Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 85
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[Page 85]
in her bottom. The Abrolhos was a treacherous place consisting of a collection of small rocky islets surrounded by poorly chartered waters and three of our ships, the Bristol, Glasgow and the flag [flagship Carnarvon] had suffered damage. The Glasgow was in Rio doing a complete refit by courtesy of the Brazilian Government.
On the 24th we heard a feeble squeak in the wireless and on investigation found it was our colliers who had lost their way. We signalled the position and presently our two old tubs appeared. Their skippers came aboard still sweating from the scare they had received. They declared that the Huns had been all round them.
We fastened to a collier like a baby to its mother & sucked in coal as fast as it could be handled. The sea was rough and we ground and bumped and banged till the fenders were reduced to their component posts and then we began to knock slices of each other.
Still the coaling went on all through the night and when the rosy fingered dawn appeared the Sydney once again had the wherewithal to put up a scrap fight or discreetly leg it out of danger, and we felt much more comfortable.
Coal in the bunkers with a fast ship beneath one's feet in war time is like a full stomach. One feels at peace with all the world.
Next day the 25th Feb, the Edinburgh Castle which was to have been our first assistant at the battle of Lavanderia turned up quite cheerfully and apologised for being late explaining that as her engines were built for nineteen knots she could not be decently asked to do twenty five in her old age.
These armed mechantmen are risky craft and we admired