<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> T H E B O S U N ' S C H R O N I C L E All the latest news/views for fans of Julian Stockwin ++ always sent in plain text: guarantees no virus/malware on your computer ++ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> February, 2010 It's our 100th issue! The first Bosun's Chronicle came out in May 2001 to celebrate the publication of Julian's debut novel, KYDD. Since then we've gone from strength to strength and now have over 4000 subscribers from all around the world. Do have a go at this month's contests - there's some terrific prizes... 1 DISPATCHES 2 BOOKSHELF 3 RULE, BRITANNIA 4 SALTY SAYINGS 5 CONTESTS 6 ASK JULIAN 7 FEATURE 8 SHIPMATES, AHOY! ==================== 1 DISPATCHES + STOCKWIN'S MARITIME MISCELLANY reprint Many Shipmates have told us they were delighted to find a copy of Julian's non-fiction offering in their Christmas stockings. The book is proving so popular that the presses are running hot again at Ebury. + Live like Kydd, Down Under! The Australian National Maritime Museum has announced its "Endeavour" sailing programme for 2010 - it's in April and there's something for everyone, from day sails, overnight Sydney Harbour trips to 5-day blue water voyages. This replica of Captain Cook's famous ship offers the opportunity to live and work like an eighteenth-century sailor, even down to sleeping in hammocks... + Broadside Check this out - but you may need earplugs! + Maritime Memories Ocean travel - as it used to be. This non-profit organisation is organising a round Britain and Ireland cruise departing June 22. At each port visited special maritime receptions will be organised, the highlight being entry into Liverpool on 26 June when rare shipping company house flags will fly from the mast, and tugs will greet the ship with a New York-style water display welcome. + Burnham boats Robin Burnham's magnificent models will be on show at the Liskeard Model Society 2010 Exhibition, Liskeard Community College, Cornwall, on March 6 and 7, 10 am to 4 pm. + Special offer - COMMAND Are you looking to add to your Collection of signed Stockwin First Editions? In order to make more room for his ever-growing collection of reference books Julian is parting with his personal store of various titles. These will be made available to purchase over the coming months. The title will change at the beginning of each month and as the books are likely to go fast don't delay if you wish to take advantage of these special offers. + Proud heritage The Canadian Navy came into existence on May 4, 1910, when the Naval Service Act became law. Permission to add the prefix "Royal" was granted by King George V in 1911. In 1968 the Canadian Navy was merged with Canada's army and air force to form the Canadian Armed Forces, later the Canadian Force. The maritime component was named Maritime Command, replacing the title Royal Canadian Navy. An early attempt to found a Canadian Navy was made in 1881, when the 14-year-old country purchased a steam-powered wooden vessel, HMS "Charybdis" - but without an aggressor the ship remained in harbour, and was left to rot. This year is the Canadian Naval Centennial Year. Shipmate and naval reservist Jim Parker sent in a picture of his fellow officers: Rear Admiral Pyle, West Coast maritime forces Pacific CO and HMCS MALAHAT's CO, Cdr Steve Pokotylo, holding one of the special flags that will be flown on board navy ships and at shore establishments from coast to coast throughout 2010. + Limited edition of VICTORY going fast We're again offering a special Collector's Set of Julian's next book, VICTORY. This will comprise a signed, numbered and embossed First Edition, a signed cover postcard and a special Julian Stockwin leather bookmark. Due out in June, the Set is strictly limited to 500 in number so don't delay in reserving your copy if you're interested. Emails to with "2010 Set" in the subject line. Please include your full postal address. We can accept payment now - and all orders paid for by March 31 will go into a lucky draw for a Stockwin Goodie Bag! + Ship of the future? USS "Independence", a littoral combat ship (LCS), was commissioned by the US Navy last month in Alabama. Some say she doesn't even look like a ship, more like something out of "Star Wars"! Three-hulled and 379-feet long, "Independence" can operate in water less than 20 feet deep and is capable of speeds in the region of 45 knots. More are in the pipeline. + Library superstar! Once again, Julian is in the very top tier of authors borrowed in UK libraries, as measured by the PLR (Public Lending Right). Stockwin Display Packs are available on request to and a number of libraries around the world have taken up this offer. + Paperback launch There's another dramatic cover from Larry Rostant for