East India Squadron by Brian Withecombe

Author:Brian Withecombe [Withecombe, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brian Withecombe
Published: 2019-11-04T05:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

The work involved in getting the rockets and their tubes ashore took most of the rest of the day. Some of it was carried out during one of the frequent downpours they were experiencing, and the boxes the weapons were in were carefully encased in oilskin to prevent any water getting to them. Only when they were safely stowed away in a hold did Edward Courtenay, who had been placed in charge of the working party, relax.

When he had had the chance to speak with his father, he was pleased to hear that it appeared their steam-boat, Satyr, was due the following day. He had spent a lot of his free time when further up-river aboard the new invention and he, with a number of other young officers, realised this was going to be the way forward.

With steam, there was the ability to steer wherever it was required, without being dependant on the wind. Given no breakdowns, the Captain of such a vessel could also predict when he would be able to arrive at his destination. The caveat, as always, was the word ‘breakdowns’. If the engine failed for some reason, they had no sails on them to enable them to set them and at least continue their journey in the time-honoured fashion. However, Edward and those who shared his enthusiasm were not worried about such possibilities. They only saw how useful this invention was going to be to the future of the Royal Navy. He wondered if he would ever get the chance to serve in one.

The following morning, he had the forenoon watch when one of the look-outs saw it first. It was, for a change, a clear morning, although there was little doubt that the weather would change later on. At the moment, there were several downpours every day. At the moment, with a clear sky and a warm sun, the ship’s company had their clothing hung out to dry. It might make the ship look untidy, but in the eyes of Edward Courtenay and Harry Coles, it was a small enough thing they could do for the men below decks. That was not, however, the opinion of the ship’s Second-lieutenant, Howard Parsons, who had made it clear in the Wardroom that if he was the Senior, he would not allow it. Parsons was in fact three years older than Edward Courtenay, and he (Edward) had often wondered why the man had not been appointed First of a ship before now, a view not shared by Harry Coles because he did of course have the man’s report. However, it had not taken Edward long to find the reason why. He was lazy. He would not do something himself if he could get someone else to do it for him. Usually, it was one of the other, more junior, officers, such as the one who had just come up from the gunroom. A pleasant, if too easy-going lad, Parsons had pounced on him to run around after him. Parsons had been far from pleased when Edward had found out and put a stop to it.

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