Seven seas, nine lives : the valour of Captain A.W.F. Sutton, CBE, DSC and Bar, RN

252 Pages·2006·16.93 MB·English

by  Pike

Seven Seas, Nine Lives
Richard Pike
First published in Great Britain in 2006 by
Pen & Sword Maritime
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS

Copyright © Richard Pike, 2006
9781783409709

The right of Richard Pike to be identified as Author of this work has
been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission from the Publisher in writing.

Typeset in 10/12pt Palatino by
Phoenix Typesetting, Auldgirth, Dumfriesshire

Printed and bound in England by
CPI UK

The author is grateful for permission to quote from War in a Stringbag
by Charles Lamb and published by Cassell PLC, a division of
The Orion Publishing Group.
Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the imprints of Pen & Sword Aviation,
Pen & Sword Maritime, Pen & Sword Military, Wharncliffe Local History,
Pen & Sword Select, Pen & Sword Military Classics and Leo Cooper.

For a complete list of Pen & Sword titles please contact
PEN & SWORD BOOKS LIMITED
47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2AS, England
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
Dedication

For Sue, for Gill and Garth, to the
memory of our first grandchild, Lily,
so fleetingly embraced by her
parents, Liz and Alastair.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
PART ONE - Mutinous Fleet
CHAPTER ONE - Peer Pressures
CHAPTER TWO - Pier Pressures
CHAPTER THREE - Cruel Seas
CHAPTER FOUR - Return to HMS Repulse
CHAPTER FIVE - Wardroom Worries
CHAPTER SIX - Night of the Knives
CHAPTER SEVEN - Noises Off
CHAPTER EIGHT - Sea Sore
CHAPTER NINE - Mutiny
CHAPTER TEN - Resolutions
PART TWO - Spanish Interlude
CHAPTER ELEVEN - Spithead to Spain
CHAPTER TWELVE - Harbour Life
CHAPTER THIRTEEN - Discussions with a Midshipman
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Inspection Reflections
CHAPTER FIFTEEN - On Patrol
CHAPTER SIXTEEN - Basilisk’s Boarding Party
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - Cupid’s Cocktail Party
PART THREE - Italian Job
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - Maiden’s Prayers
CHAPTER NINETEEN - Goofers’ Gallery
CHAPTER TWENTY - Briefing
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - Supermarina, Rome
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - Ready Room Anxiety
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - Supermarina Scheming
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - Slow Slog
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - Supermarina Alert
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - Attack!
Index
PART ONE
Mutinous Fleet
CHAPTER ONE
Peer Pressures
INVERGORDON, SCOTLAND, MONDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 1931

The midshipman glances at the picket boat’s bow wave and frowns. He stares at
the froth and fury of spray as the waters of the Cromarty Firth are thrust aside.
He frowns again when he senses a shift in the accustomed rhythm of the boat’s
motion; the vessel lurches and groans as the sea slaps against the hull. He
concludes, however, that the trouble is probably illusory, just a figment of his
imagination. Normally thrilled by the sights and sounds of the seagoing life,
Midshipman Alan William Frank Sutton is unhappy at present, unable to forget
the immediacy of his invidious position. He gulps the sea air and shivers; he
draws the protective layers of his navy-issue coat closer to his neck. In the
distance beyond Invergordon, the early-evening light barely allows him to make
out the line of high ground, although from time to time he can glimpse the hills
of Easter Ross which, he thinks, look as uninviting as the Cromarty waters they
overlook.
Midshipman Sutton knows that he must be strong-minded. Signs of weakness
could lead to serious trouble; his personal doubts must be kept to himself. He has
decided that his best course will be to display an air of quiet confidence – one of
firm authority. He will make it understood that any acts of indiscipline, however
minor, will not be tolerated. The matter, though, is not easy for a young man of
just nineteen years, even one with a natural sense of leadership. This is, after all,
his first posting with the Royal Navy. He is about to confront – be forced to
confront – a situation which is hardly textbook for a new officer straight from his
year of training as a special entry cadet at HMS Erebus, Devonport.
He glances once more at the bow wave. The gossamer lure of the sea seems
surreal; the waters glisten and chatter as if in conversation with the gulls. He
raises his eyes. For a moment he gazes at the gulls. He ponders about them, what
curious creatures they are. He sees one of them dive towards the brass-funnelled