Commodore Armiger
27-01-2008, 15:03
Vice Admiral Sir William Kennedy KCB was a teenage Midshipman at the time of the Crimean War and fought there both at sea (HMS Rodney) and on land. Here's a quote from his memoirs:
ON the 14th of October we heard, to our great delight, that the ships were to participate in the bombardment. All was now excitement on board, clearing for action; top hamper was sent down, splinter-nettings got up overhead and between the guns, spare shot got up from below, and all lumber cleared away.
Early on the morning of the 17th October 1854 we were woke up by a most awful din, the roar of hundreds of guns. The fleet was ready, and only waited the signal to weigh. Each sailing-ship had a steamer told off to tow her into action.
The Spiteful, a paddle-wheel steamer of six guns, was lashed alongside the Rodney, and by noon we were all under weigh, and a beautiful sight it was to see the fleet standing in for the forts in line of battle. As I had never been under fire before - which is not surprising, seeing that I was but sixteen - I watched the proceedings with the most intense interest, and having the good fortune to be the commander's A.D.C., I had a fine view from the poop. It was arranged that the French ships were to engage the south forts, the English the northern.
The Frenchmen having slightly the start of us, got into action before us. As we approached the forts, we beat to quarters and manned the starboard guns, as it was on that side we were to engage, the Spiteful being on the port side. Our upper deck was almost clear, most of the guns and the men belonging to them being on shore with the Naval Brigade.
The officers on the poop were the captain, the commander (who, being too ill to stand, was carried up in a chair), the master, David Craigie, a fine old Scotsman, the captain's clerk, and myself and signalman. The boatswain was on the forecastle with a few of his men. We had not been long under weigh when a round-shot cut away part of the main rigging, and a plunging shot crashed through the poop between the clerk and myself, covering us with splinters, but doing us no harm. Captain Randolph asked us if we were hurt. Another shot lodged in the poop netting, just alongside of us, and a shell burst in the dingey, which was stowed on the booms, blowing her to pieces. All this time we could make no reply, as the forts from their elevated position could reach us before we got into range ; besides which it was calm, and the smoke hung so that we could not make them out. However, we got into a good position at last, and opened fire from our starboard broadside. The roar of the guns was awful, and it was impossible to hear any orders; but my duty as A.D.C. kept me continually on the move carrying messages to all parts of the ship. We had been at it some time when a boat came from the Agamemnon to say she was in need of support and being much knocked about, so we at once weighed and went to her assistance, anchoring
close under her bows, so that our jib-booms crossed. By this means we took some of the fire from the Agamemnon on to ourselves, and enabled her to haul off for repairs. At 4.30 P.M., our stern cable being shot away, the Rodney swung stern on to the shore and grounded, in which position we were raked by the forts, and could only reply with our stern guns. The Spiteful, being unable to move us, was now cut adrift and sent ahead to tow, but failed, as the hawsers parted, and she herself was exposed to a heavy fire while so doing. Our position was now most critical. Darkness was coming on, and the rest of the fleet had returned to the anchorage, leaving us the sole mark for the enemy's fire, of which they were not slow to take advantage. Shot and shell raked us fore and aft ; some of the former, being red-hot, set fire to the ship in several places, but the fire was promptly extinguished by the well-disciplined crew. Fortunately most of the shot flew high, striking the upper deck, where there were few men, or crippling the masts and yards. One shell burst in the foremast, making such a hole that it was wonderful the mast did not go over the side. The Spiteful had her maintop-mast shot away, and received much damage in her hull. All this time the men worked splendidly, and the orders of the officers were promptly obeyed; but this availed nothing, and the destruction of the ship seemed certain. Our signals of distress could not be seen by the Admiral owing to darkness, and we must have abandoned the good old ship, when to our joy we saw the Lynx, a smart little gun-vessel, coming to our assistance. She came under our bows in beautiful style, engaging the forts with her big Lancaster gun, and took our last remaining hawser. (Captain Luce of the Lynx was promoted for this gallant action.) The Spiteful was now again lashed alongside, both vessels went full speed ahead, and at 7.30, it being then pitch dark, the Rodney floated and was saved. Our damages, though serious, were nothing to what might have been expected under the circumstances. The hull was a good deal cut up, and two lower-deck ports were knocked into one, and the masts in a tottering state ; but our casualties were small, owing to the elevation of the Russian guns. The Spiteful suffered severely during the time she was not protected by the Rodney's hull. Some of the other ships lost heavily and were much damaged, especially the Albion, Arethusa, Sanspareil, and Agamemnon, the two former being ordered to Constantinople for repairs.
For the next fortnight we were busy repairing damages and refitting; but it seemed a pity we did not have another rub in at the forts, which were a good deal knocked about and many of the guns dismantled.
