Poem ~ A Captain's Mutiny - Saturday, 6 January 1917 - Wednesday 10 January 1917

Impression sketch of Captain Stayman attcking Gunner Gifford by Jamie

With two days to 1916's close,

A Saturday’s magistrate’s court

Took place in Plymouth - Captain

Of a merchant ship was charged,

For grievous bodily harm and

Attempted murder of a crewman.

The merchant ship, Ciaverley,

In November and December

1916, had been on a trading

Tour from Asian city, Rangoon -

For defence the boat equipped

By a naval gun and gunners.

An initial event took place

On Thursday November 30th,

During maneuvering between

Other vessels - Captain Stayman

On the bridge of the Ciaverley

Gave an order to the helmsman.

Yet Chief Officer, John Edward

Jackson, stepped forward and

Countermanded the given order;

To turn about in order to avoid

Colliding with another vessel.

Result; Captain Stayman fumed.

By refusal to listen to reason,

Chief officer Jackson was then

Viciously attacked by the fists

Of the drunk Captain - this act

Being witnessed by the crew;

Stayman's frequent behaviour.

On Friday December 8 1916,

Captain Stayman was again

Very drunk, while they sailed

Across the Mediterranean sea -

Then at a distance, within range

Of their guns was seen a ship.

Captain Stayman was informed

That this vessel was a hospital

Ship - despite this fact he gave

Instructions to the gunner to fire

On the vessel, which sailed in

Range of their defensive guns.

Amid the Royal Naval Reserve

Gunner John Lloyd Gifford

Refused; he stated that the boat

Was not an enemy but hospital

Ship. Stayman said 'I don't give

A damn. Open fire on that boat.'

Reply; 'I will not open fire on

That hospital ship.' Gunner

Gifford turned to the other

Crew who he defied to try

And touch any gunnery -

The incident then passed.

Having not been forgotten

By Captain Stayman, time

Passed until the Boxing Day.

Stayman confronted gunner

Gifford, whom he then asked

If he would report his order.

Would he tell authorities,

That he had ordered Gifford

To fire on the hospital ship?

The 33-year-old Seaman

Said nothing; he turned away

Suggesting that he would.

Stayman had brooded all

Day - both stood on deck.

When Gifford turned about

Walk aft, Stayman launched

At him - fuelled by drink

The captain siezed him.

They struggled and Gifford

Was pushed against the rail.

Stayman was ready to send

Him overboard, as ship lurched

Starboard - Gifford broke free

And ran, hiding on the boat.

Captain Stayman did not

Give in so easily - convinced

The gunner would inform

Authorities of his intent to

Destroy a hospital ship,

He searched high and low,

Until he found the man.

Stayman rushed at Gifford,

Grabbing him with damned

Threats of murder - other

Crew members restrained the

Captain - the strongest had

To lock him up in his cabin.

With hands handcuffed

Behind his back, Stayman

Declared the crew's mutiny -

The Captain was locked away

To be fed via a porthole, while

Ciaverley continued passage.

With the Plymouth magistrates

Hearing the story of witnesses

To number nine crew, who said

Stayman had been frequently

And dangerously drunk - they

All decided to put him in irons.

Gifford confirmed Stayman was

Drunk, when ordering to fire at the

Hospital ship - Captain Stayman

Declared 'not guilty' - with all bail
Withheld, he was charged under 
Defence of realm's naval authority.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1917. Sea Captain Charged. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 01 January 1917. P.5. Col.5. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214057/Daily-Telegraph-January-1-1917.html> [Accessed: 06 January 2017].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 06 January 2017). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214057/Daily-Telegraph-January-1-1917.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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Poem ~ Sinking of the Tangistan - Wednesday, 10 March 1915

Sketch of emblem for the Strick Lines, found on wreck of Tangistan.

See original image at http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?65686 SS  Tangistan [+1915]

 

Sketch of the Tangistan by Jame. See original image at http://www.archeosousmarine.net/bdd/fichetech.php?id=15004

Tangistan, of London registration,

In Strick Line trade of Mediterranean,

Was a cargo ship built 1906 - this

Boat made its way Monday 8 March,

From Benisaf, the Mediterranean

Port of northwest Algeria -

Conveying a cargo of iron ore,

From mines, south of that town.

The voyage proceeded as many

Other times - sighting no mines

Or enemy vessels  - the master,

Mercantile Mariner David Edmunds

With the crew of 39, approached

Their destination of Middlesborough.

Darkness was advancing and with

The hour too early to meet a tide,

The Tangistan reduced speed

To sit, ready for an early arrival

In port - The tired crew settled for

The night - seven seaman, four

Engineers, the boatswain, three

Mates a carpenter, and Captain

Edmunds along with Arab

Passengers from Aden, Yemen.

The Tangistan, at point between

Whitby and Flamborough Head,

Was hit - without any warning

Came a rumble from amidships

The boat trembled from end to end

As an explosion ripped through  -

The midnight hour stuck

As if in alarm, as all lights went out.

Able Seaman James O'Toole

Rushed on deck with the crew

To find Tangistan was rapidly

Sinking  - the Captain from

The bridge shouted for boats

To be lowered - The Tangistan

Would be abandoned - on even

Keel almost silently the Tangistan

Sank, as lifeboats still attached

Started to hit the water.

Amid the action Able Seaman

O'Toole dived into the sea.

Amid the explosion

Debris had been blown

Onto the water - finding a spar

He clung to this, to see

The funnel and masts

Of the Tangistan

As it quickly floated down.

The damage too great to allow

the crew to get quickly clear -

He saw lifeboats possibly still

Attached, or two close,

Also pulled down.

Now in the cold sea, James

O'Toole heard shouts and cries

Of fellow crew, as some of them

Surfaced. In the darkness

It was hopeless and soon

Those cries faded away.

Holding onto the spar to

Fight a numbing cold he heard

Other voices and saw shapes.

Four of the Arab passengers

Had a hold of broken wood, but

Slowly their voices also faded

As O'Toole held on.

Unaware of the silent sinking

Other ships came close by

The survivor on the spar

Shouted out, but his voice

Went unheard - twice, more

Shapes appeared he renewed

Hope trying to get their

Attention - two hours passed

And exhaustion filled him.

Then the SS Woodville heard

His faint cry and hurried

To pick up the sole survivor

Of the stricken Tangistan

On his safe return to Hartlepool

O'Tool told of the Tangistan loss.

The explosions origin stayed

Disputed, with a German claim

U12 had targeted the vessel,

This remained the belief

But that U-boat attack was

Likely to have been on

The Aberdon and that Tangistan

Had in fact hit a mine laid

In water by the cruiser Kolberg.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Loss of the Tangistan. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 10 Mar. P.9. Col.5. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11452883/Daily-Telegraph-March-10-1915.html[Accessed: 10 March 2015].

Source.,1915. Tuesday 9 March, North Sea, [online] Available at: http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishBVLSMN1501.htm [Accessed: 10 March 2015].

Source.,1915. Master Mariner David EDMUNDS. [online] Available at: http://www.masonicgreatwarproject.org.uk/writeup.php?string=944[Accessed: 10 March 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 10 March 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11034515/Daily-Telegraph-Janauary-1-1915.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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