H.M.S. Vernon (Torpedo Training School)
History
In 1871 it was decided that Commander John Fisher would become Chief Torpedo Instructor at H.M.S. Excellent and educate officers in electricity and torpedoes.[1] In 1872 H.M.S. Vernon was selected to become the Royal Navy's torpedo training school as a tender to Excellent. Vernon was a fifty gun frigate designed by William Symonds which had been laid down in October, 1831 at Woolwich Royal Dockyard and launched on 1 May, 1832. She was described by Sir Charles Napier as the "most magnificent frigate ever built by any nation". She was hulked in March, 1863 and moved to Portsmouth for fitting out under the supervision of Fisher and was ready by the Spring of 1873.[2][3][4] In 1876 the Admiralty decided to separate Vernon from Excellent, and the former was commissioned in her own right on 26 April, 1876 under Captain William Arthur, with Arthur K. Wilson as Commander (Second-in-Command).[5]
In addition to instruction, research and testing of experimental devices were core activities which were published in a series of annual reports.
Captains
Dates of appointment given:
- Captain William Arthur, 26 April, 1876.[6]
- Captain William E. Gordon, 1 June, 1879.[7]
- Captain Albert H. Markham, 15 February, 1883.[8]
- Captain Samuel Long, 28 May, 1886.[9]
- Captain Arthur K. Wilson, 1 January, 1889.[10]
- Captain William H. Hall, 9 February, 1892.[11]
- Captain Baldwin W. Walker, 1 November, 1893.[12]
- Captain John Durnford, 12 November, 1895.[12]
- Captain Charles G. Robinson, 2 October, 1899.[12]
- Captain George Le C. Egerton, 10 February, 1902.[12]
- Captain Henry B. Jackson, 15 February, 1904.[12]
- Captain Charles J. Briggs, 24 December, 1904.[12]
- Captain Douglas A. Gamble, 10 May, 1907.[12]
- Captain Robert S. P. Hornby, 16 October, 1908.[12]
- Captain William C. M. Nicholson, 1 November, 1911.[12]
- Captain Frederick L. Field, 10 September, 1914.[12]
- Captain Henry L. d'E. Skipwith, 16 September, 1915.[12]
- Captain Frederick C. U. V. Wentworth, (Retired), 10 July, 1918.[13]
- Captain Arthur K. Waistell, 23 March, 1919.[14]
Numbers Trained
This data is generally contained in Section I of each edition of the Annual Report of the Torpedo School'. The editor who photographed copies only occasionally caught some numbers in the introductory remarks section.
| Number trained by Vernon in total | |
|---|---|
| 1910 | 2,368[15] |
| 1911 | 2,322[16] |
| 1912 | 2,801[17] |
At some time prior to 1918, a course in Torpedo Control was instituted.
| Men trained in Vernon in Torpedo Control | |
|---|---|
| 1918[18] | |
| Cdrs & Lt-Cdrs, RN | 4 |
| Lts, RN | 62 |
| Sub-Lts, RN, RAN & RCN | 287 |
| Mates, RN | 111 |
| Midshipmen, RN & RCN | 13 |
| officers, RNR & RANR | 94 |
| officers, RNVR | 20 |
| officers, RAF | 29 |
| officers, RM | 25 |
| Instructor Lts. | 13 |
| Warrant Schoolmasters | 50 |
| Total: | 708 |
Radio
In 1901, the school was noted as having or being slated to receive one Jackson, two Marconi and one "1 to 52" W/T set.[19]
Footnotes
- ↑ Mackay. Fisher of Kilverstone. p. 106.
- ↑ Sharp. Memoirs of the Life and Services of Rear-Admiral Sir William Symonds, Kt.. p. 135.
- ↑ Lyon; Winfield. The Sail & Steam Navy List. p. 104.
- ↑ Mackay. Fisher of Kilverstone. pp. 109-110.
- ↑ Mackay. Fisher of Kilverstone. p. 125.
- ↑ Navy List (March, 1879). p. 249.
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1881). p. 249.
- ↑ Navy List (September, 1885). p. 256.
- ↑ Navy List (March, 1887). p. 253.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Friday, 14 December, 1888. Issue 32569, col B, p. 10.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Friday, 5 February, 1892. Issue 33553, col E, p. 4.
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 Blond. Technology and Tradition. p. 167.
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1918). p. 926.
- ↑ Waistell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 344.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1911, p. iv
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1911, p. iv
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1912, p. iv
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1918, p. 227.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1901, p. 112
Bibliography
- Blond, A. J. L. (1993). Technology and Tradition: Wireless Telegraphy and the Royal Navy 1895-1920. Unpublished PhD Thesis. Lancaster: University of Lancaster.
