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Chapter 3 - 1803 - 1814
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From There Go the Ships by George Shirley
Page 52
gunwale on the floor representing the sides of the
ship, so as to have dead eyes and chains or channels to fasten the
rigging outside. They had to rig each, begin with bare poles and
put up every rope, make every knot, and there were some difficult
ones to make, and splicing. By so doing they learned the name, use,
and place of every rope in a ship.
At the corner of the north wall of the dockyard we had a two-gun
battery of 9-pounders fitted like the side of a
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ship, where they went to drill and
fire at three targets six hundred and ten yards distant.
They were allowed two shots, and if they struck the target received
a shilling and another shot. One day one of the students hit it
three times following. The Excellent gunnery ship lay close off
our battery. Our senior lieutenant, a veteran with a wooden leg
in place of one he lost in the passage of the Dardanelles under
Admiral Duckworth, was chaffing the lieutenants of the Excellent
that they were such a lot of duffers that he could beat them at
any time with his boys. "Ah," said the other, "I
saw your gunner pointing the gun for them.' " No you did
not. I am always present, having charge of the firing party. They
always go through the exercise under the gunner, and when ready
to fire ask his opinion, and they act accordingly, and it is his
place to instruct them."
They also had two boats to sail about the harbour, and a cutter
called the Dart, in which they sailed out. to Spithead, or down
the Solent.
I remained in the Naval College until it was
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© Peter Smith 2008
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