The Sailor - Part 2

French gunners drilling and training with their 100 mm (3.9 inch) "quick firing" gun, pause here for this photo in 1911. The second sailor from the left holds a round removed from its casing to demonstrate its size.

Without a gun,

the ship is a slave

and her crew,

less than slaves,

becomes Prisoners o' War...

The lesson is sharp...

The lesson is unforgiving...

sir...

Love your ship's guns

or die...

And sailors all love living...

and so they love their gun...

Dutch Seamen at drill, "Running the Line" to bring up from below gun rounds, in the event that the heavy mechanical lift fails or becomes destroyed in combat...

At all cost, all cost... the guns must be kept firing.

No gun can ever

be allowed to sleep

sir...

Always awake...

Always ready...

The gun is life

itself...

It must always always

sir...

be ready...

On every ship

at sea...

Every man...

sir..

the cook...

the Captain...

the ship's boy...

must know

mind you,

how to

man the gun...

It is the only piece

of stationary

equipment...

that every man

will know

at sea...

HMS Curacoa - 1917

The Petty Officer in charge is the ship's Gunner's Mate

At your gun

you will drill...

sir

You will drill

and you will train...

in the dark of night...

in the beating

of the rain...

and upon the deep

and angry rolling waves...

sir...

you will drill

and train

and train

and train...

oh God!

HMS Firefly - 1876

An 8 inch (203 mm) gun is cleaned. The track plates that the gun's heavy rollers roll on to swing it in a circle have been taken up off the deck to also be cleaned.

During combat, the gun was turned on its rollers by block and tackle fastened to the iron rings on the gunwale at the right. The sailor at the fore has his hand on one of the gun's rollers.

You will work

with the gun...

You will sleep

with the gun...

You will live

with the gun...

and you will know

something about all the

ship's weaponry...

Sir!

Receiving cordite charges on board a German cruiser.

September 1916

Just four months after being involved in the Battle of Jutland

All hands will know

something

about all the ship's

weaponry...

HMS Sheffield - September 1940

Torpedo maintenance.

Because....

when the battle alarm

sounds...

and all hands

are called

to battle stations...

The great ship

turns from being a home

into being

a great

and fearful weapon...

HMS Resolution - Torpedo room.

This is Britain's first Polaris missle nuclear submarine. The circular hatches (5 seen here) are torpedo firing tubes.

And that weapon yields

great killing power

upon the sea...

Every gun is

priceless...

Every gun must

be kept

firing

sir...

at all cost... at all cost...

Quadruple 40mm anti-aircraft - US Navy firing in actual combat against a Japanese Kamikaze attack from the air.

Notice the concentration of these men upon their guns while ignoring the fact that several bomb loaded Japanese aircraft are coming straight at them, determine to crash and kill everyone.

If one gun stopps

or is slowed...

If one man

is not focused

on

his gun....

If the gun

fails...

then you are

sir...

at the mercy

of your

hungry enemy...

at the mercy

of the

hungry sea...

and sir...

I cannot even begin

to describe such a hell...

Austrian Dreadnought Viribus Unitis

going under in freezing ice water.

The dark line floating out from the ship

are men's heads.

When the guns stop

sir...

You are

as good as

dead...

This is why

at all cost...

the guns must be kept firing...

sir..

The End

of part two

of three

Parts

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