Life in the Navy

kurt · Post by **kurt** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 9:12 am

Does anyone know a source of information about the day to day life of a common sailor in the navy in the 1890s to WW1 period. I would imagine that the basics were common regardless of nationality.
Kurt

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 11:37 am

I'll take a guess... Swabbing the decks.. Chipping and Painting, Training, PMs (Planned Maintaining of equipment). On older ships "stoning the decks" etc. Load outs, training, drills and more training.. Going on Liberty... getting hammered and if lucky and and rich enough maybe getting some leg.. Wake up with hangover and a few surprises from your "leg"..
Down into sick bay for treatment & critter killin.....Oh and then start all over ....again.

Oh I forgot.. and inspections, inspections, etc ad nausium.

Kinda like it was in the 60s and 70s... BTDT....

RickF · Post by **RickF** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 2:53 pm

"Men From the Dreadnoughts" by Henry Baynham (Hutchinson 1976). These are the reminiscences(?) of about fifty RN sailors from before WW1. The book also has a fairly comprehensive bibliography.

Rick

Laurence Batchelor · Post by **Laurence Batchelor** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:13 pm

A book called 'Hard Lying' by Peter C Smith I think will give you the horrendous day to day conditions on early torpedo boat destroyers in the period you state.

Gone Asiatic · Post by **Gone Asiatic** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:28 pm

I have four very excellent books written by enlisted men during the pre-dreadnought era - I highly recommend each:

Tisdale, Lieu Three Years Behind the Guns: The True Chronicles of a "Diddy Box"New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1908.

Written by a gunners mate serving aboard USS OLYMPIA (or USFS - United States Flag-Ship), the book chronicles his experiences from departing San Francisco in 1895 to OLYMPIA taking on duties of Flagship Asiatic Squadron including the Battle of Manila Bay.

Swift, John W. An Iowa Boy Around the World in the Navy: A True Story of Our Navy 1898-1902 Des Moines: Kenyon, 1902.

The author enlisted in New York and returns three years latter having served the time in the Asiatic Squadron on the CinC staff as a writter. Served aboard BENNINGTON and BROOKYN primarily in the Philippines during the insurrection. Traveled extensively around the Asiatic Station.

Fowler, Charles A Rocky Mountain Sailor in TeddyRoosevelt`s Navy: The Letters of Petty Officer Charles Fowler from the Asiatic Station 1905-1910. ed Rodney Tomlinson, Boulder: Westview Pres, 1998.

The author served aboard a variety of ships in the Asiatic Fleet including OREGON and MONADNOCK. The book is a compilation of the numerous letters he wrote to his older sister and vividly describes life aboard ship and the region.

Wilson, Frederick, T, A Sailors Log: Water-Tender Frederick T. Wilson, USN, on Asiatic Station, 1899-1901 ed. James Reckner, Kent: Kent State University, 2004.

This book is the most entertaining of them all. He had a much tougher life as an engineer (when ships burned coal) and had the misfortune of working aboard an unhappy ship. He has very frank things to say about Navy leadership of the era, as well as quality of recruits. He served aboard USS NEW ORLEANS and was aboard USS OREGON on the way to China during the legation seige when it went aground in the Gulf of Pechili.

One of my favorite passages: "If they, being bigger men and stronger, try to slug me, I simply use a twelve or fourteen inch monkey or Stillson wrench and lay them out." Disciplining subordinates was quite different back then!

Wilson was of the "work hard, play hard" variety of sailor whereas Fowler and Swift, though accounts are quite excellent, didn`t imbibe and thus their accounts are a little less entertaining.

I particularly find these books outstanding reading as I served in the same region aboard numerous ships and can thus, compare and contrast. Some things never change; most things have changed dramatically for the better of course. Each book is reasonably well illustrated.

NAVMACS_V2 · Post by **NAVMACS_V2** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 11:36 pm

Get you a copy of the Navy Bluejacket's Manual. They issue everybody one in boot camp. You could probably find one online someplace.

Werner · Post by **Werner** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:48 am

I guess this is all before the phrase "Embrace the Suck" became popular.

