The Custom of the Trade

by Shaun Lewis

  Within minutes, the whine and thrashing of the turbines and propellers of at least four destroyers could be heard above. Richard briefly wondered why such an elderly cruiser had been so heavily escorted, but he had other problems to consider. Whilst E9 remained deep she was invisible and could not be attacked, but she had to come up for air sometime to charge her precious batteries. When she did so, she would be vulnerable to shellfire or ramming. The risk would be reduced under the cover of darkness, but sunset was still eight hours off. Should he bottom the submarine in the present shallow depths and hope the enemy would tire of the search, or continue to head for deeper water? He decided to share his decision with the control room team, knowing it would quickly permeate throughout the whole ships’ company.

  ‘Firstly, I deem that a successful attack. There was no sign of the target on my last look, but I did see survivors in the water. As you will have gathered, we seem to have stirred up a hornet’s nest and there is a veritable armada up there looking for us. For those of you less familiar with Norse mythology, Hela is the goddess of death and the underworld. I have no intention of allowing anyone in E9 to join her realm, so I plan to evade slowly to the south all day and surface this evening to charge the batteries. With that in mind, I want all but the most essential equipment switched off. It’s going to be an uncomfortable ten to twelve hours, but I’ve known worse. Any questions?’

  To his embarrassment, one of the seaman responded by calling, ‘Three cheers for the skipper. Hip, hip, hurrah.’ Even Ashridge joined in the cheering.

  *

  Richard’s plan to surface after ten to twelve hours proved to be over-optimistic. For the next forty-eight hours they were hunted by the German forces seeking revenge for the loss of the Hela. On each occasion that E9 surfaced to run the diesel engines and recharge the batteries, she was driven down by destroyers attempting to ram her. Trawlers were then brought in to locate the dived submarine, using towed sweeps. Every time one of the metal tendrils from the surface scraped along the hull or jumping wire of the boat, Richard was reminded of his last hours in D2. In these circumstances the batteries were run down to dangerous levels and the atmosphere extremely uncomfortable. Even so, he was proud that the men remained cheerful, buoyed by their success. He was embarrassed to hear them say that he had encountered worse and still brought his men to safety. Somehow they managed to coax the batteries to stay alive just long enough to evade the enemy. When E9 entered Harwich harbour with the triumphant news of the avenging of the Pathfinder a wag in the fore-ends persuaded Richard to fly the Jolly Roger. The last but one First Sea Lord, Sir Arthur Wilson VC, had, after all, suggested that all enemy submariners should be hanged as pirates.

  Chapter 18

  October 1914

  ‘Hello, is that you Ashridge?’

  ‘It is, sir, but it’s a bad line, so you’ll have to speak up.’

  ‘Well, I can hear you fine just now. Is that any better?’ Richard raised his voice.

  ‘Much better, thank you, sir.’

  ‘What’s up? Durton, my father’s butler, said it was urgent.’

  ‘It is urgent, sir, but I thought I would try to catch you on the telephone, rather than send a telegram. I’m glad I caught you in London.’

  ‘I leave for Lancashire tomorrow. I thought I would have a few days up there before the wedding. My mother has already gone up.’

  ‘That’s what I’m ringing you about, sir. We’ve had fresh orders.’

  A tingle of excitement ran through Richard and for a moment he forgot about his wedding that weekend.

  ‘I’ve just seen Captain (S) and he’s told me to cancel all further leave. Everyone is to report back on board within seventy-two hours. We and two other boats are on standby for some sort of special mission. But Captain (S) knows you’re getting married, sir, and wondered if you might be able to bring it forward. It’s bad luck you being inconvenienced twice this way, sir.’

