Carlingnose Battery – Naval Exercises

Exercises were conducted in 1905, 1908 and 1913 to test the effectiveness of the defences in the Forth. These drew huge crowds of spectators and were reported in the Press.

First exercise 1905
Second exercise 1908
Third Exercise 1913

The Edinburgh Evening News, Wednesday, May 31, 1905

THE “ATTACK” ON THE CHANNEL FLEET

A HALF HOUR’S BATTLE

The “attack” on the fleet which has been lying for the last ten days at Queensferry and which has excited such a great amount of interest, probably quickened by the grim and deadly conflict going on between Russia and Japan, came off last night and early this morning. The interest was not confined to those interested in naval and military matters, but extended to the general community, all sorts and conditions of men, and women too, being anxious to see even on a limited scale something of the stern reality associated with naval warfare. From an early hour, therefore in the evening, there was a constant stream on the Queensferry road, of vehicles, motors, bicycles, motor cycles, while trains also brought large contingents of travellers from Edinburgh and the Fife towns, so that from before nine o’clock the road lining the estuary was crowded with people, and the higher ground near the station was thickly lined. The general idea as has been stated, was that an “attack” was expected from a flotilla of torpedo boat destroyers on the fleet, which was supposed to have come into St. Margaret’s to refit, the scheme probably being intended to demonstrate, the possibility of otherwise of such an attack being within the bounds of practicality in actual warfare. In anticipation of the “attack” all the forts in the Firth, Inchkeith, Dalmeny, Carlingnose, Inchgarvie and North Queensferry, were manned and ready for action. At the Dalmeny fort, a number of officers of Volunteer corps and others in the city were stationed, in order to see the operations, and full advantage was taken of the privilege, there being present a very large representation from all the commanding officers, and a large contingent of other officers. The men to man the guns at Inchkeith and Dalmeny were drawn, the former from the City Artillery Garrison companies, and the latter from the Garrison company of the 1^st Midlothian. On the Dalmeny fort are stationed two 4.7 guns, fitted with all the modern sights and mechanisms which accompany the artillery of the present day. The Volunteers were under the command of Captain F. E. Nicholl, and the whole of the firing was conducted under his instructions. All the searchlights on the forts were worked by the corps of Royal Engineers. To ensure communication between the different forts there was a system of telephones, so that informati0n could be communicated between Inchkeith, Carlingnose, Inchgarvie and Dalmeny. The artillerymen at the forts were early at their places, and shortly after nine o’clock those with the necessary permits took up position.

THE SEARCHLIGHTS IN PLAY

As soon as the shades of evening fell the searchlights were put on, one at North Queensferry and the other at Dalmeny , both a few yards east from the bridge. The fleet had earlier in the afternoon removed to several hundred yards above the bridge. In the evening light the ships appeared simply as dark blurs on the water, but with glasses the shapes of some of the nearest could be made out, and it was ascertained that the battleships were lying nearest the bridge, the Swiftsure and Triumph being made out at the end of one line. Around the ships the faint line of the torpedo nets could be distinguished. A few picket boats flitted about, and for a short time an animated “conversation” was carried out by electric flashes from the mastheads of the great ships, but as the light faded the fleet became perfectly invisible, search lights not being turn on for some time. The lights at the bridge, however, lit up the water almost simultaneously with the last glimmer of daylight. They at first formed practically a triangle, the apex of which was the centre of the channel, a thousand yards or so below the bridge, but as the night wore on, and as the time for the expected arrival drew nigh, the light was scattered, searching the deeper waters at the north shore and making perfectly visible anything in the nature of craft which came within reach of its illumination. Slow were the passing hours, there being little to break the monotony of waiting. Occasionally a boat or some craft would be seen on the waters on the northern shore, but at the Dalmeny fort side nothing moved on the surface of the waters. Certainly from a spectacular point of view the night was all that could be desired, being calm and clear and wonderfully mild. On the fort apart of the tedium of waiting for the enemy was relieved by examining the guns and the delicate sighting arrangements. Another means of indicating the presence of the enemy was the fixed beams, one on each side connecting with North and South Queensferry, so that when the vessels touch the communication a light was at once sent up at one side or other indicating the passing of a vessel.

THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE BATTLE

At a quarter-past 11 the command was given to the men to stand to their guns, and from this point till the actual attack there was as strained attention and expectancy. The scene was picturesque, yet with a weirdness from the still night air and the sickly moving lights on the waters, which were as calm as to give the idea of a moon-lit road. The searching was incessant, and the outlook, which was vigilant was quickened by a communication from Inchkeith that the flotilla had passed the fort. At length, just on 12, the shot of a carbine gave the indication that the torpedo boats had been “spotted,” and a second or two afterwards the guns at North Queensferry began to fire, and they were followed by those at Dalmeny fort. The sights were automatically fixed, so that there was no time lost in “taking aim,” and for a short time the sound of firing was furious. Nothing had been seen of the torpedo boats till they came within the range of the searchlight, all their lights having apparently been blinded. They came along by the northern shore, and at a great speed, just like an arrow from the bow or a bird on the wing.

