7 January 2017

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n EXECUTIVEF PAST PRESIDENT • Art JORGENSON – 403-281-2468, ajorge@shaw.ca – Charities, Communication.

F PRESIDENT • Paris SAHLEN, CD – 403-252-4532, RCNA, HMCS Calgary Liaison, Charities, Stampede.

F EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT • Ken MADRICK Charities, Honours & Awards, Financial Statements, Galley Vice-Admiral.

F VICE-PRESIDENT • Tom CONRICK • Sick & Visiting, Colonel Belcher, Charities, Honours & Awards.

F TREASURER • Anita VON – 403-240-1967.

F SECRETARY • Laura WEAVER.

n DIRECTORSF Cal ANNIS – 403-938-0955 • Honours & Awards, Galley Till.

F Tom SHIRLAW, CD – 403-569-2474 • Special Events, Ticket Sales, Galley Assistant.

F Jim GOLBOURN, CD – 403-281-4653 • Banff Trip, Membership,

F Eric KAHLER, CD – Master-at-Arms, Financial Statements, Museum.

F Chuck VON – 403-240-1967 • Assistant Secretary, Entertainment, Banff Trip, Ticket Sales.

F Terry KENT – Galley Till.

F Bill BETHELL – 403-276-4252 • Casino/Bingo.

F Ken MADRICK – 403-601-1715 • Ass’t Bar Manager / Honours & Awards.

F Al HUDAK – Bingo.

F Lorne BAIRD, CD – 403-240-1967 • Cadet Liaison.

n APPOINTMENTSF Rev. Lloyd NORTHCOTT, CD – 403-283-8455 • Padre.

F Lorne BAIRD, CD – 403-512-5838 • Editor, Bosn’s Call.

F Dave MADRICK – Galley Admiral, Inventory.

F John NORTH • Phoning Committee – 403-226-0502.

The Bosn’s Call is published by the Calgary Naval Veterans Association. Items may be

reprinted without permission but kindly give credit to the author and/or The Bosn’s Call.

Contributions are always welcome and should be sent direct to the Editor, Lorne Baird c/o

the address at the top of this column, or by email to killick007@gmail.com. The Editor is

solely responsible for the content of The Bosn’s Call.

®

Skipper’sLog

Paris Sahlen, CNVA President

CALGARY NAVAL VETERANS ASSOCIATION

www.cnva.ca

Dear Shipmates:

Here we are with summer coming to an end. We have had a busy summer. With the Club closed for Stampede, we let HMCS Calgary’s crew use the Club for

a rest station while they did their watches at

the Stampede.

For Merchant Navy Days the Club had a

cake which was cut by Tom Conrick, our last

active Merchant Navy veteran. Another cake

was presented on September 8th to mark

the end of Lorne Baird’s term as editor of the

Bosn’s Call. Lorne has done a great job as

editor of our paper; it will be sad to see him

move to the East Coast. Lorne will excel at

whatever he decides to do. The Club wishes

him Fair Winds and Following Seas!

The next events on the calendar are Hallow-

een on October 27th, Remembrance Day on

November 11th and the Banff trip in Decem-

ber.

The Club recently presented two Life Mem-

berships to Bob and Laraine Orthlieb … two

of our ‘younger’ members!

Congratulations and well done on the bot-

tle draw! Cheers, Paris

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The Bosn’s Call | Autumn 2018

TheEditor’sCabin

Lorne Baird, ‘Bosn’s Call’ Editor

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the readers to our new editor, Kathy Olinskie-Spacey is a naval veteran (NCI Op) who is mar-ried to a naval veteran. She served on the east

coast and since joining the Club, she and her hus-

band Gerrard have been active members. Wel-

come aboard! I will be working in concert with her

in this issue (my last ...her first).

When I retired, I received a Record of Service

card (NDI 75); it had my photo and record of ser-

vice, but they were discontinued and replaced

with the CF1 card. This card has no photo and

had to be used in conjunction with photo ID in or-

der to gain any of the benefits. It was announced

recently that it will be reinstated. Those who did

not receive one upon release can apply, but prior-

ity will be given to those just released.

I was pleasantly surprised to be honoured by

the Club with a cake and photo commemorating

my ten years with the CNVA. Past President Art

Jorgenson has wonderful things to say about me.

My only thought was ... “I hope I can be as good

as he said I was.” I’ve aspired to give the readers

a newsletter that was current, historical and en-

tertaining. With publisher George Moore’s able

assistance, I believe I’ve met my goal. I read a line

somewhere that read: “I hope I can be as good a

person as my dog already thinks I am.”

I encourage all veterans to come down to the

Club and hear the stories. As I pointed out be-

fore, they are not the great epics of history; they

are the personal stories by those who made his-

tory.

As we move into autumn, my life enters a new

season as well. We all go through life with a plan;

sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. If ev-

erything worked according to plan, we’d have

nothing to look forward to. May your plans, suc-

cessful or otherwise, bring light to your lives. Until

we meet again … farewell.

