friend The Magazine of he Royal The National Museum of the Naval Museum and Royal Navy (Portsmouth) HMS Victory HMS Victory and the Friends SCUTTLEBUTT THE NAVAL HERITAGE AWARD WINNING MAGAZINE 1914 GRAND FLEET prepares for WAR Wr at sea Royal Navy The Cold Wr C-Cubed at Jutland in 2014 Hunter Killers Edition No48, Sring 201 £3.00 or by subscrition BBEE PARTPPAART OF TTHEHE FFAFAMILY...AMILLYYY.... ...WITH...WITH MEMBERSHIPMEMBERSHIP TO THETHE NATIONALNAATTIONAL MMUSEUMUSEUM OFOF THETHE ROYALROOYYAL NAVYNAAVVY ComingComing inin 22014,014, tthehe NationalNational MMuseumuseuum ofof thethe RoyalR ayo l NNavyva y willw li l launchlaunch itsits rstrst eeverrev membershipmembe ihsr p sschemecheme andand willw li l be offeringo fffering existingxe is nit g FFriendseir ends ofof thethe RoyalR ayo l NNavallava MuseumMuseum andand HMSHMS VictoryV tci ory a discountdiscount ooff 2 mmonthsont sh freeeerf membership!membe sre hip! FromorF m justjust £42£42 (discounted(discounted rate)rat )e membermemberss ofof tthehe NNationalational MMuseumuseum ooff tthehe RRoyaloyal NNavyavy wwillli l bbee eentitledtn it el d toto:: ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀ ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀฀฀฀฀฀ ฀฀ ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀ ฀฀฀ ฀฀ ฀฀฀฀ ฀฀฀฀ ฀฀฀฀ ToTo ndnd outout mmoreore oorr ttoo reregisteretsig r yyourour iinterest,etn re ,ts simplysimply ccontact:on tcatn : ฀฀ E:฀฀฀฀ T:฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ wwww.nmrn.org.uk/membershipww.nm ro.nr g.u /k membersh pi A charitable company registered in thethhe UKUK NoNo 1126283. friend The Magazine of Royal Naval The National Museum of the Museum and Royal Navy (Portsmouth) HMS Victory HMS Victory and the Friends SCUTTLEBUTT AW Edition No 48, Sring 210 £3.00 or by subscrition ISSN 2052-5451 postage additional cost CONTENTS Council of the Friends 6 The greatest assemblage of naval power ever witnessed in the history of the world Chairmans Report (Peter Wykeham-Martin) 7 The Grand Fleet on the eve of the Great War UPDATES: News from the National Museum of the Royal Navy (Graham Dobbin) 8 Reflections of the Chairman of the Trustees of the NMRN (Sir Jonathon Band GCB DL) 12 HMS Victory, Commanding Officers Report (Rod Strathern) 14 Steam Pinnace 199 - Progess Report (Martin Marks OBE) 16 REGULAR FEATURES: Series on Museum Figureheads (David Pulvertaft) 18 The Grand Fleet in art (Rick Cosby) 20 The Museum Models - HMS Collingwood (Mark Brady) 42 Naval Swords - The Red Earls sword (John McGrath) 63 Naval Medals (James Kemp) 69 HUNTER KILLERS Naval Museum HMS Victory & Friends Events 78 SPECIAL FEATURES: Secret submarine operations in the Cold war Strategic nuclear weapons in the Royal Navy The Anglo-German Naval Armament Race (Bernard Ireland) 22 WW1 commemoration project HMS Caroline (John Roberts) 28 War at sea - C-Cubed at Jutland (Admiral Richard Hill) 30 The Grand Fleet on the eve of the Great War (John Roberts) 36 Secret Diary of a senior naval officer in the Grand Fleet (Chris Howat) 38 Secret submarine operations - Cold War (Iain Ballantyne) 46 Royal Navy TODAY overview (John Roberts) 52 Royal Navy in Mesopotamia (David Gunn) 64 Continuing our history of British naval nuclear weapons – Strategic Part 2: (John Coker) 70 OUR ROYAL NAVY REGULAR ITEMS: “Welcome aboard!” (come & join us), benefits of membership 78 Book Reviews 82 Letters to the Editor 89 TODAY OVERVIEW The Grand Fleet in art Editor: John Roberts 01329 843427 ([email protected]) Design: MMCS dh.creative 07765 245533 Print: Stephens & George Group 01685 352042 Advertising:: SDB Marketing 01273 594455 www.royalnavalmuseum.org/support_friends.htm Photographs and images, courtesy of the National Museum of the Royal Navy (© Crown Copyright) unless otherwise stated *The term Scuttlebutt is nautical slang for the latest gossip and rumours; it derives from scurrilous chatter between sailors gathered round the water cask, Relections of the the equivalent, in modern terms to the office water cooler. Chairman of the trustees Commemoration project Cover picture: A contemporary picture of HMS Iron Duke leading the 1st & 2nd Battle Squadrons of the 199 Steam Pinnacle The Anglo-German naval race NMRN HMS Caroline Grand Fleet (taken from a periodic review published in the early years of the First World War) 4 Scuttlebutt | Spring 2014 Editon Spring 2014 Editon | Scuttlebutt 5 friend The Magazine of Royal Naval The National Museum of the Museum and Royal Navy (Portsmouth) HMS Victory HMS Victory and the Friends SCUTTLEBUTT From the Editor AW Scuttebutt is definitly gettng CHAIRMAN’S stonger and stonger. The next issue will be a THE COUNCIL OF THE FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL special commeratve editon REPORT NAVAL MUSEUM AND HMS VICTORY t mark te centnary of So where does all this leave the role of the time you read this. The plan is still to have ‘The Great War 1914-1918’. respective Friends’ organisations? The her afloat on trials in April – and we are still