Iron Ships, Iron Men

by Christopher Nicole

  Thus everything depended on just how condemnatory of his action Ned Purves was now prepared to be.

  ‘My reaction was one of concern, sir,’ Purves said carefully, leaning forward in his chair. ‘We possessed no chart of the waters inside the reef, nor indeed of the reef itself. In addition the weather was deteriorating. It seemed to me to be a most hazardous enterprise.’

  ‘Did you indicate your opinion to Lieutenant Bascom?’

  ‘I did, sir. My protest is entered in the Log of theSplendid.’

  Lieutenant Anderson nodded, and glanced at the somewhat bedraggled Log Book, which lay on the table before the judges. ‘As we have seen. What was Lieutenant Bascom’s reply to your protest?’

  ‘He ignored it, sir.’

  ‘Did you feel it necessary to repeat your opinion, Mr Purves?’ asked Captain Renwick .

  ‘I did, sir. As we entered the shallows, and the leadsman called three fathoms, I begged Mr Bascom to reverse his course, and again drew his attention to the approaching gale. But he held on.’

  ‘But he held on,’ Anderson repeated. ‘In your professional opinion, Mr Purves, was he, by holding his course, hazarding his ship and the lives of all on board?’

  ‘In my considered opinion, sir, yes,’ Purves agreed.

  Rod sighed. But he had been senselessly optimistic to expect anything different. Purves was too interested in his own career.

  ‘Thank you, Lieutenant Purves,’ Anderson said, clearly well satisfied that he had all but proved his case; it was now up to Harry Lynch to produce evidence refuting Purves’ ‘professional’ opinion.

  ‘Lieutenant Lynch?’ Captain Renwick invited.

  Harry stood up. He was indeed a personal friend of Rod’s, and had insisted upon taking over the defence, although there had been more experienced advocates available. But no one could doubt his determination to do his best for his friend. ‘As I understand it, Mr Purves,’ Lynch said, ‘when Lieutenant Bascom took his ship through the reef and into the shallows he was in pursuit of a pirate.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Who had just sailed over the same ground?’

  ‘Yes, sir. But the pirate was a brigantine, with a very shallow draft.’

  ‘Just answer my questions, if you please, Mr Purves. And behind the pirate there had sailed, also in pursuit, the American schoonerMontgomery?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Purves was clearly concentrating on his answer to the question he knew was coming next.

  ‘So, Mr Bascom was taking his ship where two others had immediately preceded him?’

  ‘Yes, sir, but ...’

  This time Lynch would not allow the explanation. ‘I wish to ask you, Mr Purves, to give your professional opinion as to whether the schoonerMontgomerydrew more, or less, than theSplendid?’

  Purves hesitated. ‘I would find it difficult to give an opinion on that, sir,’ he ventured.

  ‘Oh, come now, Mr Purves. Was not theMontgomerylonger overall than theSplendid?’

  Another hesitation, but Purves knew it would be too dangerous to lie. ‘She appeared so, certainly.’

  ‘And her masts were higher? And she carried more canvas?’

  ‘That seemed to be the case, certainly.’

  ‘Therefore it would be a reasonable assumption that she drew more water.’

  ‘It would be a reasonable assumption,’ Purves conceded.

  ‘Thank you, Mr Purves,’ Lynch said. ‘I have no further questions, sir.’

  ‘You may stand down, Mr Purves,’ Captain Renwick invited, and glanced at the list in front of him, making a careful tick on the paper. ‘The Court calls Petty Officer Hope to the chair.’

  The door was opened, and Hope came in, much in awe of his surroundings, and obviously extremely nervous as he took the oath.

  ‘Now, Hope,’ Anderson said, ‘you were the engine room artificer in charge of the engine on board HMSSplendid when she stranded off Cuba last month. Am I correct?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘We have been told that the cause of the stranding was a failure of the engine. Would you agree with that?’

  ‘Yes, sir. But ...’ Hope hesitated.

  ‘Go on, Hope. We wish to hear why you consider the engine to have failed.’

  Hope drew a long breath, glanced at Rod, and then away again; his career was also at stake here. ‘She were being pushed too hard, sir,’ he said. ‘Just too hard.’

  ‘You mean the ship entered the shallows at full speed?’