On the 14th November it blew a terrific gale from the south-west, accompanied by a very heavy sea, and as the Katcha, where we anchored, was an open anchorage, we were on a lee shore. Many fine transports were lost along the coast. At Balaklava almost every ship was driven ashore or went down at her anchors, and at the Katcha thirteen ships parted their cables and were driven on shore : only one of them, the Lord Raglan, was ever got off again. This vessel was lying near us, and was saved by a fine piece of seamanship: as she had parted one cable, her captain cut away his main and mizzen masts, the result being that when his remaining cable parted, the wind, catching the fore-mast, canted her round, and she flew before the gale, with a man at the wheel, and steering for a sandy beach, ran up high and dry, instead of drifting broadside on as the others had done. This ship was got off after a month's hard work, when she was uninjured. It was a sad sight to see so many fine ships drifting ashore with no possibility of helping them. The moment they struck the masts went over the side, and the sea made a clean breach over them. We expected our turn to come every moment, and preparations were made to cut away the masts should it be necessary. A mountainous sea was running, line-of-battle ships pitching bows under, with their rudders clean out of water, and straining at their cables, which tautened out fathoms ahead. We shipped one sea over the bows which swept aft and flooded the captain's cabin. Close by us on the starboard side was a large transport crowded with women and children, whose cries for help could plainly be heard, but no help could be given them. This ship, however, rode out the gale. The Sampson, a paddle-wheel frigate, was steaming ahead at her anchors, when two merchant - ships drifted down on her, totally dismasting her; but she held on, and the two went ashore, leaving the Sampson a wreck. The Terrible, another fine paddle steamer of great power, steamed out to sea in the teeth of the gale. It was a curious thing that not a single man-of-war went ashore at this anchorage, though some of them parted their cables.
During the height of the gale a Turkish line-of-battle ship, which was anchored right ahead of us, cut away her masts, as the ship was dragging her
anchors: the wreckage drifted down across our bows, and the rigging got foul of our cables, which caused us to drag, so we let go two more anchors, which brought us up. We could hear the Turks singing out to Allah to help them : luckily for us, she drifted no farther.
It was fortunate that this gale did not happen a week or so earlier, before we had time to repair our damaged spars, as some of us must have been dismasted. As soon as the gale abated we devoted our attention to the ships on shore, each ship sending one or more boats to their assistance. It was not much that we could do beyond saving the crews ; but the proceedings were enlivened by the Cossacks, who amused themselves by firing on us from the cliffs overhead until some shells from the inshore squadron dispersed them.
ON the 14th of October we heard, to our great delight, that the ships were to participate in the bombardment. All was now excitement on board, clearing for action; top hamper was sent down, splinter-nettings got up overhead and between the guns, spare shot got up from below, and all lumber cleared away.
Early on the morning of the 17th October 1854 we were woke up by a most awful din, the roar of hundreds of guns. The fleet was ready, and only waited the signal to weigh. Each sailing-ship had a steamer told off to tow her into action.
The Spiteful, a paddle-wheel steamer of six guns, was lashed alongside the Rodney, and by noon we were all under weigh, and a beautiful sight it was to see the fleet standing in for the forts in line of battle. As I had never been under fire before - which is not surprising, seeing that I was but sixteen - I watched the proceedings with the most intense interest, and having the good fortune to be the commander's A.D.C., I had a fine view from the poop. It was arranged that the French ships were to engage the south forts, the English the northern.
The Frenchmen having slightly the start of us, got into action before us. As we approached the forts, we beat to quarters and manned the starboard guns, as it was on that side we were to engage, the Spiteful being on the port side. Our upper deck was almost clear, most of the guns and the men belonging to them being on shore with the Naval Brigade.