Patron: Admiral of the Fleet HRH The Prince of Wales analogy we have used is that of the National within budget! Her programme for this year KG, KT, OM, GCB, AK, QSO, ADC It is our aim t publish Scuttebutt Trust, which has a nationwide membership includes the Old Gaffers weekend in scheme, but its individual sites have Friends Yarmouth and the Southampton Boat Show. more frequenty wit a wealt of VICE PRESIDENTS who do everything from acting as guides to It will be marvellous to see her afloat and Admiral Sir Brian Brown KCB, CBE artcles, t support Royal Navy’s working on the site. In other words they Ivan and his team of volunteers have done provide the vital local support for their a magnificent job. 199 is still looking for Rear Admiral Richard Irwin CB Natonal Museum, HMS Victry and Commodore Peter Wykeham-Martin RN particular National Trust site and this is how volunteers for a second crew, so if you Lord Judd te Royal Navy, as well as stmulat n the last edition of Scuttlebutt, I we see our future support for the National are interested in some sea time please an intrest in our great naval heritge wrote that the Chairmen of the Museum. For many of us, the iconic contact Ivan. President: Vice Admiral Sir Michael Moore KBE, LVO Friends of the four major presence of the VICTORY and the Museum Chairman: Commodore Peter Wykeham-Martin Royal Navy Tell your friends about te magazine constituent Museums were in at Portsmouth are the reason we became A very encouraging piece of news has been Vice Chairman: Lieutenant Commander John Scivier Royal Navy I discussions with the NMRN to Friends, and this is exactly what we will the extraordinary increase in visitor numbers and encourage tem t buy a copy. Executive Secretary & Treasurer: Mr Roger Trise see how we could work with the continue to support. to the site over last year – a staggering We need your support we are a Honorary Secretary: Dr Campbell McMurray OBE Museum and their aspirations for a national 121% increase. Whilst it is easy to write off charity and rely solely on copy sales Membership scheme. I am delighted to be Fitting into this role is the exciting new much of this increase to the re-opened Mary and advertsing t survive. able to reassure you that we have reached a addition to Museum at Portsmouth is the Rose Museum, it illustrates the continuing MEMBERS OF COUNCIL pragmatic way forward, which will allow 20th and 21st Century Gallery, scheduled to high level of interest in what is on display Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Bates, Royal Navy each of us to retain our “independence” open in April. This will fill a vital gap in the within the Historic Dockyard site. Sadly the Mr David Baynes – Events Organiser & Volunteer Liaison whilst working in concert with the National Museum’s coverage and should prove to be MOD Broadsheet, which kept retired naval Lieutenant Commander Mark Brady, Royal Navy Museum. You will see in this edition an a fascinating attraction. The Museum is still personnel up to date with current naval Lieutenant Commander Clive Kidd, Royal Navy advert for the new Membership scheme for fund raising and approached the Friends for issues, has fallen victim to cuts and we are Mr Christopher Knox the National Museum. With the growth of support for the 12 minute film “All of One carrying some of the Broadsheet type the National Museum’s assets with the Company” that will be shown in the Gallery. material in this issue of Scuttlebutt with the Captain John Roberts MBE, Royal Navy CAN YOU HELP US? acquisition of HMS CAROLINE and other This film uses a mix of archive film and blessing of the naval PR organisation. I think Mr Ivan Steele – Steam Pinnace 199 Project The Council would like to encourage members of plans afoot, there is a real attraction to interviews from the Museum’s collection to it important that we continue to reflect both Mr Paul Woodman the Friends to become more involved in various becoming a Member with the opportunity produce in the Museum’s words “powerful present and past naval matters. This edition ways such as helping on Museum or Friends stands to visit the Museum’s various sites. An imagery from the Battle of Jutland to the of Scuttlebutt also includes planned events EX OFFICIO MEMBERS OF COUNCIL at special days and events to promote the museum added bonus is that as a Friend, you are Falklands”. Your Council was unanimous in for this year and I would particularly Commander John Bingeman, Royal Navy and the Friends. If you think you could help please entitled to a reduced Membership fee. voting to fund this project, using the money recommend the day at the RNLI HQ in – Society for Nautical Research contact us: [email protected] from the West Legacy which we considered Poole. Finally, we are not going to be left By working with the National Museum was an entirely appropriate use of the behind in commemorating the outbreak of Mr Graham Dobbin – Deputy Director General NMRN on the Membership scheme, we are able legacy in memory of Cdr John West DSC.