Richard Gardner · Post by **Richard Gardner** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:29 am

Coaling ship and the cleaning up afterwards would be a large feature of navy life back then, and given how these ships almost gleamed in the sun and a commanders promotion to captain often depended on the quality of paint and brass fittings of a ship and the shinyness thereof, it would be hard work indeed.

Richard

Robin · Post by **Robin** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:02 am

Read Flower's book and yes I found him to be a good writer but someone who should not have be in the Navy and less entertaining of his account. I served in the same region too and like Gone Asiatic said "Some things never change; most things have changed dramatically for the better of course."

Werner · Post by **Werner** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:25 am

"Prepare to sweep: port sweepers: sweep forward, starboard sweepers: sweep aft"

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 2:44 am

Werner wrote:"Prepare to sweep: port sweepers: sweep forward, starboard sweepers: sweep aft"

Spending a few days and dry nights on a US destroyer as part of the NATO squadron cross crewing (Cross Pollination) I was constantly amused by the American pipes, some I cannot repeat as frankly, they are shockingly racist! But you reminded me of one in particular:

"Fore peak party, lay aft! Fan Tail party, lay forward! Midships party - prepare for heavy traffic!"

bengtsson · Post by **bengtsson** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:33 pm

RickF wrote:"Men From the Dreadnoughts" by Henry Baynham (Hutchinson 1976). These are the reminiscences(?) of about fifty RN sailors from before WW1. The book also has a fairly comprehensive bibliography.

Rick

Yes, this is an outstanding book on daily life in the Royal Navy in the pre WWI era.

And it is quite easy to get at a reasonable price.
Another classic of Pre WWI and WWI Naval service is "Aye Aye Sir, A saga of the lower deck" by Clinker Knocker Rich and Cowan Ltd. London 1938. A stoker's naval career from 1908-1919. A good first hand account of daily life in the RN

Also "Three Rows of Tape, A social study of the lower deck" by Trystan
Edwards William Heineman London1929. A general look at service conditions and social conditions in the pre WWI RN

And "HMS Tiger at Bay, A sailor's memoir 1914-18 by Victor Hayward, William Kimber London 1977 The first chapters offer one of the best accounts of a new sailors induction and training into the Royal Navy in 1913.

Bob B.

Gone Asiatic · Post by **Gone Asiatic** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:44 pm

bengtsson wrote:
RickF wrote:"Men From the Dreadnoughts" by Henry Baynham (Hutchinson 1976). These are the reminiscences(?) of about fifty RN sailors from before WW1. The book also has a fairly comprehensive bibliography.

Rick
Yes, this is an outstanding book on daily life in the Royal Navy in the pre WWI era. And it is quite easy to get at a reasonable price.
Another classic of Pre WWI and WWI Naval service is "Aye Aye Sir, A saga of the lower deck" by Clinker Knocker Rich and Cowan Ltd. London 1938. A stoker's naval career from 1908-1919. A good first hand account of daily life in the RN

Also "Three Rows of Tape, A social study of the lower deck" by Trystan
Edwards William Heineman London1929. A general look at service conditions and social conditions in the pre WWI RN

And "HMS Tiger at Bay, A sailor's memoir 1914-18 by Victor Hayward, William Kimber London 1977 The first chapters offer one of the best accounts of a new sailors induction and training into the Royal Navy in 1913.

Bob B.

The above look like good reads.

bengtsson · Post by **bengtsson** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 10:15 am

I guess we should be in the book section with these comments, but since we are here in History & Technology it seems okay.

I'de like to mention one of my favorite books published by the UNSI Press back in 1968. "Torpedoboat Sailor" by C.M. Blackwood.

Although he joined the Navy in 1916, a little later period than the poster was looking for, this book is the best insight into the WWI USN from an enlisted man's viewpoint I have ever read. It convinced me to join the Navy in 1969 and I found alot of things had not changed so much since 1916. Anyways, this is a first rate book on naval service and one of the very best on the USN.

I have been looking for similar first hand accounts of Naval service in the USN from the 1890s - 1945. Anyone have any ideas about books out there on personal naval memiors by USN Officers [not admirals] and enlisted sailors?? I will try and purchase copies of some of the books mentioned earlier in this thread. They look interesting!

Bob B.

Gone Asiatic · Post by **Gone Asiatic** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:20 pm

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookse ... 7828&itm=1

Highly recommended.

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