Lorne

HandstoPrayer

Rev. Lloyd Northcott, CNVA Padre

Some of us will soon be attending events to mark the end of the First World War. It was to have been the war to end all wars. That was not to be. Let us hope and pray not to

stumble into another such blood bath. Humans

are not that different from any other territorial ani-

mal. We stake our claim and fight all challenges.

Only now we have the weapons to end the human

race. Better re-think how we manage our com-

petitiveness.

The Hebrew Bible, known to Christians as the

Old Testament, is full of battles. But it begins with

a creation story in which all the humans are of one

family. More recently a sage remarked that “the

enemy of today is the trading partner of tomor-

row.” However you cut it, we humans are all in

this together and we only have one planet to in-

habit. Perhaps we can imagine a way to get along

together without ending the whole thing. The

Bible urges us in that direction.

Each one of us can embody a spirit of coop-

eration and understanding. It is all very well to

stand up for yourself and make ambitious plans,

but there have to be rules to keep the peace. The

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Oc CNVA Upcoming Events!

Mark your calendar now and stay tuned to our website for further announcements!

October 19th Naval Museum of Alberta 30th Anniversary

October 27th SPOOKTACULAR Event

November 3rd Director’s Meeting

November 17th General Meeting

but there have to be rules to keep the peace. The

Ten Commandments were such a set of rules in

days of yore. The Law Codes of the nation and

the treaties we sign are such rules. In the Prayer

Book of the Church of England there is a prayer

“Incline our hearts to keep this law” since it some-

times takes divine help to stay within the limits.

May the Peace of your Lord be in your hearts in

this season of Remembrance.

Lorne Baird presents the Royal Canadian Legion Cadet Medal of Excellence to PO Haley Poirier of RCSCC Calgary during their ACR.

Past President Art Jorgenson addresses the Club on the occasion of Merchant Navy Days. He told of the sacrifices made by Merchant Sailors to ensure the lifeline to the UK remained open.

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The Bosn’s Call | Autumn 2018

Halifax’s Bonaventure Anchor Memorial finally getting repair upgradesNew concrete base and steel cradle to be installed at Point Pleasant Park

Related Stories:

• Questions remain over who maintains the Bonaventure anchor

It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks for members of the military as they work to repair the Bonaventure Anchor Memorial in Halifax’s Point Pleasant Park.

The memorial is a tribute to Canadian military

members who lost their lives at sea. The names

of dozens of Canadian navy and air force mem-

bers who died during peacetime are etched into

plaques beside the giant anchor.

The anchor faces the mouth of Halifax harbour

and has been badly battered by dozens of storms

for years. “They are going to be constructing a

steel cradle and then replace the anchor in the

original position,” said CFB Halifax acting base

Cmdr. Darren Dempsey. “They will be pouring a

concrete base and there will be other cosmetic

work.”

For more than a decade, a former Able Sea-

man, Allan (Dinger) Bell has been pushing for the

anchor to be repaired. “I’m ecstatic. I’ve been

fighting this for 13 years,” said Bell. “It looks like

it’s all coming up roses at this point.”

The anchor has significant meaning to Bell.

He was aboard HMCS Kootenay when the ship

was rocked by an explosion in 1969. Nine of his

colleagues lost their lives in the fire that broke

out on the ship. Bell was one of 59 sailors in-

jured and he nearly died after suffering burns to

half his body.

Work expected to be done by month’s endSeeing the repairs finally being done is also

By Paul Palmeter, CBC News, Posted Mar. 12 at 1:00 pm AT; Last Updated Mar. 12, 2018, 1:00 PM AT

welcome news to Suzanne Ross. Her husband,

Thomas Crabbe, was 29 when he lost his life on

HMCS Kootenay. The father of two young children

was buried at sea.

“When I go to the anchor it’s usually with some-

one from out of town,” said Ross. “It’s nice to hear

that it’s going to be kept up and that someone is

going to be paying attention to it.”

Work on the anchor began last week and it should

be completed by the end of March.

“Someone is now taking responsibility for it and

that’s the important part,” said Ross. “It’s kind of

been like a hot potato — nobody wanted to step

up and say they were responsible.”

• Widow and former sailor want Point Pleasant Park memorial repaired

While Bell is happy to hear his hard work has paid

off with the repairs, he said he still has another fight

in him in promoting the story behind the memorial.

“I’d like for us to get this into the school systems

in our country,” said Bell. “In order to do that, we

have to contact every provincial government’s min-

ister of education.

The anchor and chain cable at the memorial

site—dedicated in 1973—belonged to the HMCS

Bonaventure, Canada’s last aircraft carrier that

served from 1957 to 1970.

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18 Time Takes its Inevitable Toll

The list of surviving World War II veterans is getting shorter and shorter. On June 9, 2018, Korvettenkapitän Reinhard Hard-egen, the last surviving U-boat commander of the

German Navy, died in the German city of Bremen

at the age of 105.

