Next thing, the President spotted that I was without a Friend and he promptly stopped the proceedings. “The prisoner has not got a Friend,” he said in a shocked voice. I, like an ass, said, “No, sir, he said he was too busy and would I manage without him.”
I didn’t realise just how ridiculous this statement was. About on a par with a chap who is being tried for murder and who tells the judge that his Lawyer is away playing golf.
The court plodded steadily through the set questions and cross questions, and cross questions, asking me, as each witness finished, “If I wished to cross-examine?”
Of course, I didn’t. I just wanted to get the thing over and the Gunner out of the soup. Not till the Gunner had been called and examined — and hide it as he might, the fact that he was the culprit stuck out a mile. “Do you wish to cross-examine?” and on the impulse of the moment I said, “Yes I did.” Though for the life of me I could not have said why.
I think they all thought I was now going to pin the blame irrevocably where it belonged. Well, they were wrong. I was out to soften the going for the Gunner, for he was looking pretty bleak, poor devil, as of course he did not know what I was getting at.
I started in: “How long have you been in Destroyers?” “How long have you been under my command?” “you have been Officer of the Watch?” “You have been in sole charge of the Watch?”
Here the President got my idea but suggested quite kindly that I should not ask leading questions. I apologised and set out again.
“Have you had full charge of the bridge at night on patrol?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You have had full charge in the Downs, with a Convoy getting under weigh?”
“Yes sir.”
Then before I realised quite what I was doing, I reverted to leading questions.
“You have never been reprimanded by me for getting too close to anything?”
To all of which he replied, “No,” and “Yes,” just as the questions required, wondering what on earth I was heading for. As a matter of fact, I hardly knew myself.
“You have had to manњuvre in amongst ships in the Downs?”
“Yes sir.”
“You have never had an accident.”
“No sir.”
“You have had full confidence in yourself?”
“Yes sir.”
You still have full confidence in yourself now?”
“Yes, sir.”
And with that I sat down.
I think the President saw my game as it developed and wanted to help. The outcome was that after the Court had adjourned to consider the verdict and duly returned, we were again called in. The hilt of my sword towards me (signifying I was exonerated). The D.J.A. then read a eulogy that fairly made me blush and the Gunner’s eyes stand out like hatpegs. In short, the Court had “found” that far from being to blame, they had really discovered in us potential heroes by sticking to and going down with our ship.
But what was more to the point, the Gunner went to the biggest Destroyer building, ditto the engineer — who had been scared stiff he was going to be scrubbed for leaving the ship, whilst we other three stuck to her. The same thing happened to Number One who also went to a big Destroyer.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
NORTH SEA CONVOYS
I was lucky to get appointed to the Garry, the biggest Destroyer up there. The Admiralty, as a matter of fact, kicked about giving her to me, but our Admiral stuck out and sent me to her, but it was a month before Whitehall confirmed my command. She was a Commander’s command R.N. and I was only a two and a half striper, R.N.R. I got her in the end and a fine ship she was too, though a wet one.
No more patrol work. My job now was to work the Convoys altogether. Pick them up on their way across from Norway and escort them down to the Humber. After that they were more or less in safety. At that time we were losing as many as six ships out of a single Convoy by submarine attack.
The concentration of submarines in the North Sea was now one of the greatest menaces of the War and it was a mighty big problem how to meet it. The Grand Fleet would not part up with a single Destroyer, on the grounds that they couldn’t be spared and here we were with boats that should have been on the scrap heap, to deal with the vital problem of sea-borne supplies.
Apart from the losses to the country, as a Merchant Service man it made one furious to see these ships sunk on sight, without a chance of them defending themselves, much less retaliating. What a hope, with about forty ships traveling at eight knots, in four lines ahead. The loss of shipping in the North Sea had got so bad that at last someone got a very severe rap over the knuckles and an Admiral was shoved on the shelf.
After seeing the method of convoying I was not altogether surprised at the numbers sunk.
The approved plan of protection was for one Destroyer to go ahead of the Convoy, about a mile or a mile and a half. One other Destroyer on each side, abeam and a fourth astern. To my mind an utterly inadequate disposal, particularly when one takes into consideration the method of attack.
A submarine sights a Convoy, knowing beforehand exactly when it is expected. She arranges her speed so she can get a preliminary “sight” before the head of the Convoy passes. She then submerges and rises again for a second sight and to fire when the main body of the Convoy comes into her line of vision. Hardly ever did they loose off, what is called a “Browning” shot. That is a blind shot into the Convoy as a pack. They deliberately picked their ship and with only one Destroyer to contend with this was easy. The Destroyer ahead had passed them and the Destroyer astern of the Convoy was miles away. So, providing she could keep an eye on the one abeam they were comparatively safe. Events and the position of the majority of ships lost, all went to prove this.
I had some heated arguments with the authorities on the subject, as when in charge of a Convoy I insisted on my own disposition, placing one Destroyer on each side abreast of the leading ships. The other two abreast of the last ships (the most we were ever allowed was one division of four Destroyers to a Convoy).
My contention was that the submarine took a sight just before the head of the Convoy came abreast of her. Her second sight was taken and the shot fired when half the Convoy had passed. By any method she could be spotted taking her first sight by the Destroyer abreast of the leading ships and if not then, would stand every chance of being seen and downed when she fired, by the Destroyer abreast of the rearmost ship.
I was allowed to continue with my “Theory” after I brought down six Convoys, averaging forty ships and lost only one and over that I claimed to have sunk the swine that bagged the ship, but I had no conclusive proof. I saw her periscope as she fired and put down fourteen depth charges all round her. If she wasn’t smashed up and put down, I’m a Dutchman. We had the meagre satisfaction of a general signal being made to the effect that “the Garry’s attack was brilliantly conceived and well carried out.” Still that was something
There had been so many reports of submarines sunk, that perhaps a little scepticism in high quarters was not altogether unwarranted. But it was small satisfaction, when one knew for a certainty, that one had been downed. The trouble was getting the exact position and later on locating him in that depth of water. Of course, if you blew him open and conclusive evidence came to the surface, that was sufficient. The only alternative was to ram the submarine, as I was fortunate enough to do later on and then there could be no quibble.
It was a sickening experience to hear that deadly clanging crash, see a column of water leap up alongside a merchant ship and the ship herself tip up and go down, often in a minute, perhaps in only a few seconds, and at the same time, knowing full well that at least half her crew had gone with her. This concentrated submarine attack on the Convoys up and down the coast took a toll and tightened many a belt.