HMS Victorious Association Web Community

 Anyway back to really important things.
I have completed my re-reading of Patrick O'Brian's brilliant Master and Commander series of novels. He completed 20 volumes, and was part way through the 21st when he crossed the bar.
 
  Not being a great fan of most modern authors, I decided to have a look at C.S. Forester's Hornblower's series. I remembered reading his early book, "Mr Midshipman Hornblower", and found a rather battered copy in a charity shop. It is good. and on checking I found he had written ten volumes of the Hornblower series. The original books are not easy to find, but my better half has  found that a company is in the process of running a reprint edition, so that is me sorted for the lockdown.
  Patrick O'Brian crossed the bar in 2000,aged 85.  C.S. Forester left us in 1966 aged only 66.
 
     Both for me brilliant authors ! but they really should have started their story lines much earlier, and written lots more books.

   LATEST FROM THE NORTH EUSTON HOTEL. HOTEL HAS HAD TOCLOSE WITH LATEST LOCKDOWN. STAFF WERE IN READY TO PROVIDE CHRISTMAS DINNER WHEN THE SHUTTERS CAME DOWN.
       HAVE CONTACTED HOTEL TO ENSURE THEM OF OUR CONTINUED DETERMINATION TO HOLD A REUNION WITH THEM, AT THE EARLIEST SENSIBLE DATE

   I am investigating the possibility of having a Trafalgar dinner on first evening, Reunion second evening, and third evening a quieter celebration to mark the passing of the virus.

       Take Care out there.. stay safe.

 
 Well we are about to fall into Christmas!! the Virus is still swilling about, making old folks ill, and television not worth switching on.
    Brexit does get a mention occasionally, but now we have some smart new patrol boats, and a nice British vaccine, all we need to concentrate on
is ensuring that the hotel is working fully charged when we arrive for our reunion. I feel, we will be entitled to three days of celebrations, Post Virus, Post Christmas,
and a first time Summer Reunion.

       It will come to pass, as it was once said   "All things come to those who wait".
 No idea who said that, answers on a post Card .

   
   Stan Mclellan, was a member of the rope climbing and Window ladder display team in 1960.I was a "Swallow".
   
   I have some pictures of the training and the whole crew outside Earl's Court, and some snaps of member,(sixty plus men).
 

      I can be contacted on the Victorious web page, or by Googling HMS Victorious. or direct   stokerstan675@btinternet.com.

    Love to hear from anyone.
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 Would C.S.Forester write 11 Hornblower stories, based solely on one fighting captain? particularly a captain who for much of his heroic Royal naval service possessed only one leg. Not too likely.
In fact its probably that when Forester, wrote his first Hornblower book, he commenced with his hero already past his youth. When he realised that he could write more with his Hornblower, he started with Hornblower the Midshipman, and went on through his semi fictional adventures, using some of Gordons actual battles and a good smattering of Thomas Cochranes, history.
 
 It is difficult today to appreciate the scope of tasks undertaken by ships and men fighting this war. The reality was that the Navy was fighting a world war, encompassing every ocean and sea lane.
on the globe. The Royal Navy was considered to be the most effect fighting force in the world at that time, and it played a major part in every aspect of the war against the dictatorship that Bonaparte
sought to impose. Wellington was not always a fan of some the "buccaneering "frigate captains, but he is said to have admitted at a Waterloo dinner many years after Waterloo, that if the Navy had not snatched General Moors retreating army off the beach at Corunna, England would never had an army to put into the war.
   Nelsons navy had a good bit further to sail for that rescue than they did for Dunkirk, but just as important, and they got there on time.

  Maxwell was aware of the potential fire power of the two new French frigates, but fully believed from past experience, that whilst the French would put up a gallant battle, they would be beaten by the much superior rate of fire that the English ships regularly achieved,(it had often been the case that Captains like Maxwell and Gordon had drilled their gun crews to the level of two shots to a decent French crews, one). Maxwell took the lead, aiming to engage the nearest enemy ship,( Pauline, captained by Commodore Montfort),he signalled HMS Unite to chase and engage the smaller French transport, that was making sail obviously having been signalled to run, and Gordon to follow in with his Active to engage the second French Frigate when able.
Maxwell in full sail was rapidly closing with the French ships, his plan was to overtake the first ship, and engage the second vessel, content that Gordon would take it. The French ships had still not broken their colours as Maxwell drew near he fired a shot at the enemy, which struck home and  sent splinters flying from its stern. The French ship  (Pomone) immediately ran up its flags and fired a brilliantly placed shot back at Maxwell's HMS Alcestis,  shattering her main topmast and bringing down a mass of sails and rigging, which hung dangerously over the starboard side. Whilst the tangle was being cut free, the ship lost way, and she found herself in danger of being sandwiched between two competent heavily armed French Frigates.
     Gordon, seeing the potentially fatal position Maxwell was facing, crammed on all sailed, and forced his Active between Maxwell and the Frenchman. Maxwell, and Gordon's gunners poured a relentless series of broadsides into the enemy, and slowly forced the enemy ship to break off and move away.  The action continued from 1100 hrs. through to 1505 often in virtually hand to hand battle. One enemy frigate sunk, one very valuably transport full of guns captured.

 
  Yes some good stuff here. But the USS Robin tale has grown from a quip to a myth. The suggested quip concerned the Vic arriving early in the states, and saying early birds got the worm, etc.
  I was unfortunate enough to respond to an email sent to our web, some years ago. The sender asked if we had any information about how the USS Robin came to be used to train British Sailors
in the tactical methods of fighting a sea war. I sent back a mild response explaining that the ship in question was never anything but HMS Victorious, never under American control, but there to offer support to the American navy who had recently lost most of its own carriers. MY friend responded with an offer of sending me pictures of young British sailors in America with white caps clearly marked as HMS Robin. I did explain that the chaps in naval caps were wearing black caps, and the tally showed  no name, simply HMS.in keeping with the whole British fleet.
  I had he advised me been misinformed, he had met people who had served on HMS Robin after the war. I assured him I had spoken to a good number of men who had been on the ship at this
period, and I had joined the ship in 1960., and she was Victorious. I ended our discourses when he claimed the Captain of USS Robin gave a radio talk about his time as Captain on the old Victorious, he could not remember the chaps name, but when I suggested it might have been John Wayne? he did not demure. I gave up, and decided that I would be more careful who I responded to in future.
I served for one torturous week on an American survey boat (I think in 1963)  When I was offered ice cream for  breakfast, I realised it would be a long week, and it was.

   
  Oh dear James, I worry about you at times.....what do you get up to ? are you still soldiering.

   The Victorious put quite a lot of money into the Arboretum, it was originally set up as a place for quiet contemplation. The Legion seem to have got their paws on the place now,
but Topsey Turner and Crash spend much time down there guarding our tree and bench from day trippers and yummy mummies and kids.