Hardegen is credited in sinking over twelve

American ships, a Norwegian steam merchant

ship, a Portuguese steam merchant ship, a Pana-

manian motor tanker, an unarmed Latvian steam

merchant ship and a Swedish motor merchant

ship.

Originally, Hardegan had served in the Marine-

flieger (Naval Air Force) training as a pilot. An air-

plane crash in 1936 left him with severe injuries

and a shorter leg, stomach problems and chronic

diphtheria. However, with great determination he

was able to get appointed to U-124 under Kor-

vettenkapitän Georg-Wilheim as First Watch Of-

ficer.

In 1940, he received his own command on

U-147, which formally went into service in Febru-

ary of 1941. The next month, U-147 sank the Nor-

wegian steamer Augvald. In May 1941, Hardegen

took command of U-123 and sank five ships over

that summer.

In December of 1941, shortly after the United

States entered World War Two, the U-123 and four

other U-boats were sent to the east coast of the

United States to attack freighters sailing to Europe

in Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat). The pur-

pose was to demonize American citizens and put

a stranglehold on supplies to Great Britain.

Hardegen made his way to the Canadian coast

sinking more ships on the way and earning himself

the Knights Cross in the process.

With only a tour book and basic map of the East

Coast, Hardegen was instructed to attack ships

off the coast of New York and move southward to

North Carolina, continuing to attack until it was

time to return to occupied France for refueling.

The Americans were still stunned by the attack

on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese and gave little

thought to Germans on the East Coast. There

were no black-outs or radio silence and ships with-

out destroyer escorts were ‘sitting ducks.’

The British, having been involved in the war

since 1939 when Hitler attacked Poland, had a

tracking system for U-boats already set up in the

town of Bletchley-in-Buckinghamshire, England,

where the World War II code breakers made their

home.

U-boat tracker Rodger Winn knew of Hardegen

and his determination, and had tracked the group

of U-boats as they crossed the Atlantic. Winn

urged the United States to prepare to attack, but

Rear-Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner, the director

of war plans in operations, refused to utilize the

US Office of Naval Intelligence because of inter-

nal problems caused by too many egos. Captain

Alan G. Kirk, the head of the ONI, was so disillu-

sioned by the problems that he resigned in Octo-

ber of 1941.

In January 1942, the U-123 was off the coast of

Cape Cod listening to the wireless transmissions

of both military and merchant ships. The Brit-

ish freighter Cyclops had begun its journey back

home when it was attacked by Hardegen. After

being hit on her port side with a torpedo, she sank

within five minutes.

Making its way into New York harbour, the Nor-

wegian tanker Norness was on the way to Halifax

loaded with petroleum when U-123 attacked. It

took five torpedoes to sink the ship in water that

was so shallow that parts of the ship never sub-

merged. Still, the US Navy did not react.

U-166 was at sea enroute to occupied France

(1942). Note the U-boat’s 10.5 cm Schiffs Kenone

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The Bosn’s Call | Autumn 2018

C/32 deck gun.

A few days later, U-123 made its way south to

Cape Hatteras, sinking passing ships along the

way. Once in southern waters, Hardegen torpe-

doed six more ships before turning for home and

leaving more sunken ships in his wake.

In March, U-123 returned to the waters off the

coast of Virginia. He destroyed two tankers and

attempted to sink the USS Carolyn, a heavily-

armed ship camouflaged to appear as a freighter.

After shooting a torpedo that revealed the ship’s

armament, U-123 turned to flee.

The Carolyn dropped depth charges and sent

shells flying toward the submarine but failed to hit

it. Hardegen took advantage of the opportunity

and sent a torpedo into the ship’s engine room,

exploding the ship into pieces.

Hardegen was finding more resistance than ear-

lier in the year but still managed to sink several

more ships, including the Gulfamerica, a tanker on

its maiden voyage off the coast of Jacksonville,

Florida.

As United States destroyers began to succeed

in destroying the U-boats, Operation Drumbeat

Hardegen and U-123.

Lorne Baird receives a photo of HMCS Calgary from Past President, Art Jorgenson. Along with the photo was a plaque presented on behalf of all the members.

was wound down and the surviving submarines

headed for home in April.

After the war, Hardegen was a senior executive

in a marine oil company and served in Bremen’s

parliament. He wanted it known that he was not a

Nazi. He disagreed with some of Hitler’s policies

and criticized him to his face, an extremely dan-

gerous thing to do. Hardegen claimed he fought

for Germany, not Hitler.

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Lorne Baird receives his Sovereign’s Medal for volunteers from former Alberta Lt-Gov, Don Ethell (centre); on the right is Sergeant-at-Arms for CAVUNP, Sam Simpson. In addition,on August 24th he received the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation.

LEFT

USS Lexington found

Scuttled after fire in first carrier vs. carrier battle, Lexington rests out of reach.

