We present an extract from Famous Irish Mariners, the new book by Emma Byrne.
Ireland has a rich history of famous – and infamous – mariners: from our earliest navigators, who may have reached North America – by currach – a thousand years before Columbus, to daring polar explorers Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean. Famous Irish Mariners recounts the stirring adventures of the Irish people who have helped to shape marine science...
As an island nation, we Irish have a love and fascination for the sea. We have sailed, fished, smuggled and fought our way through history and to every corner of the world, with the sea entwined in our DNA. It is a briny elixir that binds us.
The early missionary monks spread the word of the gospels, making their voyages in currach-like vessels. We don't often think of them as accomplished sailors, but they must have had a great understanding of boats and the sea to make their journeys. The Brendan story is one mirrored by several sailor missionaries from this island: Colmcille left Derry for Iona in Scotland by sea in the middle of the sixth century, to establish an abbey there. Columbanus travelled from County Down to France and eventually to Bobbio in Northern Italy.
The Vikings came to Ireland in longships from 795 and later, in the twelfth century, the Normans arrived in the southeast in similar vessels.
As conditions in Ireland were often harsh, many people left to seek their fortunes elsewhere, often fighting for foreign naval forces and leaving at a very young age. As the great European empires waned and nations claimed the right to self-rule, many opportunities arose for those who had the courage to embrace them. John Barry became known as the 'Father of the American Navy’ and many others rose to national prominence in South America.
As scientific discovery advanced in the nineteenth century, Irishmen such as Francis Beaufort would revolutionise navigation for seagoing vessels. Beaufort’s work as Chief Hydrographer of the Royal Navy included standardising how weather conditions were described and also charting the seas.
The golden age of polar exploration saw many Irish involved at every level, and names such as Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean are now embedded in the public consciousness.
There is no doubt that, for a small island nation on the very edge of Europe, we have punched above our weight when it comes to maritime achievement.
JOHN DE ROBECK
Sir John Michael de Robeck commanded the Allied Naval Force in the Dardanelles, Turkey, during the First World War and rose to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet with the Royal Navy.
Born into the aristocracy at Gowran Grange, Naas, County Kildare, in 1862, John de Robeck was the second son of John Henry Edward Fock, 4th Baron de Robeck, and Sophie Charlotte de Robeck of Burton Hall, County Carlow.
De Robeck’s naval cadetship began on HMS Britannia in 1875 at the tender age of thirteen. As he worked his way up through the ranks, he showed great aptitude as a natural seaman and leader. As early as 1885, he was promoted to Lieutenant and served on the battleship HMS Audacious, the flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, China, in 1886. He then returned to HMS Britannia in a training capacity.
In 1899, Sir Clements Markham had de Robeck on his list of preferred leaders for his Antarctic Expedition of 1902 to 1904, an expedition that would be led by Captain Robert F. Scott.
In 1902, de Robeck was promoted to Captain and given command of HMS Warrior. Other commissions included command of HMS Carnarvon and commander of the battleship HMS Dominion, in the Channel Fleet. At the age of forty-nine, in 1911, he was promoted to Rear Admiral. He then became Admiral of Patrols and commanded four flotillas of destroyers. He showed great leadership and tenacity in bringing these ships, which would play an important role in the First World War, to a good operating standard.
There is no doubt that, for a small island nation on the very edge of Europe, we have punched above our weight when it comes to maritime achievement.
When war broke out in 1914, de Robeck had command of the 9th cruiser squadron. In 1915, the War Office sent a naval expedition to the Dardanelles Strait with de Robeck as second in command to Sir Sackville Carden of the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron. Vice-Admiral Carden, coincidentally, was also Irish, having been born in Barnane, near Templemore in County Tipperary.
When Carden fell ill, supposedly because his nerve went with the knowledge that his fleet was below par, he was relieved of his command, and responsibility fell to de Robeck to carry out orders, to take the strait by force and capture Constantinople from the Ottoman Turks. He almost succeeded, as the Turks on land ran out of artillery, but when he lost three Allied battleships in the mine-laden straits, he withdrew.
In April 1915, the Royal Navy landed troops at Gallipoli. Ultimately, the campaign proved to be a disaster for the Allied forces of the British Empire, France and the Russian Empire, as the Ottomans were well prepared for an attack. It was especially disastrous for the Anzac forces from Australia and New Zealand. Both the Allies and the Ottomans suffered enormous numbers of casualties, one of the greatest losses of life in the First World War. While it came at a high price, it was a great victory for the Ottomans and subsequently led to the Turkish War of Independence and the declaration in 1923 of the Republic of Turkey, with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk – a commander at Gallipoli – as founder.
John de Robeck organised the evacuation of ground troops from the Gallipoli peninsula in January 1916. With his reputation intact, he was awarded the rank of Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath for his service during the campaign.
He gained further promotion as commander of the 2nd and 3rd Battle Squadrons of the Grand Fleet and in May 1917 was promoted to Vice Admiral. He served in the Mediterranean as Commander-in-Chief and oversaw peace treaty negotiations with Turkey whilst serving as High Commissioner in Constantinople. For his services in the war, he was created a baronet in December 1919. Promotion to Admiral came in March 1920, and he became Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet in August 1922. His final promotion, to Admiral of the Fleet, came in November 1925.
Famous Irish Mariners is published by The O’Brien Press