  Richard was silent for a minute. Several things were passing through his head. His first thoughts concerned what needed to be done to make E9 ready for any form of special mission. The boat was in the middle of a maintenance period and half the ship’s company had just returned from a fortnight’s leave. The other half, like him, had only just started their leave. There were bound to be more than a few disgruntled by the sudden recall. The maintenance work would have to be halted and the boat put back together again. There was storing to be considered, fuelling, the loading of new torpedoes and a hundred and one other things. It wasn’t fair to impose such a burden on Ashridge, competent as he was. Then he remembered his wedding and he imagined Lizzy’s disappointment at a second postponement, and after all the aggravation in persuading Mutti to attend, too. Might he be able to obtain a special licence and marry in a registry office? No, it was unthinkable. It was just one of those exigencies of the Service. Of course they would still marry, but the arrangements would just have to be put on ice for a little while.

  ‘Can you give me any clue as to the nature of our possible mission, Number One?’

  ‘I can’t, sir, because I don’t know. All Captain (S) said is that three E-boats would be involved, but he is waiting for Boyle and Cochrane to get back from a preliminary recce, and then it’s all dependent on some hush-hush conference for the go-ahead. It might all come to nought.’

  ‘Very well, Ashridge. I need a little time to sort out my affairs, not least in breaking the news to my fiancée, but I’ll be back in Harwich by tomorrow evening. In the meantime, I am relying on you to start making the boat ready for sea at short notice. Is there anything you need to ask?’

  ‘No, sir, but that’s not my only news.’

  ‘Really? Carry on.’

  ‘Captain (S) also told me that I am to have my own command.’

  ‘Why that’s capital news, Ashridge. Congratulations. It’s thoroughly well deserved. Any idea which boat and when you’re to take over?’

  ‘Yes, sir. I’m to take over C9 on Tuesday and my relief is joining tomorrow,’ Ashridge said apologetically. ‘I don’t expect it is welcome news, sir. I mean, a new First Lieutenant just at the moment.’

  ‘It is quite short notice, but these things can’t be helped, so the sooner we get this war over, the better. I admit the timing is a bit awkward, but I’m still delighted for you. I bet you can’t wait to take command. Do you know the new chap’s name?’

  ‘Yes, sir. Steele. The cricketer. Do you recall him?’

  ‘Not the chap that played for England and the MCC?’

  ‘That’s him, sir. He was on the winter tour in South Africa this year and hasn’t been to sea for two years.’

  ‘May the Lord help us then, Ashridge. That settles it. I’ll definitely be with you tomorrow evening.’

  *

  ‘I was sorry to cut short your leave, Miller. Weren’t you supposed to be getting married?’

  ‘Yes, sir. Today in fact.’ Richard was seated in the day cabin of Captain Waistell, captain of the depot ship Maidstone and Captain (S) Eighth Submarine Flotilla at Harwich. Berthed alongside the depot ship were three submarines of the E-class, including E9.

  ‘Ah. Pity about that. Might be a while before you get another chance. The fact is you may be away quite some time.’ Waistell rose and walked over to the sideboard on which lay a small selection of decanters. ‘Drink?’

  ‘No, thank you, sir. I’ll stick with the coffee.’

  ‘Oh, yes. I forgot. You don’t, do you, Miller? I’m going to have one. It’s been a bloody day. I suppose you’ve heard that the Germans have taken Antwerp? The Belgians have been completely routed.’

  ‘No, I hadn’t heard that, sir, although it was on the cards. I fear my cousin may be involved.’

  ‘Oh, dear. A complete mess. Churchill did his best, of course, with the naval brigades, but where were the French or the BEF? I hope your cousin was one of the lucky ones who escaped to the Netherlands. Means internment, of course, but better than capture.’

  Richard listen
ed to Captain (S) calmly, keeping his emotions in check, but his thoughts were with Lizzy. She wouldn’t know any of this and when the news broke, she would be fearful for her brother, Charles. He wished he could be with her to offer her comfort.

  ‘Can you be ready to sail within the week?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Richard replied without hesitation.

  ‘I suppose you know where you’re going, Miller. It’s meant to be a bloody secret, which means everyone round here knows.’

  ‘My TI tells me the word in the bomb shop is that we’re off to give aid to the Russians, sir.’

  ‘Spot on, though I’m sorry you didn’t hear it from me. The least I can do is explain why. You didn’t hear that from the bomb shop via your TI, perchance?’