By Sean Gallagher ~ 3/6/2018

Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, has put his money into many passion pursuits. Underwater archaeology—specifically find-ing ships sunk during World War II—is one of the

most prominent. Last August, Allen’s research

vessel Petrel discovered the wreckage of the USS

Lexington, the cruiser that delivered components

of the two nuclear bombs dropped on Japan to

close the war. A 2015 Allen expedition on his per-

sonal yacht Octopus recovered a bell from HMS

Hood, the Royal Navy cruiser sunk by the German

battleship Bismarck that led to the loss of over

1,400 men. The expedition also surveyed the

wrecks of Ironbottom Sound off Guadalcanal—the

site of massive losses by the Allied navies during

the long battle for that island.

Now the Petrel has located the USS Lexing-

ton—the aircraft carrier that together with the USS

Yorktown, fought the first-ever carrier battle with

the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Battle of the

Coral Sea.

The Petrel located the Lexington’s wreck with a

Hybrid Remus 600 drone submersible, an autono-

mous underwater vehicle equipped for searching

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The Bosn’s Call | Autumn 2018

large areas of seabed and rated for operations at

6,000 meters (3.7 miles). With its side-scan sonar,

the Remus 6000 is capable of mapping over 100

square kilometers per deployment. The Petrel’s

Remus is the only privately owned AUV of its type

in the world—others are operated by various na-

vies and research institutions. An Argus 6000 re-

motely operated submersible was used to inspect

the wreck visually.

The damage dealt by the Lexington’s and Yor-

ktown’s aircraft to the Japanese carrier Shokaku,

the decimation of the air wing of the carrier Zui-

kaku, and the sinking of the light carrier Shoho

would change the direction of the war, weakening

Japan’s naval air power just before the Battle of

Midway.

The battle also preempted a Japanese invasion

of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, which would

have allowed Japan to attack eastern Australia.

Bombed and torpedoed multiple times, the

Lexington was still afloat. But when fires caused

by the bombing reached the Lexington’s aircraft

fuel stores and burned out of control, the ship had

to be abandoned and the destroyer USS Phelps

was ordered to scuttle the ship with torpedoes.

It took five to do the job because two torpedoes,

including one located by the crew of the Petrel,

were duds. The crew abandoned ship, but the

Lexington went down with 35 aircraft aboard, set-

tling on the bottom of the ocean, two miles be-

neath the surface; 216 crew members died during

the fight.

Images from the Argus 6000 ROV show the Lex-

ington and some of its aircraft in amazing good

condition after 76 years (or at least good condi-

tion for a ship that was deliberately sunk with tor-

pedoes).

Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters bearing the “Fe-

lix the Cat” logo of the VF-3 Navy fighter squadron

(now carried on by the Navy’s VF-31) were visible,

as were Douglas TBD Devastator dive bombers.

The Trial of Admiral Norman

The criminal trial of the former second-high-est officer in Canada’s military, accused by the government of leaking Cabinet secrets, is now set to take place during the next federal

election campaign.

Dates for the trial were set recently as Vice-Ad-

miral Norman appeared at the Ottawa courthouse

in full military uniform. Norman was suspended

from duty as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in

January 2017, and earlier this year the RCMP

charged him with one count of breach of trust.

Norman’s sponsors allege the government, em-

barrassed after media leaks in the fall of 2015,

forced it to back off a plan to halt a contract for

a naval supply ship, has made a scapegoat of the

By David Pugilese, Ottawa Citizen

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18 officer.The trial, which could see the disclosure of

sensitive Cabinet documents and senior govern-

ment and military officials testifying as witnesses,

is scheduled to start on August 19th, 2019, and

last seven to eight weeks, possibly with a week’s

break in the middle. With the next federal election

scheduled for October 21, 2019, the trial could

play out during the entire length of the campaign.

The timing of the trial came at the request of

the defence, which is bringing pre-trial motions

that will take place in shorter hearings in Decem-

ber and March. The first will deal with disclosure

of third-party records, including from government

departments. The second will be a motion to stay-

the proceedings.

Crown lawyer Jeannine Plamondon said the

count had initially offered a trial date of May, but

the defence requested more time for preparation

and scheduling.

It’s quite an extraordinary prosecution where

really the complainant’s deciding what we get to

look at what’s important and what is not.

Asked if she preferred the later trial dates for

their potentially greater political sensitivity, Marie

Henein, head counsel for Norman, said her re-

quest was simply about being fully prepared.

“I wanted it at a time where the disclosure mo-

tion and the other motion will be heard,” she said.

“So that’s why it’s spaced out the way that it is.”

She declined to comment on how the election

might affect the dynamics of the trial. “I don’t

know, you’ll have to ask the Prime Minister about

that,” she said.

The case will proceed in the Ontario Court of

Justice, the lower provincial court. The Supreme

Court of Canada has ruled a person should be

tried within 18 months of being charged in pro-

vincial court, and the scheduled dates put this trial

near that limit. Henein warned Tuesday she won’t

wave Norman’s right to a timely trial because the

government delays in providing disclosure.