  Like Purves, Hope dared not lie when there were so many witnesses to the truth. ‘No, sir. Speed was reduced to enter the shoal. But we had been going flat out for half an hour before then. And then, when we was inside the reef, Mr Bascom suddenly called for full power, all the power I had. Well, sir, I obeyed the deck, of course. But the ship was twisting this way and that, and it were too much for the valves. Too much, sir.’

  ‘Thus, in your professional opinion,’ Anderson prompted, ‘too much strain was put on the engine.’

  ‘That’s exactly it, sir. Too much strain.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr Hope. I have no further questions.’

  ‘Mr Lynch?’ invited Captain Renwick .

  ‘Mr Hope,’ Lynch said. ‘As I understand the case, an engine is added to a warship, such as HMSSplendid, to act as an auxiliary to her sails.’

  ‘That’s exactly it, sir,’ Hope agreed, relieved to be approached with apparent reason where he had expected downright hostility. ‘An auxiliary, that’s what she was.’

  ‘An auxiliary to be used when there was no wind, in order to approach the enemy, or especially in time of battle, when the sails could be furled and the ship manoeuvred without regard to the wind.’

  Hope began to perceive that he could have walked into a trap. ‘Well, sir ...’

  ‘Have you ever been in battle, Mr Hope?’

  ‘Oh, aye, sir. I was off Sevastopol, in ’54. I’ve been under fire.’

  ‘In a steam ship or under sail?’

  ‘I were in steam, sir. Oh, aye, in steam. That’s my trade,’ he pointed out. ‘Steam.’

  ‘Quite so. Now, I was also off Sevastopol in 1854, Mr Hope. As indeed was Lieutenant Bascom. As I recall it, being bombarded as we were by the Russian shore batteries, there was a great deal of manoeuvre being undertaken by the fleet.’

  ‘Well, sir ...’ Hope once again became aware of the abyss yawning at his feet.

  ‘There was twisting and turning,’ Lynch continued remorselessly, ‘speed being increased and then reduced, ships being hurled this way and that.’

  ‘Well, sir ...’

  ‘Because, was that, is that, not the whole, indeed, the sole, purpose of having an engine on board at all? To give the vessel resources of speed and manoeuvrability which are not practical in a sailing ship?’ Hope considered the point, and knew that he could not answer it, except to his own disadvantage. ‘I only work the engine, sir,’ he said defensively.

  ‘Indeed, that is your appointed position, Mr Hope,’ Lynch agreed. ‘But I would like to suggest to you that the most probable reason the engine on board HMSSplendid, designed to provide the power I have indicated, failed at a most critical moment was not because too much was being asked of it, but either because it was improperly handled at that moment, or because it had not been maintained properly beforehand.’

  ‘No, sir,’ Hope denied strenuously. ‘No, sir.’ He looked at the judges. ‘No, sir,’ he said a third time. ‘That engine were in good shape. My team will bear me out. She were asked to do too much.’

  Lynch also looked at the judges, but saw little indication in their expressions that they would allow him to pillory an officer of the lower deck to pursue his point. And he had no doubt that any member of Hope’s team he called, as every one would be involved in any criticism levelled at the engine room, would support his contention. ‘Thank you, Mr Hope,’ he said, getting all the meaning he could into his words.

  ‘You may stand down, Hope,’ Captain Renwick said. He looked at his l
ist, which was obviously completed, and then at Lieutenant Anderson.

  ‘That concludes the case for the prosecution, sir,’ Anderson said.

  Renwick nodded, relieved that it should have been so brief and succinct, and looked at Lynch. ‘Lieutenant Lynch,’ he said. ‘Would you care to address the court?’

  ‘Not immediately, sir.’ Lynch was on his feet. ‘I have a defence to present.’

  ‘Do you?’ Renwick looked surprised. ‘Indeed I do, sir. I have here a letter, a copy of which has been provided for the court, from Commander Harris, who is unfortunately unable to be with us today because of illness, which is a testimony to the professional skill and ability, as well as the integrity, of Lieutenant Bascom.’

  ‘Yes, yes.’ Renwick glanced at another sheet of paper on the table before the judges. ‘We have read, and noted, Commander Harris’s letter, Mr Lynch.’

