State Library of NSW
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spotting he was to do for him on the following day. We then returned to the ship. Saturday April 10th We remained off Tenedos until 4 o'clock and then steamed towards the Dardanelles, accompanied by the battleship "Prince of Wales", to relieve the "Triumph" and another battleship. Two battleships take it in turns to cruise off the Straits for 48 hours at a stretch. It is already growing dark when we reached the entrance, so that I could see little or nothing that evening. All our port holes are shut, and we did not show a light, and we were of course, covered by three destroyers, to check any sudden attack of a Turkish destroyer or torpedo boats. Nevertheless it was thrilling work for a novice, like myself, to be really on a battleship and within such close proximity to the enemy. It was wierd cruising about in the darkness without a light showing; and standing on the bridge you could see in the dim distance the grim outline of the shore, the hidden secrets of which were so soon to discover to our cost. It was very hot down below, with all the port holes closed, and I found it difficult to sleep, not yet having become accustomed to the life of a sailor, which consists of having a great deal of fresh air during the day and none at all at night.
Sunday April 11th The day broke beautifully fine and clear. There was not a ripple on the water, and the panorama of the Gallipoli and Asiatic Coasts lay exposed before my eyes for the first time. I went aloft to the fore-top to obtain a better view. This was my first visit to such a height, and it scared me very much, climbing the steel ladder, and then having to climb out
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