The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-01 00:00:00

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PRICE 4D. STAMPED, 5D

THE CHANNEL FLEET IN TILE GALE.

(FROM AN EYE-WITNESS.)

As the Channel Fleet has experienced one of the
heaviest gales that have visited our coasts for many
years, a short description of this revolving storm
and of the wellbeing and doings of the fleet may
not be uninteresting. The ships that comprised the
squadron, under Rear-Admiral George Elliot, were
the Hero, Captain Seymour, bearing the Admiral's
flag ; the Trafalgar, Captain Fanshawe ; the Done-
gal, Captain Glanville; the Algiers, Capt. O'Calla-
ghan ; the Aboukir, Capt. Sehomberg ; the Mersey,
Captain Caldwell; the Emerald; and the Melpo-
mene, Capt. Evart. The ships remained in Queens-
stown a week. On Saturday the Admiral received
his orders to proceed with the fleet to sea. The har-
bour was filled with shipping, a fresh north wind
blowing. The signal was made about 9 a.m., "Up
propellers," shortly followed by " Weigh ; outward
and leewardmost ships first." This was immediately
obeyed; the Algiers ledottipmuondeen under all
Emerald,
ll sail, followed
3ie
lowerd-
closely by the Aboukir, .Arer
sey, Trafalgar, and Hero ; the Donegal remained in
port in consequence of the illness of her captain.
The ships sailed out in beautiful style, threading
their way through a quantity of shipping. Nothing
occurred at sea worthy of note until Monday morn-
ing. On that day the winds were light. The fleet
was formed in line of battle, targets were laid out,
and the whole forenoon was devoted to gunnery
practice. The practice was extremely good, notwith-
standing a good deal of rolling motion. On that
afternoon several heavy stems of hail and sleet
came from the N.W., and continued during the
night, with very variable winds. After quarters at
sunset the topsails were double-reefed, and courses
reefed for the night. Variable winds still prevailed.
Land was seen about the Land's-end and the Lizard
lights sighted at about daylight, 6.30 a.m. The
weather set in very dirty at S.E., with increasing
winds and heavy rain. The third reefs were taken
in the topsails about 9 a.m , and shortly after
topgallant.yards sent on deck ; topgallant-
masts struck by signal ; and also a signal,
" Admiral will endeavour to go to Plymouth,"
" Form two columns ; form the line of battle.'
About 10 a.m., signal, " Prepare to move with
bowers. Bend sheet cable." The wind increased to
a fury, with torrents of rain towards 11 a.m., with
v:ry thick weather, the wind heading the ships off,
so that it became very doubtful if the stcrnmost
ships could possibly get into the Sound, although
it was probable the Hero and the headmost ships
could get in. Admiral Elliot then, with the spirit
of a British Admiral, decided at once (although he
knew his exact position, having made the Eddy-
stone Lighthouse) to wear the fleet together and
stand off and face the gale. Although the leading
ships were in good positions to wear, it was not so
with those in rear of the line. The Aboukir had
just passed the Eddystone; the Trafalgar and Eme-
rald were still in the rear, the Trofalgar having
been detained to pick up a man who had fallen
overboard from the jibboom, which was executed
with great skill. The Aboukir immediately wore,
set her courses, and dashed to windward of the
lighthouse by carrying a press of sail, and
weathered it half a mile, followed closely by the
Mersey. The Algiers, Melpomene, and Trafalgar
passed it very closely to leeward, as the Hand
Deeps were under their lee. Added to these
difficulties there was a perfect fleet of trawlers,
vessels unmanageable while their trawl is tow-
ing, so that it required the greatest skill to
ovoid running them down. What must have been
the sight from the lighthouse—these leviathan
ships darting about like dolphins round it in the
fury of the storm, defying the elements, and the
little trawlers, with: their masts bending like reeds
to the gale! The signal was made to get up steam
to secure the safety of the ships. The ships then
got their canvas reduced and stood off the land,
The Mersey and Melpomene furled their sails, and
got up steam, the former stalwart ship moving
along liko an ocean giant. The gale still continued
until about 3 p.m., remaining very thick with rain.
About 3 it lifted, the wind fell, the sun shone; but
the sea remained towering up and breaking. The
barometer then stood at about 28.50 deg. The llero,
Trafalgar, Algiers, Aboukir, and Melpomene were
not far separated. Signal made, " Form the order
of sailing in two columns." This was partially exe-
cuted, when in a squall the wind shifted to N.W.
It then for some three hours blew a perfect hurri-
cane, considerably harder than it had previously
blown at S.E. The ships stood up well. The Hero,
dauntless as her name, appeared to take it easy.
The Aboukir, close to leeward of her, carried one
reef out of her maintopsail through the whole of it;
and the Algiers, Trafalgar, and Melpomene were
all doing well. The former eased up her topsail
sheets in the squalls. The Mersey and Emerald, it
is supposed, had steamed into Plymouth, as they
were not in sight. The ships kept in open order
through the night; they wore in succession by night
signal at about 1 a.m., made the land at daylight
near the Start Point, formed the line of battle by
signal, got the steam up, and carrying sail came up
Channel at about 11-knot speed, steamed into Port-
land, and took up their anchorage without the loss
of a sail, a spar, or a rope yarn.
This appears highly creditable to newly orga-
nised ships—some only a few months together, the
senior not. a year ; and I hope it will tend to show
that our mariners of England are not in that decay
that some old gentlemen in the House of Commons
are so glad to point out at all tunes and seasons. A
little quiet organisation—not a continual harassing
and worrying at shifting sails and spars and killing
men, but a fair exercise at guns, sails,
make our fleet a credit to the country and a safe-
guard to the nation.