  ‘I also have a witness, sir.’

  Captain Renwick raised his eyebrows, as he looked at his list. ‘A witness? We were not informed of this.’

  ‘For that I must apologise, sir, and ask the indulgence of the court. But the witness only arrived from overseas this morning, and until he did so I had no idea whether or not he was going to appear at all.’

  ‘I see. May we ask who this mysterious, and belated, witness is?’

  ‘Yes, sir. Lieutenant Jeremiah McGann, of the United States Navy.’

  Captain Renwick raised his eyebrows even higher. ‘AnAmerican naval officer?’

  ‘The commanding officer of the USSMontgomery, at the time of the stranding of theSplendid, sir.’

  ‘An American? Here? In Jamaica?’ Renwick was clearly scandalised, as were his fellow judges. But Renwick ’s dislike of Americans was well known.

  Not that Harry Lynch was going to allow himself to be deterred by that fact; unlike Rod Bascomb he had a considerable private income which allowed himself to take disapproving captains in his stride. ‘Lieutenant McGann, being at the scene of the incident, sir, has come especially to testify on behalf of Lieutenant Bascom.’

  Anderson was on his feet, scenting that he could score an important point. ‘I must protest, sir, most strongly. I do not recall a foreign officer ever being allowed to give evidence at a British court martial.’

  ‘Quite so. Dashed irregular,’ Renwick commented, and glanced at his fellows.

  Who were not quite so prejudiced. ‘I suppose, as he’s come all this way,’ one of them said.

  ‘An American?’ Renwick pointed out, in disgust.

  ‘I think he should be heard,’ said the third officer.

  Renwick squared his shoulders, accepting that he had been outvoted. ‘We will hear what your witness has to say, Mr Lynch,’ he announced, magnanimously.

  ‘Thank you, sir. I call Lieutenant Jeremiah McGann.’

  Anderson settled himself with some ruffling of papers, ostentatiously displeased, but knowing McGann would be regarded with hostility by the bench. And then, like everyone else in the room, he gazed in astonishment as the giant American entered the court, accompanied by a marine sergeant, and went up to the chair reserved for witnesses.

  Rod was the most amazed of all, as Lynch had not confided in him. Nor was he sure his friend had done the right thing; quite apart from his prejudices, Captain Renwick was clearly annoyed at the way he had been out-manoeuvred.

  Lieutenant McGann took the oath in a clear, strong voice, but of course there was no disguising the nasal twang, and Captain Renwick visibly winced.

  ‘Now, Lieutenant McGann,’ Lynch began. ‘Am I right in assuming that on May 17th last you were the commanding officer of the USSMontgomery?’

  ‘You are correct, sir,’ McGann agreed.

  ‘Will you tell the court what happened on that day, Mr McGann?’

  ‘Briefly,’ Renwick interjected.

  McGann inclined his head toward the bench with easy tolerance. ‘I was in pursuit of the pirate known as Juan Delmorde, under orders from the Navy Department to apprehend and sink the scoundrel. I had pursued him for three days from the Gulf of Mexico into the Caribbean, and we were both nearing the Cuban coast. I continued to give chase when he sought shelter in the shoals behind the Islands of the Garden of the Queen, and there unfortunately touched a coral head and holed my ship. I had just previously dismasted the pirate with a broadside, but while I was in difficulties, the scoundrel managed to escape. While I was disabled, HMSSplendid came to my assistance.’

  ‘Did you call onSplendid for assistance, Mr McGann?’

  ‘I did, sir. With a dragging anchor, rocks under my lee, and a deteriorating weather pattern, I felt I could lose my ship, and the lives of my men. I also wished to inform the captain ofSplendid that, if he wished, he could pursue the pirate within the reef and almost to the shore, as I had discovered a deep water passage.’

  ‘Did it occur to you, Lieutenant McGann, that you might be asking Lieutenant Bascom to endanger his ship, either in coming to your aid, or in pursuing the pirate, through the reef?’

  ‘No, sir, it did not. I had already ascertained thatSplendidpossessed steam power, and from her size and the cut of her rig I estimated that she drew several feet less thanMontgomery. I had no doubt that she could pass whereMontgomery had done, with more safety.’