There is still an unsolved issue around the dis-

closure of cabinet confidences, Henein said, which

are documents the government has the right to

keep secret. She has requested the government

waive its secrecy privilege to allow all such docu-

ments to be shared fully with the defence, but has

not yet received a response.

“The privilege rests with the government to

waive the cabinet confidence, not just the ones

that they would like us to know about,” she said,

“And it’s quite an extraordinary prosecution when

really the complainant’s deciding what we get to

look at, what’s important and what’s not.”

Speaking to media outside the courthouse, Nor-

man thanked the “literally thousands of Canadi-

ans” who have supported him and expressed re-

lief that dates are now set to receive the matter.

“This has been a really difficult time, and it’s go-

ing to continue to be a real challenge and I just

want everybody to know how much that support

means to me and my family,” he said.

The case against Norman, 54, centres on a Nov.

19, 2015 meeting of cabinet ministers about Proj-

ect Resolve, in which the Quebec firm Davie Ship-

building was contracted to convert a commercial

vessel, the Asterix, into a supply ship for use by

the Royal Canadian Navy.

Cabinet decided to delay Project Resolve after

receiving a letter from Irving Shipbuilding. Though

the Irving family is considered to have close ties to

Justin Trudeau’s governing Liberals, Irving has con-

sistently denied allegations it has been involved in

any political efforts to undercut a rival shipyard.

Details about the government’s decision to

pause the project leaked to the media, and the

resulting controversy forced the Liberals to back

down. The conversion of the Asterix went ahead

on time and on budget, and the ship is currently

sailing with Royal Canadian Navy warships in the

Pacific.

Though Norman did not attend the Cabi-

net meeting, the RCMP’s searches of electronic

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The Bosn’s Call | Autumn 2018

devices and computers at Davie showed he had

exchanged emails on the subject with one of the

company’s officials.

Norman has said he did nothing wrong, and he

is expected to enter a plea of not guilty.

The matter will next be in court on November

2nd to deal with subpoenas and third-party record

disclosure. If the matter of cabinet confidences

is not resolved, the parties could return to court

sooner to attempt to settle the issue.

“A Run Ashore...”By Les Stonnell

In the Grand Canarias, a few shipmates and I went ashore to sample the local food, bever-ages and nightlife. In one nightclub, I met a young lady who invited me to walk her home and stay the night.

I woke up the following morning at 0645. The

problem was shore leave ended at 0630 so I was

adrift with no excuse. I was looking to be put on

defaulters, stoppage of leave pay plus at least 14

days, No. 9 punishment. Where I had spent the

night was about a mile from where the ship was

tied up in the dockyard.

Just outside the dockyard, there was a market

area with covered stalls. Laying on one of these

stalls was a junior sailor totally passed out coma-

tose drunk. He was only 17 and only had what was

known as “Cinderella Leave.” Meaning he should

have been back onboard ship by 23:59 the eve-

ning before.

I checked his breathing then managed to pick

him up in a firefighter’s lift over my shoulder. It

was then that I realized that he had pissed himself.

So off we go heading towards the ship with his

urine soaking into my shirt. After proceeding a

bit further, he decided to vomit the contents of his

stomach all down my back turning my attire into a

disgusting mess.

After progressing about 300 yards into the

dockyard I reached the gangway and staggered

up and onto the flight deck ... only to be met by

the Quartermaster, the Officer-of-the-Day, plus the

Master-at-Arms.

“SO WHAT’S YOUR STORY?” shouted the

OOD, a snotty little Midshipman pretending to be

an officer. Ignoring him, I addressed the Master-

at-Arms saying, “We need the medic to check

on this lad Master.” A tannoy was put out by the

Quartermaster: “Medical Assistant report to the

flight deck at the rush!” On arrival of the Medic,

the lad was checked out then taken down to the

sickbay.

“OK, give us your story ... let’s see if it is one I

haven’t heard before,” says the MAA, with a smirk

on his face.

“Well,” I said, I was at this nightclub last night

where I met a young lady. At the end of the eve-

ning I walked her home; this would be roughly

about 04:30 this morning. Therefore, I was mak-

ing my way back to the ship looking for a taxi when

I came across the junior seaman. He was uncon-

scious; totally out of it! I managed to pick him up

and carried him back onboard. I don’t know how

far I carried him, but it’s taken from about 05:00

until now to get back. At one time I found a taxi

but he refused to take us due to the state we were

in; both me being covered in his piss and vomit

and him still leaking from both ends. As an aside

Master, I would like to state that I’m not impressed

with his run ashore mates who left him in such a

state.”

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18 “Not bad,” says the MAA, “And don’t worry, I’ll be having words. 1st Lieutenant’s report 10:30,

“now go get cleaned up, you stink like a Turkish

brothel!”

So there I was on the bridge flat, marched up to

the rostrum in from of the Jimmy … “OFF CAPS!”

was ordered. Then the charge was read out of

being “Absent without leave!” “Being Adrift!” in

addition: “Absent from place of duty!”

“What do you have to say for yourself MEM

Stonnell?” asks the Jimmy.

