Three year diary written by a marine on board HMS Amphitrite which includes an account of meeting the Sultan of Muscat during a visit in June 1902 when the vessel became the largest warship ever to visit the Gulf. Arriving on the China Station the vessel took a ‘long trip across the Pacific Ocean’ via Yokohama to Honolulu in Hawaii where the diarist describes how the ship was ‘thrown open to visitors & thousands from all part of the Sandwich Isles came to have a look at “Go[d] damn” Britisher with 4 smokestacks... We were feted and made a great fuss of especially by the native girls... not laced in with corsets but for all that are girls of splendid contour & physique.’ He states that he greatly regretted leaving Hawaii behind and speculates that ‘many Kanaka girls felt down in the dumps at the departure of their English Marines.’ Although the warship spent much of its time dodging the consequences of the war between Japan and Russia there was time to enjoy a football match between Amphitrite’s team and the local ex-patriate team at Christmas 1904 in Shanghai where ‘our football team played the S.F.C. & a draw was the result no goals which was a very creditable performance indeed considering the Shanghai team have not been beaten for nine years.’
The writer describes Amphtrite setting off from Sheerness (21rd March 1902) via a stop-over in Malta, passing HMS Orlando who ‘had just buried their Captain’ (J H Burke, instrumental in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion). June 8, the vessel arrived in the capital of Oman, Muscat (HMS Amphitrite being then the largest warship to visit the Gulf): ‘The Sultan of Muscat [Faisal bin Turki] & B[ritish] Consul came on board. We went outside fired a few round from 6” guns to show the Sultan who was very delighted with all he saw, returning to Muskat we put the Sultan ashore & started... up the Persian Gulf’. Via Singapore and Hong Kong the Amphitrite is described joining the fleet at the British leased territory, Wei-hai-wei under Admiral Cyprian Bridge where ‘we done the first half of the winter there spending our first Christmas there & although we were the only ship there we enjoyed ourselves exceedingly well.’ There is rifle training on the Kowloon ranges and the ship runs aground off Singapore while the crew daily anticipate war between Japan and Russia in manoeuvres. The diarist writer describes going to ‘Chemulpho to get the wounded and prisoners numbering some 300 & take them to Colombo’ following the Battle of Chemulpo Bay. The Amphitrite put in to Wosung Harbour where ‘special trains were run to Shanghai the London of the East... On June the 11th [1904] the British residents of Shanghai gave 600 men of the Fleet a dinner & sports afterwards... we made a grand entry into the town... we were marched to the town hall where a splendid feed awaited us.’ After several false starts the Amphitrite arrived at Plymouth, 19th July 1905.
The diary closes with a series of tables that enumerate the vessel’s itinerary, distance travelled (57, 334 miles) and the events of the Japanese-Russian War.
DESCRIPTION:
Small half roan over black textured cloth covered boards; wear to head and tail of spine. The writer begins on the first pastedown ‘H.M.S. Amphitrite commissioned at Chatham 2nd March 1902 for Special Service in the China Station’, continuing over 30 pages and ending ‘Finis’ on 19th July 1905, c 4500 words. Several leaves detached. The journal is followed by several leaves of tables, including a four page ship by ship analysis of the events of the Russian-Japanese War with ‘Remarks’ on major engagements and losses; list of ‘Mails’, 2pp; Parodies and other comic notes including a transcribed bawdy story from the Shanghai Bund, 8pp. Telegraph diagrams, 4pp; List of ports and destinations 1902-1905, pp4. Terminal blanks include slit pages for now absent inserted photographs or perhaps postcards with handwritten titles such as ‘Transports at Chemulpo’, ‘Scene near Fuji’, ‘Dancing Girls’.
