H.M.S. Excellent (Gunnery Training School)
H.M.S. Excellent, also known as Portsmouth Gunnery School or Whale Island was the British Royal Navy's main gunnery training establishment for most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
History
The foundation of a gunnery school in the Royal Navy has been attributed to Sir John Bechell and Captain William L. Bowles who had deplored the poor standard of gunnery which could be found after the War of 1812.[1] In 1830 Commander George Smith, having suggested the creation of a gunnery establishment, was directed by Admiral Sir George Cockburn to find a spot in Portsmouth Harbour where a ship could be moored and fire without inconvenience. Sir Byam Martin, Controller of the Navy, gave Smith permission to choose whatever old ship he needed for the purpose. The ship he chose was the Excellent which was already moored in the site desired by Smith. He was then appointed to the Excellent, in Cockburn's words, "for the purpose of establishing and carrying into effect a system of gunnery, for the instruction and information of the naval service in that branch of their duty."[2] In 1832 Captain Thomas Hastings succeeded Smith and remained in command until 1845, when he was succeeded by Captain Henry Ducie Chads.[3] The Excellent, formerly Collingwood's ship at St. Vincent, was broken up in 1834 and replaced by the Boyne, which was in turn replaced by the Queen Charlotte in 1859, both ships being renamed Excellent.[4]
First World War
Upon mobilisation in August, 1914, the Gunnery Schools were cleared, it being thought that they wouldn't be necessary in time of war.
| Numbers trained by Excellent August, 1914 - August, 1918 | |
|---|---|
| Lieuts. (G) | 41 |
| Officers R.N. for T.B.D.'s | 99 |
| Other commissioned officers R.N. | 203 |
| R.N.A.S. officers | 382 |
| R.N.V.R. officers | 339 |
| R.N.R. officers | 2526 |
| Gunners | 168 |
| Gunners (T) | 186 |
| Gunners | 14 |
| Boatswains | 36 |
| Gunner's Mates | 623 |
| Gunlayer I. | 410 |
| Gunlayer II. | 2,171 |
| Gunlayer III. | 404 |
| P.O. (G) | 460 |
| Seaman Gunners | 5,343 |
| Rangetakers | 296 |
| Lieut. (G)'s Writers | 42 |
| Divers—Seamen | 350 |
| Divers—Artisan | 130 |
| A.B. | 572 |
| D.A.M.S. Gunlayers D.A.M.S. 2nd Hands |
10,237 |
| Trawler Ratings | 876 |
| D.F.C. | 605 |
| Ratings for Motor Boats | 874 |
| Ratings for Tank Corps | 1,958 |
| Ratings for Machine Guns | 63 |
| Ratings for Air Service | 203 |
| Motor Mechanics | 520 |
| R.N.V.R. Seamen | 627 |
| R.N.R. Seamen | 1,931 |
| New Ships' Companies | 5,672 |
| E.R.A.s | 346 |
| Marine Recruits | 1,086 |
| Warrant Armourers | 26 |
| Chief Armourers | 8 |
| Armourers | 12 |
| Armourer's Mates | 33 |
| Armourer's Crew | 421 |
| Miscellaneous Officers and Men | 1,760 |
Commanding Officers
Dates of appointment given:
- Commander Geoffrey Smith, June, 1830.[5]
- Captain Sir Thomas Hastings, April, 1832.[5]
- Captain Henry D. Chads, 28 August, 1845.[6]
- Captain Sir Thomas Maitland, 17 January, 1854.[7]
- Captain Richard S. Hewlett, 29 June, 1857.[8]
- Captain Astley Cooper Key, 30 June, 1863.[9]
- Captain Arthur W. A. Hood, 3 September, 1866.[10]
- Captain Henry Boys, 13 July, 1869.[11]
- Captain Thomas Brandreth, 18 May, 1874.[12]
- Captain F. A. Herbert, 1 January, 1877.[13]
- Captain John O. Hopkins, 4 March, 1880.[14]
- Captain W. Codrington, 21 June, 1881.[15]
- Captain John A. Fisher, 6 April, 1883.[16]
- Captain Compton E. Domvile, 1 November, 1886.[17][16]
- Captain Hugo L. Pearson, 12 June, 1890.[18]
- Captain Lewis A. Beaumont, 12 June, 1893.[19]
- Captain Archibald L. Douglas, 3 July, 1894.[20]
- Captain Edmund F. Jeffreys, 9 November, 1895.[21]
- Captain William H. May, 10 August, 1897.[22]
- Captain Arthur Barrow, 20 January, 1901.[23]
- Captain Percy M. Scott, 1 April, 1903.[24]
- Captain Frederick T. Hamilton, 24 February, 1905.[25]
- Captain Reginald G. O. Tupper, 15 July, 1907.[26]
- Captain Frederick C. T. Tudor, 16 August, 1910.[27]
- Captain Morgan Singer, 1 June, 1912.[28]
- Captain Cole C. Fowler, 19 August, 1914.[29]
- Captain H. Ralph Crooke, 23 March, 1917.[30]
- Captain Robert N. Bax, 13 June, 1918.[31]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Lloyd. The Origins of H.M.S. Excellent. pp. 194-195.
- ↑ "Naval Gunnery" (News). The Times. Friday, 20 August, 1841. Issue 17754, col F, pg. 3.
- ↑ Clowes. History of the Royal Navy. VI. p. 203.
- ↑ Lloyd. The Origins of H.M.S. Excellent. p. 196.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Young. The House that Jack Built. p. 161.
- ↑ Navy List (June, 1847). p. 16.
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1856). p. 150.
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1858). p. 153.
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1864). p. 185.
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1868). p. 193.
- ↑ Navy List (September, 1870). p. 46.
- ↑ Navy List (June, 1875). p. 144.
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1878). p. 210.
- ↑ Navy List (June, 1880). p. 210.
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1881). p. 210.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Fisher Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/15. p. 9.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Friday, 15 October, 1886. Issue 31891, col E, pg. 6.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 4 June, 1890. Issue 33029, col E, pg. 10.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 13 June, 1893. Issue 33976, col E, pg. 10.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 13 June, 1894. Issue 34289, col G, pg. 11.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 9 November, 1895. Issue 34730, col E, pg. 10.
- ↑ May Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. p. 860.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 29 December, 1900. Issue 36338, col C, pg. 9.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 26 February, 1903. Issue 37014, col C, pg. 5.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 31 January, 1905. Issue 37618, col E, pg. 6.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 10 June, 1907. Issue 38355, col B, pg. 6.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 21 July, 1910. Issue 39330, col E, pg. 4.
- ↑ "New Director of Naval Ordnance" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 21 March, 1912. Issue 39904, col F, pg. 4.
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1914). p. 314.
- ↑ Navy List (November, 1917). p. 393r.
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1918). p. 791.
Bibliography
- Lloyd, Christopher (1955). "The Origins of H.M.S. Excellent". The Mariner's Mirror 41 (3): pp. 193-197.
- Template:BibYoungJack