“Well Sir,” Then I proceeded with my story; the

Jimmy looks me in the eye and says “Case stood

over for Captain’s report,” “On caps,” orders the

MAA, “Salute, about turn, quick march!”

So next day at 11:00 am of the forenoon watch

I’m marched before the Captain ... “Off Caps”

again was ordered by the MAA, the charge once

again read out. My Divisional Officer stated that I

was of good character and always punctual.

Once again I was asked to explain myself. Again

I repeated the story. By this time, the junior sea-

man had sobered up and recovered. Although still

looking a bit green around the gills, he had been

questioned about what had happened to him. He

couldn’t remember much about what had taken

place, but he vaguely remembered being carried,

but didn’t know from where or how he got there.

His statement was read out by the MAA. I was

then stood over and marched out whilst the Cap-

tain conferred with the MAA and my DO.

During this time unknown to me, a lottery was

being held in the messdecks as to what punish-

ment I would receive ... everything from DQ’s Col-

chester Military Prison, down to No. 9’s or case

dismissed.

After about 20 minutes and a couple of other

cases being heard, including that junior seaman, I

was marched back in front of the Captain, told to

stand at attention, salute, then stand at ease (no off

caps this time). The Captain then stated: “CASE

DISMISSED MEM Stonnell, you have shown you

are capable of responsibility and loyalty to your

shipmates, in making sure that a younger mem-

ber of the crew came to no harm whilst severely

incapacitated. Grand Canarias may be a beautiful

island. It is not a safe place for a young, inexperi-

enced boy to be left to his own devices. Master-

at-Arms, I trust you will be having words with the

Buffer to explain to his messmates the responsi-

bilities of looking after the younger members of

the crew whilst ashore in foreign ports.

As for you Stonnell, I am recommending you

for a leadership course and promotion to leading

hand at the next opportunity ... CARRY ON!”

“SALUTE, ABOUT TURN, QUICK MARCH” or-

dered the MAA.

The junior seaman received 14 days stoppage

of leave and No. 9 punishment, and ordered to

pay my laundry bill for the mess he made of my

clothes. He also came up to me thanking me pro-

fusely for looking after him and I said, “Buy me a

wet and we’re quits.”

When I got back to my mess deck, I was met

with comments such as: “What a load of bullshite

and “You Jammy Barsard!”

Later, the MAA pulled me to one side and said,

“I’m not sure about you Stonnell, but be assured I

will be watching you.”

I did get my promotion but nearly 18 months

later after a couple of other courses I needed to

qualify for the Leadership Course.

Les Stonnell

Got a good tale to

tell? Why not share

it with your ship-

mates! Pass it on to

our new editor Kathy

Olinskie-Spacey.

13

The Bosn’s Call | Autumn 2018

“Hey folks...are

you missing out?”

Come on down to

The Corvette Club

to spin some ‘salty

dips’ and sample our

variety of great food

hot off the grill!

We’re open every Saturday

except during Stampede

from 1100 to 1600.

Galley service is available

from 1200 to 1400.

PER

Hardworking (has dirty uniform)

Neat (never does any work)

Performs any assigned task (and that’s all)

Ambitious (likes money)

Over ambitious (Wants to be paid as much as I am)

Bright (agrees with me)

Independent Thinker (disagrees with me)

Quiet (sleeps most of the time)

Cool in emergencies (Doesn’t realize what’s going on)

Good Manager (gets others to do his work)

Adapted Quickly (found bar the first day)

Will liked by Associates (poor poker player)

Demonstrates Leadership (always 1st at the bar)

Congenial (spends half his time at the bar)

Always Cheerful (always half in the bag)

Outstanding administrator (he will see this report

One of the outstanding officers I know (he is my brother-in-law and I owe him money.)

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14

The Invergordon Mutiny

15th Sept. 1931: The Invergordon Mutiny—on this day in 1932, the Royal Navy experienced its biggest modern mutiny.The government had recently announced its emergency budget, introducing means tests, cutting unemployment benefits and reducing public sector pay. The largest warships in the Atlantic fleet were gathering in Cromarty Firth off Invergordon. On arrival the sailors discovered the scale of the cuts they were supposed to bear which resulted in a strike that was coordinated from ship to ship.

The navy was badly shaken by the efficiency of the sailor’s ac-tions. After two days of refusing to carry out their duties, the muti-neers were persuaded to give themselves up with a promise of no recriminations.

The ringleaders were stripped of their rank and jailed. The other sailors involved in the strike were taken to barracks and subjected to a ‘training’ course, which basically amounted to a series of pun-ishment drills. All leave was stopped and the mutineers were kept under constant surveillance.

According to the navy, these men were not being punished for what had happened at Invergordon; Parliament had been told that would not happen. A general election had been called for 28 Octo-ber, and a decision was taken to leave the ‘subversives’ in barracks until the election was over to avoid any political embarrassment.