  ‘No, sir. I suspect the men attach more importance to this afternoon’s fixture between Pompey and Brighton and Hove Albion than to the conduct of the war.’

  ‘Quite. The fact is that the new Kiel Canal is allowing the Germans to use the Baltic both to exercise their navy and to import essential goods. Specifically, iron ore from Sweden. You and the two other E-boats will sail a week today, that is the seventeenth. You penetrate the Skagerrak, proceed up the Baltic and rendezvous in the Russian naval base of Libau. There you will receive further orders according to the situation you encounter. Any defects?’

  ‘None that should pose a problem, sir. My chief’s worried about one of the armatures, on the port motor, and we’re having a slight problem with the rudder, too. I’m confident we’ll fix both very quickly, sir.’

  ‘And how is your new First Lieutenant, the Honourable Algernon Steele settling in?’

  ‘Fair to middling, as we say in Lancashire, sir. I confess to being disappointed to lose the experience of Ashridge, sir. He was a competent officer. I’m a bit worried about Steele’s lack of experience, but you cannot fault his keenness. He’s never out of his coveralls and is quickly learning every system stem to stern.’

  ‘Yes, I’m sorry about Ashridge, but Steele comes well recommended. You know his grandfather, the eleventh earl of Storrs, was a vice-admiral?’

  ‘I didn’t, sir.’ So that’s it, Richard thought to himself. Steele has been foisted on me after spending the best part of two years playing cricket, just because his grandfather’s a Scottish earl who still has friends in the Navy. Patronage will out, despite Fisher’s reforms. He started to sympathise with his former CO, Mullan.

  ‘Right, I’d better let you get back to your boat, Miller. Plenty to do, no doubt. Just one more thing before you go. You’ve been put up for a DSO for sinking the Hela. Their Lordships tried to fob you off with one of these new Mentioned-in-Despatches, but Keyes wouldn’t have any of it, so congratulations. Now, this mission won’t be easy, but it must be better than hanging around the German Bight. You and your fellow COs will have the chance to take the war to the enemy instead of waiting for him to come to us. So more than enough opportunity for a few more medals all round. Knock on my door if you need any help.’

  ‘Very good, sir. Thank you, sir.’ Richard returned to his cabin and as he did so, he wondered whether he felt more deflated or elated after his interview with Captain (S).

  *

  Few people lined the quayside on the afternoon of the seventeenth as the convoy of three submarines and two destroyers set sail for the North Sea. Richard presumed that after two months of war, the residents of Harwich had tired of the coming and going of the submarines and destroyers based there. His attention was drawn to two little girls vigorously waving coloured handkerchiefs with their free hands whilst their mother held the other. The farewell may have been for one of the destroyers as he saw a petty officer, on the quarterdeck of one, offer a discreet wave back. He hoped that one day he and Lizzy might have children and be on the jetty to wave him farewell. Instantly, he felt a pang of regret that he was not leaving these shores as a married man. Lizzy had taken the postponement well and promised to throw herself into the work of the shipyard. Now that her brother, Charles, had joined the Navy, too, Lizzy was running the yard singlehandedly.

  He wondered again whether he should invite Steele to the bridge to dive the submarine. If he was to make any mistakes after two years ashore, it would be better that he made them in the relatively benign home waters, rather than in the face of the enemy. But he had been through this several times, he thought. It’s the First Lieutenant’s role to supervise the trim on the first dive after being in harbour and for that his place is in the control room. He again resolved to learn to accept that he was no longer a First Lieutenant and he had to trust his officers. If he changed the normal routine, it would only betray to the ship’s company that he lacked confidence in his new second-in-command. No, it would be better to exercise Steele along with the rest of the ship’s company on the crossing of the North Sea. He intended to work the boat and her crew hard on his way to the Baltic.

  He watched the E-boat ahead open her main vents and her captain give him a friendly wave as he took a last leisurely look around the bridge before going below. It was an unusual luxury to see another submarine dive. Soon it would be the turn of E9 and the signalman was already in the process of clearing all the paraphernalia needed on the bridge for leaving harbour, but completely superfluous once dived.

