The Hampshire Family Historian | Vol.49 No.1 | June 2022

Member’s article

under sail in 1898

HMS Voltage, launched in 1869, here with her funnel up

Richard Gordon as a young seaman

and as he could not decipher the name of Richard’s ship because of the splash of paint, he promptly placed him in the Commander’s Report. Next morning, he duly appeared as a defaulter before the Commander who awarded Richard six cuts with the cane. This punishment was inflicted by the Master-at Arms at the foot of the main mast where Richard, clad only in a pair of white duck trousers was made to bend over to receive the strokes of the cane. On reflection, Richard accepted the punishment as being fair for his careless use of the paint brush. From Jersey, the squadron proceeded towards Germany, making plain sail to the entrance of the Kiel Canal on the way to Kiel. In due course the squadron entered the Baltic and went on to Copenhagen. Here they carried out competitive sail drill between the four ships of the squadron and as befits the name, HMS

Champion came first. Diplomatic visits were also made as well as official recognitions. Then it was onward to Stockholm. As no sail was used because the ships were in enclosed waters, they bounded along at 10 to 12 knots. Near midnight Richard was startled by a severe ‘bump’. It was soon discovered that a medium sized barquentine laden with coal from one of the German ports and bound for Copenhagen had tried to cut in between the last two ships of the squadron. He caught the ship in which Richard was aboard some 30 to 40 feet from the bow. There was much confusion in the darkness until it was realised what had happened but it was evident that the small Danish vessel was severely damaged, her bows having been opened. The Commodore ordered standby to assist whilst the other ships of the squadron proceeded on

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