As soon as the election was over, the men from the Atlantic Fleet began to be discharged. They were hustled outside the dockyard gates with thirteen shillings (65p in today’s money) and a railway warrant. Some of the men were reduced to begging outside the dockyard gate at Devonport.

The Invergordon Mutiny was an industrial action by around 1,000 sailors in the British Atlantic Fleet that took place on 15-16 September 1931. For two days, ships of the Royal Navy at Inver-gordon were in open mutiny, in one of the few military strikes in English history.

In September 1931, as part of its attempts to deal with the Great Depression, the new National Government launched cuts to public spending.

The recommended cuts in spending on the navy were translated into a 10% pay cut (matching 10% cuts across the board for pub-lic sector workers) for officers and senior ratings, and for all junior ratings on the “new rate”of pay introduced for new entrants from 1925).

A 10% cut would cause great hardship to the already poorly paid ratings. Those ratings below Petty Officer who had joined before 1925 would also have their pay reduced to the new rate; this amounted to a cut of 25%.

On top of this, many Labour party supporters shared the sense of betrayal felt in the labour movement at Ramsay MacDonald’s split with the Labour Party and his formation of a new government with the Conservatives.

Sailors of the Atlantic Fleet arriving at Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth in Scotland in the afternoon of Friday, 11 Septem-ber, learned about the cuts from newspaper reports; some reports implied that a 25% cut would be imposed on all ratings. The shock of this news had a palpable effect.

On 12 September, orders were received from the Admiralty

confirming the pay cuts. On the evening of 13 September, by which time sailors had already started agitating, RAdm Wilfred Tomkinson (in temporary command of the fleet while Adm. Sir Michael Hodges was in hospital) received a letter from the Admiralty dated 10 Sep-tember. The letter stated the reasons for the reduction in pay and the principles on which it had been based. The following morning, Tomkinson ordered the commanders of all ships present to read sections of the Admiralty letter out to their officers and crew. How-ever, several ships had not received copies of the letter and some were unable to pass the information on to their companies until the next day. By that time, the mood for a strike had taken hold in many crews.

Ten warships arrived in port on 11 September; Hood (the flag-ship), Adventure, Dorsetshire, Malaya, Norfolk, Repulse, Rodney, Valiant, Warspite and York. After arriving, officers and crew had access to newspapers which contained reports of the pay cuts. On the night of 12 September, a group of sailors met at a football field on land. They voted to organize a strike and left singing “The Red Flag.” The following evening a number of them made speeches criticising the cuts at the canteen ashore. The Officer of the Patrol reported this disturbance to Warspite, the ship-of-the-watch that night, and requested reinforcements. Extra patrols were sent, led by the commander of Warspite himself, Captain Wake, and the can-teen was closed early. The crews left peacefully, although further speeches were made at the pier. After considering reports about the incident from Wake and Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Ragnar Colvin, Tomkinson decided not to take disciplinary action over the disturbances. He reported theincident and his decision to the Ad-miralty by telegram. Meanwhile, Nelson arrived at port.

On 14 September, Warspite and Malaya left the harbour to per-form planned exercises and during the day four more ships arrived : Centurion, Shikari, Snapdragon and Tetrarch. That evening, Tom-kinson hosted a dinner attended by most of the ships’ commanders along with the various flag officers present. Shortly before dinner, Tomkinson was informed that patrols had been dispatched from Hood and Valiant to deal with further disturbances at the canteen and in the open air ashore. These disturbances were character-ized as disorderly and civilians were reportedly spotted amongst the sailors. The Officer of the Patrol was able to address the as-sembly but speeches, cheering and singing recommenced after he had finished. The sailors returned to their ships, however many gathered on deck after their return and continued their protests. Tomkinson informed the Admiralty of the protests, stating that the cause seemed to be the disproportionate pay cut of 25% for some ratings. He ordered commanders to return to their ships and report on the situation.

The reports indicated there was no trouble in the cruisers, nor in the battlecruiser Repulse, but crews on the battlecruiser Hood and three battleships (Rodney, Valiant and Nelson) intended to pre-vent their ships from sailing in practice manoeuvres the next day; the protests were confined to ratings below leading rate and did not show any animosity toward officers. In the early hours of 15 September, Tomkinson considered cancelling the exercises. How-ever, after discussions with several flag officers, the commanders of Hood and Nelson and the Officers of the Patrol who had witnessed

The Bosn’s Call | Autumn 2018

15

the events, he decided against this, expecting that Repulse would follow orders and this would quell resistance on other ships. He ordered commanders to investigate complaints in due course and report typical cases he could use to represent the protests to the Admiralty and informed the Admiralty that he expected problems sailing in the morning.

