Friday, January 06, 2012

Fullbore Friday


I can't help myself; it is time again to revisit the crew of The Swan of the East; the SMS EMDEN.

Everyone should know the story of The Ayesha by Kapitänleutnant Hellmuth von Mücke;
Taking no one with me, I got into the steam launch and went out to the schooner to learn whether she was at all seaworthy. The captain and a single sailor were aboard her. Of the former I inquired casually whether he had any ammunition aboard, for I did not wish him to suspect the real purpose of my coming. He said there was none, and a brief inspection of the ship led me to believe that she was still seaworthy. Consequently I sent my officers and men aboard the "Ayesha" to get her into trim for sailing.

There was plenty to do on the little ship. All the sails and rigging had been taken down and stowed away, and had now to be put in place again.

When the Englishmen on the island realized that it was my intention to sail off in the schooner, they warned me with great earnestness against trusting ourselves to her, saying that the "Ayesha" was old and rotten, and could not stand a sea voyage. Furthermore, they informed me that an English man-of-war, the "Minotaur," and a Japanese cruiser were in the vicinity of the island, and that we would surely fall a prey to one of them. As my predecessor in command of the "Ayesha" was leaving her, he wished us Godspeed, and concluded with the comforting remark, "But the ship's bottom is worn through."
When, in spite of all these warnings, we remained firm in our purpose, and continued the work of getting the "Ayesha" ready for sea, the sporting side of the situation began to appeal to the Englishmen, and they almost ran their legs off in their eagerness to help us. Could it have been gratitude that impelled them to lend us their aid? It is a question I have never been able to answer to my satisfaction, although, to be sure, several of them did express a feeling of relief at the thought that now the fatiguing telegraph service with its many hours of overwork, and its lack of diversion, was a thing of the past. They showed us where the provisions and water were kept, and urgently advised us to take provisions from the one side, where they were new and fresh, rather than from the other, where they were stale. They fetched out cooking utensils, water, barrels of petroleum, old clothes, blankets, and the like, and themselves loaded them on trucks and brought them to us. From every side invitations to dinner poured down upon us; my men were supplied with pipes and tobacco; in short, the Englishmen did all they could to help us out.
Read it all; for free online - or buy the book.

13 comments:

ewok40k said...

and then there is last sailing corsair...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Seeadler_%28auxiliary_cruiser%29

FCC(SW) said...

And here all this time I thought "Ayesha" was a made-up name.  Way to bring DivThu to FuBoFri!

sid said...

How many people in a typical wardroom actually know how to sail today?

(thats if there is anybody in there and not off at a sexual harrasment symposium)

maogwai cat said...

<span><span>The Naval Academy grads usually have good offshore experience, and NROTC folks learn how to sail Lasers. Sailing used to be a big part of Navy Special Services/MWR where there were lessons and boats to sail for all ranks. I think NJYC (Jax) and maybe Navy Sailing at the Amphib Base Coronado may be the the last of the Navy Sailing off duty. Not sure if anything is happening at NOB or Everett.</span>  
 
Awesome story of Duty before self, though. That they traveled so far and endured so much to return to Germany. How easy it would have been to sail off on Ayesha to some cozy little island hideaway and wait out the war.</span>

LT Rusty said...

NROTC - at least the The Citadel from 1995-1999 - didn't do any sailing.  I was in the sailing club for the school, but that was on my own hook and had nothing to do with the NROTC unit.

maogwai cat said...

Noted. The NROTC at JU is big on sailing and so is Florida, FS and FAMU. They are regulars at the NAS Jax Mulberry Cove and I have been the committee boat on countless ROTC matches. Maybe the sailing is more of a regional thing. 

Still, seamnship and boat handling should be in the skill set. One never knows when they are going to have to step up and sail the old fashioned way.

sid said...

Back in The Day the NAS Pensacola sailing facility was a real out of the way place...

Not nearly as big as its grown now

There used to be just one wood pier that had room for some O'Day 16s and Flying Scots that could be rented. Then around '73 or so some more slips -10 or so-were added along the seawall by the old seaplane ramp above. And there were a few Sailfish that were kept on the little bit of beach that had built up by where the old railroad trestle used to be...

Well when the first woemen cme for fllight training it was a BIG deal.

I was there when a LCDR took the bunch of them sailing one day in a Flying Scot. So happens that was one of the days that a green sky squall line came thundering through. He came screaming into the bayou from the bay and headed downwind towards the pier as the gust front hit.

We all thought that this was the end of one of the better Flying Scots. Well, he turned that boat into the wind, hove it to, and backed it into the slip like it was nuthin in the torrential rain that had started on the tail of the 30 plus gust front.

Most impressive boat manuevering I've seen before or since...

C-dore 14 said...

Can't vouch for the program now, but in 2001 completion of a basic sailing course was required for commissioning in the NROTC program.  You could meet the requirement by taking a university course or by qualifying in the unit's Lasers (which not all units had).  At UW, the NROTC Alumni Association and the Seattle Yacht Club supported a "big boat" sailing program with two former Naval Academy 44s for interested Mids.  Lots of sailing around Puget Sound and, at least for the three years I was associated with the unit, several Mids would go back to USNA each year for their summer sail program.

Byron said...

The St. Johns in that spot is pretty good sailing..really wide river, one of the last "lakes" of the St. Johns River, stretches from the Fuller Warren bridge at the south end of downtown all the way to south of Green Cove Springs.

maogwai cat said...

That's where I learned to sail when I was on active duty!

sid said...

Dad taught me to sail at NAS Alameda (watching Mythbusters brings back memories!) on O'day 16s and Cal 21's. In Newport sailed the Rhodes 19s a few times. Basically lived at the sailing facility in P'cola (had the second Hobie in town)...

Sailed in at Navsta Charleston...The river was always a challenge for those tender little Mutineers.

 All that turned out to be a good foundation when working a moboard too....

sid said...

Oh yeah...dad kept a boat at NAS Jax...  While the river is wide there, its also (or was) slam full of crabtraps.

sid said...

Still, seamnship and boat handling should be in the skill set. One never knows when they are going to have to step up and sail the old fashioned way.

Not in today's Navy!!!!

Matters of skin color and crotch issues are much more important.

Wonder if the Howard's First Division could have ever thought of how to cope with this?