The Voyage of the Dewey. (See Vol 32, No. 120.)
J. D. Wood, Late Sailing Master, Dry Dock Dewey
The voyage of the dry dock Dewey to the Philippine Islands has been the subject of several excellent newspaper and magazine articles, also official and unofficial reports, therefore, it seems barely possible that anything remains to be explained. However, judging from an article in the December number of the Proceedings by Lieut.-Commander Bennett, who was executive officer of the Glacier, a misapprehension appears to prevail which is unfair to the crew and the sailing master, and which I shall not attempt to defend with any other motive than that of showing the confidence in us was not misplaced and that the duty was faithfully performed, as results would seem to indicate.
It is generally admitted, even by Mr. Bennett, that work on board the dock was unique and difficult. This criticism was mortifying to those who had it to perform. I am speaking particularly of the two mates and twelve seamen. While at sea these men measured up to the fullest requirements, which was indeed trying and required physical force and skill which no Chinese crew, as has been suggested, could have accomplished. They were big Scandinavian sailors with plenty of brawn and brain and were frequently complimented by Commander H. H. Hosley, commanding the expedition, for their good work at sea.
It is true, as Mr. Bennett states, that in port the best of these men would get on an occasional drunk and overstay shore leave, as did the white crews of the Glacier and Potomac. This is nothing new in deepwater sailors, to obviate this trouble some ship masters discharge the whole crew, upon their arrival in port, and place watchmen on board. We hired men from shore to take their places, temporarily, for which the absentee's pay was docked sufficient to pay the substitute. This was about the greatest punishment that could be inflicted, except to place them in jail through the American Consul. This action the consul disapproved, stating that these men had been a long time at sea and such punishment would be unjust.
I wish to call particular attention to the fact that merchant seamen, as these were, cannot be dealt with as enlisted men of the regular Navy, and the man who tries to do so will soon find himself in serious legal complications.
Several of these men, at Las Palmas and Singapore, applied for their discharge, claiming excessive and laborious work as the reason, which was granted in a few cases for the good of the expedition and only when as good or better men could be secured to fill their places. The six additional seamen authorized at Las Palmas were indeed a great help. The Chinese crews of the Brutus and Caesar were very orderly in port for which they are to be commended, but they would not have suited to man the dock.
The towing gear broke and the dock was adrift six different times. This gear weighed several tons and the means of getting it was crude, especially when the sea was rough, which was always the case and was the cause of going adrift. It was gotten aboard and repaired by the crew of the dock. There were several thousand screw bolts in the connections which were continuously working loose, caused by the motion of the dock and required the services of four men constantly to keep them tight. This work could not be neglected as the least lost motion, or wiggling, would wear the holes bigger and the bolts smaller. Some of the horizontal connections showed signs of serious strain in the Atlantic Ocean and were reinforced by several fish plate connections by the crew of the dock which took it safely into Las Palmas. The preservation of the dock was no small item. The navigating, watching, and signalling was maintained at the highest standard. The whole voyage was replete with care, anxiety, and hope. The disadvantages, the heavy awkward work, the leisurely criticism voluntarily given, certainly made life unpleasant on the Dewey. Just here, I wish to state that I have probably handled more ships, towed more vessels and other craft under unfavorable conditions than all the other officers and men of the Dewey flotilla combined, notwithstanding their creditable experience. My experience covers nineteen years of the most difficult work known to the profession without mishap or accident. I offer this to Mr. Bennett as an apology for not being an ideal "forceful ship master." Should unkind critics prefer to credit my nineteen years' success to stupid luck rather than to good judgment, I have no serious objection.
The crew of 36 men were of an unusual combination and necessarily so by reason of the unusual undertaking. With a few exceptions they performed their work willingly and well. The Bureau of Navigation is to be congratulated upon the organization of the crew, anticipating every contingency that did arise with nothing surplus. It was the conceptions of master minds in the greatest undertaking of its kind the world has ever known. I refer to our splendid Navy and its ability with pride and enthusiasm. I am too full of hope and determination to be useful to be troubled about Mr. Bennett's opinion. If my services contributed a fractional part to the success of the Dewey expedition, I am perfectly willing that the credit should be divided up among my critics.
Referring to Commander H. H. Hosley, U. S. N., commanding the expedition, while he is not in need of any praise from me, I wish to state that to his cheerful energy, fair dealings, and excellent judgment, all credit and success is due. He kindly said in regard to my work in his official report to the Chief of Bureau of Navigation : " The sailing master of the dock had a unique and difficult position to fill which he successfully did under very trying circumstances."
[The original document that this has been transcribed from can be found here.]
No comments:
Post a Comment