the paperback of INVASION, out May 24! You can see it on the website + Fair Winds! Portugal's NRP "Sagres", a splendid three-masted barque, has set sail on her third circumnavigation voyage. She will be away from home waters for eleven months and visit Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Equador, Mexico, the US, Japan, China and many other countries. ==================== 2 BOOKSHELF "A Sailor's Scrapbook" by Gordon Belton. Square Sail Publishing. Gordon Belton was a young South African seaman who sailed aboard two of the last great windjammers operating commercially - "Lawhill" and "Passat", both four-masted barques. Equipped with just a Brownie box camera Belton made an astonishing photographic record and log of his voyages, his ships and his shipmates. Sadly, he died at 26 in a tragic accident. Just 1000 numbered copies were produced of this handsome and atmospheric book which contains over 250 photographs. A poster of the sails and deck plan of "Lawhill" is included. This book is distributed through Seafarer Books. To order a copy, email Also available via Seafarer Books is Kathy Mansfield's "Classic Sail" calendar for 2010. Kathy travels around the British Isles and Europe as well as her home area of New England to photograph and write about the history of the classic racing yachts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The calendar celebrates the grace and beauty of the kind of yachts Julian so admires - real wood and canvas, and sweet lines... ==================== 3 FEATURE + RULE, BRITANNIA! - continuing our occasional series on some of the well-loved sea songs that Kydd so enjoyed. One of the most popular marches of the Royal Navy, "Rule, Britannia!" was composed by a patriotic landlubber, the poet James Thomson. It was set to music by Thomas Arne and first played in 1740 in a masque called "Alfred", performed at Cliveden, country home of Frederick, Prince of Wales, written in honour of Princess Augusta. It soon developed a life of its own, however, separate from the masque and was first heard in London in 1745. It was taken up by the Royal Navy and often played by the marine band before ships sailed into battle. The original words of the first verse of Thomson's work were - "When Britain first at Heaven's command Arose from out the azure main This was the charter of the land And guardian angels sung this strain Rule, Britannia, rule the waves! Britons never will be slaves" Over time the words were altered somewhat; including the now-familiar change to "Britons never, never, never shall be slaves". Also, the original words by Arne urged that Britain rule the waves; it did not assume that Britannia rules the waves as in later versions. The song has inspired a number of musicians including Beethoven, Wagner, Elgar and Strauss - and has established itself in popular culture. It was in the film "The Italian Job" and the tune had to be whistled to activate the stun gas feature of Bond's key ring in "The Living Daylights". ==================== 4 SALTY SAYINGS Today, if we say something is flimsy we mean it is weak, without substance, not up to the task. A flimsy excuse, for example, is likely to be seen through. The origins of this word are definitely salty. In Kydd's day a certificate of conduct was issued in the Royal Navy by the ship's captain to a midshipman or an officer on his transfer to another ship. The certificate was written on thin ("flimsy", probably derived from "film", as in a thin layer) paper. When a midshipman appeared before a board for examination for lieutenant he was expected to produce his flimsies as evidence of previous good character and conduct. ==================== 5 CONTESTS Entries to: Please include your full postal address. Deadline: February 25. Four fantastic prizes this month to mark our 100th issue! Just answer the question relating to the one that most appeals - or enter all four contests... + Topping the bill - an Amati Xebec Model Kit! Build your own museum-quality wooden model of a 1753 xebec. A waspish, lateen-sailed vessel, the xebec was much favoured by the Barbary pirates. This kit, by Amati, is 1:60 scale and features wooden and metal fittings; wooden pre-cut keel and frames; flags and sails; rigging rope; masts and spars; instructions and construction plans. Question: Name the book in which Julian features a xebec. + INVASION, unabridged audiobook, CD format Superbly read by Christian Rodska this is over ten hours of great listening. Question: How did the Audiofile Magazine honour Rodska? + Whatever takes your fancy... Choose a book of your choice from Seafarer Books. Question: In which UK county is this maritime books publisher based? Please state the title of the book you would like to win. + STOCKWIN'S MARITIME MISCELLANY. A Ditty Bag of Wonders from the Golden