The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-09-23
INCIDENTS ON BOARD FARRA.
CUTS FLAGSHIP FRANKLIN.

CUTS FLAGSHIP FRANKLIN.
BY Rear Admiral j. C. Watson, Retired
In the year 1867 ! left the United
States frgatc Colorado, whore / had
made my home for the preceding two
years, with little regret, My feelings
would have been the reverse had IL
not been that my new orders read
to report to Admiral Farraguts flag
ship, at Cherbourg on July "A, 1867.
The same longing for the old quarters
affects both officers and men, pardg.
ularly after living aboard one bottom
for that length of time, and resembles
| homesickness more than any other
emotion that can name, but for the
, first time in my experience / welcomed
the transfer, for / was to bask in the
acquaintance of our great American
admiral and obey orders aboard the
Franklin. Capt. A. NJ. Pennock, after
ward commander-in-chief of the Pacific
fleet, was commanding officer of the
flagship.
1t was Captain Pennocks neglect
that caused our first mishap upon that
memorable voyage, and one of which
showed his disposition as against the
extreme amiability of Admiral Farra.
gut, the greatest of naval heroes.
We took a pilot on board while
standing off the coast of Denmark,
and he succeeded in grounding the
Franklin on the Danish shores. We
thought he was a government pilot;
he wore the blue coat and brass but
tons which we later discovered the
government pilot did not wear. How
ever, the bogus pilot belonged to the
revenue service, but had the captain
demanded his government certificate
then and there, this bit of the Frank
Inns history would not have been writ
! ten.
We steamed down toward Copen-
hagen under half-steam after the pilot
had set the course. We had two Eng
fish pilots aboard who knew the chan
mel thoroughly, and they grew anxious
! enough to suggest to the captain that
the new pilot was moving too near
land. The leadsman from time to time
called the depth from seven fathoms to
and a half six
Let him alone" Captain Pennock
shouted when the English pilots tried
to demonstrate.
Suddenly the man at the lead sang
out: And a half four" and quit
singing; the ship had come to stand
still, for her draft was twenty-six feet
Captain Pennock rushed eXcitedly
back and forth on the bridge, the
Englishmen shrugged their shoulders
and signals were soon notifying the
escorting fleet in her wake. Three
bells stopped her engines and backed
) her full-speed astern. Hawsers were
! made fast to drag her off the bank
with no result save to break one stout
hawser after another, for she still
gripped the ground. Then the order tC
- rock the ship" was given. All hands
starboard' followed by All hands tc
the port side" The stampede of zoe
men from port to starbOard only added
to the confusion, and still she stuck tc
the sand.
6pp1 ot inf 1g tp oil
attention to the FrankIins distress
4 Then other commands were on the
7 air: Set all square sails and brace
aback on the starboard braces" I'm
mediately the sails were sheetinq
home and the yards were going aloit
and backed on the starboard side. The
tide was ebbing rapidly else the
Franklin, aided by a light leading
breeze from the northeast, would
soon have been all ahoat All aboard
dreaded heavy gale and conjectures
were freely expressed about om
transfer of guns to the Nyborg shore
In the meantime the excitement was
so great that no one paid attention t.
the bogus pilot except the interpreter
who informed him that the 'Yank
would string him up in a jiffy if he
didn't get out He lost no time il
: getting away, and after waiting al
= insufferable length of time the gen
: uine government pilot came alongside
n and informed us that we would hav
high water in few hours. TIL