  Lynch nodded. ‘Will you tell the court, Mr McGann, exactly what the USSMontgomery did draw?’

  ‘Sixteen feet, sir.’

  ‘Thank you. Now, sir, I must ask you, did you possess a detailed chart of the shoals?’

  ‘No, sir. I did not.’

  ‘So you followed the pirate through the reef into that passage?’

  ‘That is correct.’

  ‘Although you must have been fairly sure that he drew less thanMontgomery. Did you at any time consider that you might be hazarding your ship by following him?’

  ‘Well, sir,’ McGann commented, ‘I reckon the captain of any warship hazards his ship every time he goes into action. But warships are built for the express purpose of going into action.’

  ‘Quite,’ Lynch agreed. ‘Now, sir, you were so unfortunate as to touch a coral head, as you have said, and thus hole your ship. Have you been court martialled for that misfortune, which could have cost both the ship and the lives of your crew?’

  Rod pulled his nose. Harry Lynch might well be making a series of very valid points, but this was not a jury trial, and it was the height of tactlessness to suggest that the Americans might handle their affairs in a better manner than the British ... at least to three senior British officers.

  ‘No, sir,’ McGann said.

  ‘Do you consider that you hazarded your ship over and above the normal risks of taking her into action, Mr McGann?’

  ‘No, sir, I do not.’

  ‘Do you consider that Lieutenant Bascom hazarded his ship, in coming to your assistance?’

  ‘Lieutenant Bascom behaved as I would have expected an officer in the Royal Navy to behave, sir,’ McGann stated, very clearly. ‘As far as I could see, he handled his ship to perfection. It was sheer bad luck that his engine failed when it did.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr McGann. I have no further questions.’

  ‘Mr Anderson,’ Captain Renwick said. This was not an invitation to cross-examine; it was a command. He wanted this upstart Yankee sunk without trace.

  Anderson stood up. ‘Lieutenant McGann. Would I be right in supposing that is an Irish name?’

  ‘You would be correct, sir.’

  ‘So you are Irish, MrMcGann.’

  Anderson’s tone was triumphant. To prove McGann was Irish, and therefore an hereditary opponent of everything English, would go far to discredit his evidence.

  ‘No, sir. I am an American,’ the giant replied, again with easy tolerance.

  ‘But you were born in Ireland, and have recently emigrated, perhaps?’

  ‘I was born in Long Island, New York State, sir.’

  ‘However, your father ...’

  ‘So was my father, Captain Stephen McGann, and my gra
ndfather, Captain Tobias McGann.’

  Anderson stared at him from beneath arched eyebrows, uncertain whether he was being laughed at or not.

  ‘However, sir,’ McGann continued, ‘my great-grandfather, Captain Harry McGann, was born in Ireland, close to Waterford. And if you are inquiring why he left, why, sir, it was to escape being hanged by the British, to be sure.’

  Anderson looked at the judges, who looked back at him. Clearly he had to do better than this. He changed the subject. ‘Lieutenant McGann, you have stated that you took your ship into shoal waters in pursuit of the pirate Delmorde, and that you struck an uncharted reef. Now, Mr McGann, you may hold the opinion that you were not hazarding your ship, but the fact is that youdid strike an uncharted reef, as you were always liable to do in such circumstances, and that your ship was sufficiently damaged to require you to call for assistance. Would you not describe that as being in a hazardous situation?’

  ‘My ship was in danger, sir, that is correct. She would also have been in danger had the pirate managed, by a lucky shot, perhaps, to hit me on the waterline. I did call for assistance, sir, both for my ship and in dealing with the pirate, and Lieutenant Bascom, to his credit, in my opinion, responded without hesitation.’

  ‘Well, sir,’ Anderson said. ‘I am sure we are grateful for your opinion, and no doubt points of view differ between the navies of the United States and Great Britain. You say you have not been court martialled for your act, have not even been reprimanded ...’

  ‘I did not say that,’ McGann interrupted. Anderson raised his eyebrows, and began to smile. ‘I see. So youwere at least reprimanded for your action?’

  ‘No, sir,’ McGann said. ‘I was reprimanded for my lack of action, in not pursuing the pirate until I caught him, even with a hole in my hull.’