Age of Sail. Hailed as "A truly enjoyable read for everyone with a heart for the sea", it contains nearly 200 nautical gems. Question: What is the ISBN of the book? --- Congratulations to all last month's winners: Brenda Barnett, Jerry L Rogers and George Bibby. ==================== 6 ASK JULIAN Shipmate Gary Gelzer is looking forward to a visit to London/Southeast England for a week or two in June and asked Julian what maritime museums and galleries, nautical book shops - and anything else salty - he recommended visiting. Gary spent some time in the US Navy (his first ship USS "Sampson" is on the website. Julian replies:- "You could spend a lifetime exploring the UK's maritime attractions but here's a few suggestions, all of which I have visited a number of times... They are easily accessible from London. + National Maritime Museum, Greenwich There are actually three sites in the complex - the Maritime Galleries (among its priceless treasures is the actual uniform Nelson was wearing when he was killed), the Royal Observatory (where you can stand with one foot in the western and one foot in the eastern hemisphere) and the Queen's House (truly superb maritime paintings). You can easily wile away a whole day here! ('Cutty Sark', the last of the tea clippers, and now docked in Greenwich, is sadly closed for renovation until next year.) In Greenwich itself there are a number of specialist booksellers such as 'Maritime Books', 66 Royal Hill. + Chatham Historic Dockyard, Kent - the most complete dockyard of the age of sail in existence - again, allow a whole day if you can... + Buckler's Hard, Hampshire - a restored shipbuilding village where many of the vessels for Nelson's navy were built. + Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - historic site, naval museum and three famous ships - "Mary Rose", HMS 'Victory' and HMS 'Warrior'. You may need several days! and while in Portsmouth the Royal Marines Museum is worth taking the time to visit. + The National Archives, Kew, Surrey - the place to go if you want to dig up primary sources on things nautical --- As for bookstores - Hatchards in Piccadilly is a must! And if you're looking for First Editions of nautical books you might like to pop into Goldsboro Books in Cecil Court, in fact the whole street is a collector's Aladdin's cave! --- Then, if there's any spare time, why not retrace Kydd's footsteps in Guildford; the town is just a short train ride from London." --- [Julian nominates his top 25 maritime museums and historic ships around the world in STOCKWIN'S MARITIME MISCELLANY. For a chance to win a copy, see CONTESTS] Do you have a question you'd like to put to Julian? Email him at ==================== 7 FEATURE God's Work at Sea, part 2 We had a feature on religion at sea in Kydd's day in the October 2008 issue. For this special anniversary issue of the Chronicle, we've gone back to the very early days of the sea chaplain - and also taken a look at the modern scene. In the year 60 St. Paul "broke bread" and led an act of thanksgiving on board a ship off Malta when a storm abated - this was probably the earliest Christian sea chaplain of any nationality. Perhaps the first naval chaplain in England was Odo the Good, a Christian priest of Danish parentage who served in the navy of King Athelstan in the 10th century and later became Archbishop of Canterbury. Tradition traces the title to Saint Martin, who divided his cloak (in French, "chape") with a beggar on a wintry day outside Amiens, France. The coat was supposedly miraculously preserved and became a sacred banner for the kings of France. It was kept in an oratory called the chapelle and the man charged with its keeping was known as the chapelain. The deeply evocative Naval Prayer was first published in 1662 and has remained mostly unchanged right up to today. Its most well-known words are: "Preserve us from the dangers of the sea and from the violence of the enemy". The Royal Navy's first female chaplain, Reverend Caroline Eglin retired in August 2006 after a 16-year career. Ordained as a Baptist Minister, Caroline worked both ashore and at sea. She served on HMS "Edinburgh" during the Gulf conflict in 2003. She also deployed to the Antarctic on board HMS "Endurance". She recalled conducting one particular service off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. "The ship's company were dressed in tropical uniform wearing Father Christmas hats. It was 40 degrees and we were singing [the hymn] 'In the Bleak Midwinter'." The idea of a space within a ship set apart as a chapel, although the dream of many chaplains, was not seen until the eve of the First World War, in the battlecruiser "Queen Mary". While in Kydd's day the chaplain was essentially an authority figure, his modern counterpart has quite a different role. Today's