The officers on the poop were the captain, the commander (who, being too ill to stand, was carried up in a chair), the master, David Craigie, a fine old Scotsman, the captain's clerk, and myself and signalman. The boatswain was on the forecastle with a few of his men. We had not been long under weigh when a round-shot cut away part of the main rigging, and a plunging shot crashed through the poop between the clerk and myself, covering us with splinters, but doing us no harm. Captain Randolph asked us if we were hurt. Another shot lodged in the poop netting, just alongside of us, and a shell burst in the dingey, which was stowed on the booms, blowing her to pieces. All this time we could make no reply, as the forts from their elevated position could reach us before we got into range ; besides which it was calm, and the smoke hung so that we could not make them out. However, we got into a good position at last, and opened fire from our starboard broadside. The roar of the guns was awful, and it was impossible to hear any orders; but my duty as A.D.C. kept me continually on the move carrying messages to all parts of the ship. We had been at it some time when a boat came from the Agamemnon to say she was in need of support and being much knocked about, so we at once weighed and went to her assistance, anchoring
close under her bows, so that our jib-booms crossed. By this means we took some of the fire from the Agamemnon on to ourselves, and enabled her to haul off for repairs. At 4.30 P.M., our stern cable being shot away, the Rodney swung stern on to the shore and grounded, in which position we were raked by the forts, and could only reply with our stern guns. The Spiteful, being unable to move us, was now cut adrift and sent ahead to tow, but failed, as the hawsers parted, and she herself was exposed to a heavy fire while so doing. Our position was now most critical. Darkness was coming on, and the rest of the fleet had returned to the anchorage, leaving us the sole mark for the enemy's fire, of which they were not slow to take advantage. Shot and shell raked us fore and aft ; some of the former, being red-hot, set fire to the ship in several places, but the fire was promptly extinguished by the well-disciplined crew. Fortunately most of the shot flew high, striking the upper deck, where there were few men, or crippling the masts and yards. One shell burst in the foremast, making such a hole that it was wonderful the mast did not go over the side. The Spiteful had her maintop-mast shot away, and received much damage in her hull. All this time the men worked splendidly, and the orders of the officers were promptly obeyed; but this availed nothing, and the destruction of the ship seemed certain. Our signals of distress could not be seen by the Admiral owing to darkness, and we must have abandoned the good old ship, when to our joy we saw the Lynx, a smart little gun-vessel, coming to our assistance. She came under our bows in beautiful style, engaging the forts with her big Lancaster gun, and took our last remaining hawser. (Captain Luce of the Lynx was promoted for this gallant action.) The Spiteful was now again lashed alongside, both vessels went full speed ahead, and at 7.30, it being then pitch dark, the Rodney floated and was saved. Our damages, though serious, were nothing to what might have been expected under the circumstances. The hull was a good deal cut up, and two lower-deck ports were knocked into one, and the masts in a tottering state ; but our casualties were small, owing to the elevation of the Russian guns. The Spiteful suffered severely during the time she was not protected by the Rodney's hull. Some of the other ships lost heavily and were much damaged, especially the Albion, Arethusa, Sanspareil, and Agamemnon, the two former being ordered to Constantinople for repairs.
For the next fortnight we were busy repairing damages and refitting; but it seemed a pity we did not have another rub in at the forts, which were a good deal knocked about and many of the guns dismantled.
On the 14th November it blew a terrific gale from the south-west, accompanied by a very heavy sea, and as the Katcha, where we anchored, was an open anchorage, we were on a lee shore. Many fine transports were lost along the coast. At Balaklava almost every ship was driven ashore or went down at her anchors, and at the Katcha thirteen ships parted their cables and were driven on shore : only one of them, the Lord Raglan, was ever got off again. This vessel was lying near us, and was saved by a fine piece of seamanship: as she had parted one cable, her captain cut away his main and mizzen masts, the result being that when his remaining cable parted, the wind, catching the fore-mast, canted her round, and she flew before the gale, with a man at the wheel, and steering for a sandy beach, ran up high and dry, instead of drifting broadside on as the others had done. This ship was got off after a month's hard work, when she was uninjured. It was a sad sight to see so many fine ships drifting ashore with no possibility of helping them. The moment they struck the masts went over the side, and the sea made a clean breach over them. We expected our turn to come every moment, and preparations were made to cut away the masts should it be necessary. A mountainous sea was running, line-of-battle ships pitching bows under, with their rudders clean out of water, and straining at their cables, which tautened out fathoms ahead. We shipped one sea over the bows which swept aft and flooded the captain's cabin. Close by us on the starboard side was a large transport crowded with women and children, whose cries for help could plainly be heard, but no help could be given them. This ship, however, rode out the gale. The Sampson, a paddle-wheel frigate, was steaming ahead at her anchors, when two merchant - ships drifted down on her, totally dismasting her; but she held on, and the two went ashore, leaving the Sampson a wreck. The Terrible, another fine paddle steamer of great power, steamed out to sea in the teeth of the gale. It was a curious thing that not a single man-of-war went ashore at this anchorage, though some of them parted their cables.
During the height of the gale a Turkish line-of-battle ship, which was anchored right ahead of us, cut away her masts, as the ship was dragging her
anchors: the wreckage drifted down across our bows, and the rigging got foul of our cables, which caused us to drag, so we let go two more anchors, which brought us up. We could hear the Turks singing out to Allah to help them : luckily for us, she drifted no farther.
It was fortunate that this gale did not happen a week or so earlier, before we had time to repair our damaged spars, as some of us must have been dismasted. As soon as the gale abated we devoted our attention to the ships on shore, each ship sending one or more boats to their assistance. It was not much that we could do beyond saving the crews ; but the proceedings were enlivened by the Cossacks, who amused themselves by firing on us from the cliffs overhead until some shells from the inshore squadron dispersed them.