CHommel wrote:Fri Mar 25, 2011 1:02 pm
The entry into the war for the Merlin was never actually mentioned, but suddenly the ship began sailing at night without lights. The date in the Merlin's log happened to catch my eye because I had just finished reading "The Good Soldier" by Ford Madox Ford, and much is made of the date 4 August 1914 in that book, and subsequent anniversaries.
Tegwen wrote:Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:27 pm
The start of the war was well documented in Odin's log with preparations for war before the date (unspecified) and on the day the fact that GB was at war with Germany was recorded. Thereafter they started painting the ship grey, and recording darkening ship etc.
K
CHommel wrote:Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:32 pm
Painting the ship grey? Was this to camouflage the ship? What color was it before?
Tegwen wrote:Fri Mar 25, 2011 5:18 pm
I think it was exactly as camouflage. I suspect that all of the ships that were "modern" around the start of the war were already painted grey, but the old sloops like Odin etc were clearly either white or black with a smart white line, before the war. See the pictures in wikipeida.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmus_class_sloop
Odin's log has her crew starting to paint her grey on the day after war was declared and it took at least two days. They specifically recorded that they were painting her grey.
http://oldweather.s3.amazonaws.com/ADM_ ... -086_0.jpg
There was more painting after that which I assumed was also more painting grey, but the log didnt specify.
They were in Muscat at the announcement, on the 4th of August so I guess there must have been a ready supply of grey paint there. Presumably they werent carrying round enough grey paint to do the whole ship, just in case war was declared!!!
K
CHommel wrote:Fri Mar 25, 2011 6:14 pm
It's interesting to note the changes in the logs. When I first joined the Merlin, it was in 1920 or so, and the hands were always cleaning or painting the ship, and surveying.
Now I'm back in 1915, and the hands do no surveying, and generally are engaged in traveling around Owens LV, Nab, St Helens, and sometime over to the Isle of Wight and back again, day after day, patrolling the coast. Once in awhile, they practice signalling or do a little target practice, but it has become somewhat repetitious...
lizwizCYLS wrote:Sat Dec 24, 2011 5:04 pm
HMS Implacable 1914/08/04 log: 11.30 Received telegram from Admiralty stating "Hostilities have commenced against German Empire"
wow...really puts you in the moment typing those words!