On the morning of 15 September, Repulse sailed on time at 0630. However, sailors on the other four capital ships due to sail had already begun to refuse orders. On Hood and Nelson, crews carried out the normal harbour routine, merely refusing to put to sea. On Valiant and Rodney, crews only carried out essential du-ties including the provision of safety patrols and fire guards, and did so without any recourse to their officers. Throughout the day, cheering crowds massed on the forecastles of all ships except Cen-turion and Exeter; on Rodney, a piano was dragged on deck and songs were sung. Officers—who issued orders and threats through loudspeakers—were ignored and ridiculed. Valiant unmoored and attempted to put to sea with a limited number of men on duty, but was unable to proceed. On Tomkinson’s own ship Hood, striking crew members prevented officers and senior ratings from unmoor-ing the ship. Even Royal Marines—expected to enforce discipline and break up any mutiny—joined the strike. Tomkinson suspended the exercises until further notice, cancelled all leave and called for the investigations of complaints to proceed as quickly as possible. Warspite, Malaya and Repulse were ordered to return to harbour.

In the afternoon Tomkinson again informed the Admiralty of the situation and its chief cause, asking for an early decision to be communicated and stating he did not believe it would be pos-sible to restore order or prevent further deterioration of the situ-ation until a decision was received. He finally received a reply at 20:00 instructing him to inform sailors that the existing pay rates would remain in force until the end of the month and that the Ad-miralty expected the men touphold the traditions of service and carry out their duties. The Admiralty stated that the cut in pay was only 10%, but this ignored the situation for those on the old pay rate. In a second telegram, Tomkinson was instructed to re-sume exercises as soon as he had completed his investigations into the complaints. Tomkinson believed that this response showed that he had failed to communicate the gravity of the situation and that it would be impossible to resume exercises in the circum-

stances. Incitements to stop work were spreading from deck-to-

deck; crews on Norfolk and Adventure had joined those on

Rodney and Valiant in only performing essential duties, with

Dorsetshire and Hood set to follow suit. There were also re

ports that some of the Petty Officers—who had so far con-

tinued to follow orders, although they had not attempted to

get junior ratings to return to work—were starting to join the

strike.

In the early hours of 16 September, Tomkinson informed

the Fleet that Admiral Colvin had been dispatched to the Ad-

miralty to present sailors’ complaints in person, but no deci-

sion could reasonably be expected for a day or two; he ex-

pected all crew to return to duty.

On the morning of 16 September, Tomkinson received the

last of the complaints. He dispatched the Fleet Accounting

Officer with these to the Admiralty and sent extracts by tele-

gram. Having discussed the situation with RAdm’s Astley-

Rushton (Second Cruiser Squadron on Dorsetshire) and

French (2nd Battle Squadron on Warspite), he reported his

belief that the mutiny would worsen unless an immediate con-

cession was made. He suggested that junior ratings on the

old rate should remain on that rate with a cut of 10%, and

marriage allowances should be extended to ratings under

the age of 25. He also asked that members of the Admiralty

Board visit Invergordon to discuss matters in person. Shortly

afterwards he was informed by the Admiralty that the matter

was being considered by the Cabinet, and communicated this

to the Fleet. Meanwhile, the crew of Hood had ceased all

but essential duties. Some sailors were threatening to dam-

age machinery and leave ships without permission. In the

afternoon, the Admiralty ordered the ships of the fleet to re-

turn to their home ports immediately. Tomkinson directed the

ships to proceed in their squadrons as soon as possible and

gave officers and crew with family at Invergordon leave to visit

the shore and say their goodbyes. That night, all ships sailed

from Invergordon as ordered.

In summarizing the mutiny for the Admiralty, Tomkinson

reported that the crews had remained respectful to their of-

ficers throughout, and that officers had done their best to

explain the government’s reasons for the cut in pay and that

complaints would be taken seriously. He concluded that the

mutiny had been caused primarily because of the 25% cut for

junior ratings who had joined the service before 1925, that

there were no grievances besides the pay cut, and his belief

that the complaint was well founded. He also believed that

any use of force would have made the situation much worse.

The Cabinet accepted Tompkinson’s recommendation that

ratings on the old rate of pay remain on that rate, with a 10%

cut in line with the rest of the service. It was made clear that

further acts of insurrection would be severely punished. A

number of the organizers of the strike were jailed while a total

of 200 sailors from the Atlantic Fleet were discharged from

the service.

A further 200-odd sailors were purged from elsewhere in

the Navy, accused of attempting to incite similar incidents.

The Admiralty held Tomkinson accountable for the mutiny,

blaming him for failing to punish dissidents after the first pro-

tests.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

The Invergordon Mutiny went so far as to

cause a panic on the London Stock Exchange

and a run on the English Pound, bringing Brit-

ain’s economic troubles to a head and forcing

it off the Gold Standard on September 20th,

1931.

16

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18 CNVAMessagesThe next GENERALMEETING is on Saturday, Nov 17th at 1100.

DIRECTOR’S MEETINGS The next meeting is on Saturday, Nov 3rd at 0900.

The CNVA Corvette Club is now open at our new location on the Stampede Grounds at 2402 - 2A Street SE (about 100 yards due east from the Erlton Stampede LRT station) every Sat-urday (except during Stampede) from 1100 to 1600 (Galley service from 1200 to 1400). Come out and join your Shipmates!

©LBJ

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