  The plan was that the destroyers would remain in company with the submarines until they had completed their check dives. The three E-boats would then proceed independently across the North Sea and on to Libau. With luck and good judgement, this should take no longer than a week. The passage to the mouth of the Sound between Helsingborg in Sweden and Helsingor in Denmark had been found practicable by two fellow E-boat captains in September. However, they had reported that the narrow channel was swept by swift currents and navigation would be difficult. The lights of the towns of the two neutral countries on either side of the sound masked the navigational lights and depth keeping was likely to be a problem. Not only was the depth of the channel a maximum of thirty five feet, leaving only nine feet below the keel at periscope depth, but the seawater was a mixture of fresh and salt water. The different densities would play havoc with the carefully derived trim. To add yet another degree of difficulty to the task, it had been reported that the Germans were mounting regular destroyer patrols at the southern entrance to the Sound. Richard and his fellow COs had concluded that their best option in light of the shallow depth of water was to trim down as low as possible in the water and then make a dash for it at night. However, Richard had another idea up his sleeve. He wondered whether he might follow a neutral ship through the Sound at night and switch on his own navigation lights in the hope that he might be mistaken for another merchant vessel. He had decided to delay finalising his plans until he had seen the lie of the land.

  He watched the other E-boat return to the surface after her trim dive. Her bows broke through the surface at a steep angle and at great speed, creating a huge splash even before the fin became visible. He made a mental note to brief Steele that he wanted a gentler and more level return to the surface. There was no point in advertising their presence before they had to, as in a calm sea at night any disturbance in the water would be visible as a spume of phosphorescence.

  *

  The check dive off Harwich had not passed off without drama. Firstly, Steele had trimmed the boat light such that it took too long to dive, the so-called married man’s trim. After correcting the trim and checking for the absence of leaks, Richard had ordered Steele to surface the submarine. To everyone’s consternation, the Outside ERA at the blowing panel had reported that he could not blow one of the after ballast tanks as the valve had come off in his hand. With no buoyancy aft, the only way Richard had managed to prevent the seawater spilling over the conning tower hatch had been by ordering maximum speed, but he had not dared risk returning to Harwich as the reverse course would have given him a following sea. Fortunately, the crew of E9 had managed to navigate the submarine to nearby Gorleston to carry out the necessary repair.

  Four d
ays later, E9 was at last proceeding on the surface heading north-east. Steele had learned from his mistake and the boat was in perfect trim. Richard had just finished his lunch on the second day out from Gorleston when he was called to the control room. The Navigator, O’Connell, had the watch on the bridge.

  ‘What is it, Pilot?’ Richard called from the search periscope.

  ‘Green seven-zero, sir, about 10,000 yards. I’ve just seen a seaplane land in the water.’

  ‘Did you recognise it as one of ours?’

  ‘I’m not sure, sir. It might have been one of ours or a Frenchie, but I’m pretty sure the markings are not those of a Hun.’

  ‘Very good. We’ll take a look at her. Increase speed to fourteen knots and alter course to intercept her. I’ll be up when we get a bit closer.’

  Ten minutes later, it was clear that the seaplane belonged to the Royal Naval Air Service. The two crewmen were standing on the floats waving to the approaching submarine. The sea state was slight and the waves were gently washing over the tips of the floats to wet the boots of the aviators. Richard had no difficulty in carefully manoeuvring the submarine upwind of the biplane whilst Steele organised for the rubber coracle to be floated towards the seaplane with a line attached to retrieve it. With the minimum of fuss the two airmen stepped into the small boat and assisted the sailors in hauling it alongside E9. Richard met them on the casing.

  ‘Good afternoon, Captain. Thank you for picking us up. I am Flight Commander Edward Adams and allow me to introduce my observer, Lieutenant Erskine Childers. We’re awfully pleased to see you.’

  Adams reminded Richard of his brother Paul, another member of the RNAS. Adams did not appear much older, despite the difference in rank.

  ‘Lieutenant Commander Richard Miller. Pleased to meet you both. You’re not by any chance an author are you, Childers?’ he asked.