Job Description for a Chaplain Royal Navy reads: "A friend and advisor to all, regardless of rank or religion, your 'parish' is a community of ordinary people doing extraordinary jobs in extraordinary circumstances." The age range for applicants is 17 - 39 and prospective chaplains must be a member of the clergy of the Anglican Communion, the Church of Scotland and other Presbyterian Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the Congregational Church, Assemblies of God or Elim Pentecostal Church. Royal Navy chaplains undertake a 16-week bespoke induction and training course including study at Britannia Royal Naval College and time at sea alongside an experienced chaplain. Naval chaplains called to service with the Royal Marines undergo a gruelling five-month-long Commando Course and if successful wear the commandos' green beret. In Kydd's day the services were conducted according to the practices of the Church of England. Now the services are offered on a non-denominational basis. Though the Geneva Conventions do not state whether chaplains may bear arms they specify they are non-combatants. Captured chaplains are not considered prisoners of war and must be returned to their home nation unless retained to minister to prisoners of war. Inevitably, serving chaplains have died in action. Many have been decorated for bravery in action - five winning Britain's highest award for gallantry, the Victoria Cross. The Chaplain's Medal for Heroism, a special American military decoration for those killed in the line of duty, was awarded to the famous Four Chaplains, all of whom died in the USAT "Dorchester" sinking in 1943 after giving up their life-jackets to others. Shipmate and ex-Petty Officer Father Michael Kirkpatrick, now an Officiating Chaplain in HMS "Drake", points out the value of the Royal Navy tradition of chaplains not carrying other ranks - the "Bish" can assume the rate or rank of whomever he is speaking to, high or low. (In the Canadian Navy chaplaincy, for instance, rank is indicated on the uniform.) To this day, sailors have special terms for chaplains - as well as the "Bish", there's "Holy Joe" and our favourite, the "Sin Bosun". =================== 8 SHIPMATES, AHOY! + Privateers to Harbour Police... Now living in the American state of Colorado Wayne Gould has traced one paternal ancestor coming to the colonies of America in 1634 aboard the English ship "Elizabeth" - and another ancestor commanded the American privateer "Blacksnake" during the late eighteenth century. Wayne served with the San Diego Harbor Police for many years. He says: "Moving inland took me far from the ocean but Julian's books help me remember those days. He recalls one day going to the maritime museum in San Francisco. "It was cold and very blustery and we were told that if we wanted to visit the square rigger tied at the end of the dock we'd better get a move on as it was getting so rough they were going to stop visits. We hurried up the brow and as we did we could see the ramp moving six feet in and out as the ship rose to meet the breakers +inside+ the bay. As I stepped onto the deck, the masts were swinging wildly in big arcs as the bow rose and fell. The wind in the rigging was singing and for a brief instant I could feel in some small way what it must have been like for the sailor of Kydd's time!" --- + What's in a name? James Tysoe is a father of three working in Kent, England, as a space planner for a large pharmaceutical company. He lives by the Downs, a stretch of coast steeped in maritime history, as Julian pointed out in INVASION. James was introduced to the Kydd series by his stepfather Derek who is an avid reader of the books and who pointed out James's namesake. The family name Tysoe, James suggests may derive from pillaging Vikings who became thanes or feudal lords to the Warwickshire villages of Upper, Middle and Lower Tysoe. As to his given name James, there is a "J" tradition in the family - Mum and Dad are Janet and John; brother is Julian; his wife is Jacqueline (although James hastens to point out that he dated other girls whose name began with another letter...) his children are Josephine, Juliette and Joshua. And why did Julian choose this name for Kydd's servant? This is what he told us: "I get my names from all sorts of places and sometimes they just pop up on the page and for this I needed one that sounded suitably distinguished yet had a cachet of originality. This one did!" =================== Coming next month: Old soldiers may merely fade away but what happens to ships when they have outlived their usefulness? Plus there's another in our features on sea trades, this time sail-making - and a new Shipmate Ambassador giveaway! Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Download back issues from the WebSite ++