Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/61/1 - October 1916 - Part 4

12    31
in / water. The destroyers
were always chasing these
things & firing at them &
then turning round & finding
these ^foam on / other side & firing 
at that - We had battles
of Scapa Flow constantly-
constantly. The most
furious was the Battle of 
Jemima ville- That ws
down at Invergardon. There
is a bar there & the tide or
somebodys wake from along
this thing just like a
periscope & all / ships
started firing at it. The
fight was furious. The
destroyers turned out
& their torpedoes were all
ready - One of them was
 

12  32
about to attack when I
think she tumbled to the thing -
Anyway the order was given not
to fire. But The torpedo 
was in the tube - the
destroyer swung round
suddenly & the torpdeo swerve
was wrenched the torpedo
out of the tube! So in
addition to the shells which
were flying there was this
to pedo with its war bear
torpedo with its war head
on & nobody knew where
it was.
The losses in that fight
were a perambulator & a
baby- a shell hit the
perambulator clean out
of the nursemaids hands
at Jemimaville- I Ap
 

12  33
the perambulator & baby
vanished.
“But though it all
sounds very absurd
news it was not absurd
really- you couldnt
afford to take any charces
in those days. There was
no atternation but to fire
at any if you be 
if you had doubts.
There are no submarines 
about Scapa now, they
say. The south channel
(Pentland Firth I think)
has so swift a tide rip
that you cannot keep
a Submarine stable in
it. They are very unstable
things when submerged _
 

[[shorthand]]
12  34
- in a tide like that (wh
^sometimes runs up to 12 knots - the
fastest in / world - & only
slackers at the turn for
an hour or so- the Submarine
is as likely as not to 
turn over & sail upside 
down__ They have to come
to the surface & enter with
their superstructure or
canning tower awash- & I of
course we should soon
finish them now. You
cannot sow mines in
- the Pentland - those streaks
on / map mean the rip.
But that current is the xx
protection of Scapa
on this side.
We steamed in between
 

12   35
two islands - past low
green rolling grass lands
& cliffs undul  hillside
with plenty of the usual ^war huts
upon them, There painted
in the usual war patchwork
very like a Harlequin
small
The people in the story house
prim & frem houses
I dareray prim frm
people are exteaordinarily
well read, they said. Te
are suficiall prosperoas
Mminester
to make thei a sater
of 4400 a year. I shd think
he will patin for a risg
cn salary now for they have
discovered haw to charge
saclars Ed for wverytiin
rast sd when I fleet fust
II
 

36
o cave here. But perhap
the parson does one so
badly himself. For cn ire
ports the now conformed to
on shipboard are sent o of
to teir own m charche
ashore & the miniater
receives payment at the
rate of 4d per soul per
service. If the parties do
not turn up, or men
absout thenselves, form
representations are made
to be admiral authorities
some of tese miesters
tosking when the men
have not been pr
attending
servee.
We passed three nets
the first was war
 

37
19
chief
live
of gulls
wh saturon outiede it
I wondered how key. fot
this disciptive into 50
freethinking a chowd as
that of he average seagall
comnt

ws explained to
the fish
remain outside net
put are hir
after
fish
Iiside 1 first not
wh
ws held up by buays ws
a live of trawters or
drifters holding up a
second not inside
to
another
line of driflers
holding a third net. a
seaptane (perhaps a patrol
ondo
looking for submaumes)
 

facrty
38
1
flewalow over the sea
like a white bird
inside
we raunde the point
& there ws tho grand
fleet
They were quite I few
by ships & not many
ial oves. In the
bag to our left were
I think 12 big every warsheds
all battheships; & slppn
ont behind tem at far
endoffstretch of
water - aloser to1 shore
were four battleships
moving slowly. Your
destroyers were comn
besise
stowly out alast
The
us on our left.
four destroyers
quskend
 

19
39
Magie, Martial, Osory
I some the Mperhads
magnet)
2 frushed past
draging their crisp wake
like a fluttering lace Hinge.
They attered course several
times & I sappose they
fired t trpedoe with
Collision heads - Io a part
O1 daity practice, I fau
I don't think it wa arranged
specially for as tho it way
have been. The fleet has
not very much roon to
tit lives on
practice now
its barbours
the fleet
Outside, were
the
wasspitt & the hage new
cruises tis pulse. The Repalse
laid down as a bottlsti
c
oso wt Renoron) but at
 

o
 

the beguining of the wark
when the keel was oule
parth land the design be
alter & they had another
150 feet pat on to the
were turned into cruner
I believe their speed is
22 knots of the Repulse by
worked upto $127,000 HD
& is likely to get more.
The ship has to be a very ton
one (I think they said 900 ft
may have on 800) in order to
get her speed, & herefore here
is plenty of space for the mens
comfort to be carranged for
The have batts for te ships company
& reading room. The (shep is
forced drought
ventilated. 1
& the oir can be treated to
any oxtent they wish. Itwas