ALL OVER IN A QUARTER OF AN HOUR

For a minute or two they were seen, and then they disappeared, having shot through below the bridge. From the time that the first one was observed till the time that the “cease fire” on the forts was sounded would not occupy more than five minutes. Some desultory firing took place from the guns in the fleet, which by now had its searchlights on, but the whole time of firing did not exceed ten minutes. It was loud enough while it lasted, but it was of short duration. What gave rise to some wonder during the firing of the first round or two, before it was discovered what it was, was the peculiar noise which came from the bridge, the effect of the concussion. The noise resembled the firing of several machine guns. Shortly after twelve o’clock the “attack” was at an end, the whole affair not having lasted more than fifteen minutes, so that some idea can be formed of the short time there may be between safety and destruction, making one perhaps realise more how much depends on the efficiency of the navy for the safety of the country.

In connection with the “attack” umpires were stationed on each of the forts, while Brigadier Lord Playfair, the umpire-in-chief, was on board H.M.S. Triumph. The umpire on the Dalmeny fort was Captain Plummer, R.A., and with him was a naval officer, Lieutenant Macdonald. The duties of umpire on the forts would be no easy one, as on them lay the decision of saying whether the torpedo craft were able to run the gauntlet in safety. Certainly their duties would not be any the easier because of the quietness of the night, as notwithstanding that “smokeless” powder was used, the rapid succession of shots created quite a hazy atmosphere in front of the guns. These umpires will all have to report on their respective forts to the umpire-in-chief, who will report to the Admiral, so that it will be some time before anything like a decision is given. During the firing, an officer of the Queen’s Brigade fainted, overcome either by excitement or the long weary wait. He was medically attended to, and soon brought round. As soon as the operations were over the vast crowd moved homewards. The scene on the Queensferry road on the homeward journey was certainly pretty, the numerous cycle lights glittering like a swarm of fire-flies nearly all the way. Altogether, although the action was short, it was exciting while it lasted, and few who saw it would care to have missed it. This however, was the fate of a large contingent of visitors who came by railway. After lining the shore and all the eminences for some hours, the crowd struggled into the station for the last trains shortly before twelve, and had the mortification of hearing the opening shots as they steamed away home.

PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE SPECTACLE

The announcements that had been made as to the naval manoeuvres in the Forth created great public interest in the promised spectacle, and as the night was fine – a clear starlit sky overhead near the horizon – there was a great outpouring of citizens of Edinburgh and Leith to points of vantage where a view of the Forth could be obtained. The greatest crowd was on Calton Hill. From nine o’clock till half-past ten the people, men, women, and children in all ranks of life, swarmed in thousands to the Eastern shores of the hill until it seemed as if there were scarcely any available sitting or standing room left. Probably never before had there been so vast a crowd on the hill, and most of the people waited patiently till eleven o’clock for the anticipated spectacle. But, beyond the spasmodic flash of the lighthouse on Inchkeith, and the myriads of lights that outlined the city away down to the shores of the Forth there was nothing to be seen – nothing to indicate that at that very moment the naval “drama” was being enacted. About 25 minutes past eleven the first sound of heavy firing was heard, which was followed by the reports of guns of lesser calibre. Then came a minute or two of rapid firing, and a complete cessation. After an interval of a quarter of an hour or so the firing was resumed, the sound appearing to come this time from the

Forth Bridge, and then, after another brief period, it suddenly subsided, and the “battle” was over. There was great disappointment at the absence of the spectacular. People expected to see the forts at Inchkeith flash their searchlights, but nothing of the kind transpired, and the crowd, good-natured to the last, quickly dispersed after midnight had struck. There could not be less than from 40,000 to 50,000 persons on the hill.

On Blackford Hill there was a crowd of about two thousand, and also on the Braids, while many thousands lined the promenade at Portobello, and took advantage of all available elevated positions from Musselburgh westwards to Granton

TWO BATTLESHIPS STRUCK.

Our Queensferry correspondent reports: The destroyer flotilla which attacked last evening has departed. We are informed that H.M. ships Triumph and Montague, the first ships in each line, were torpedoed. The Triumph was struck well forward where unprotected by nettings. It is reported that the flotilla escaped the guns of the Forth.

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The Falkirk Herald, Saturday July 25 1908

THE NAVAL MANOEUVRES

THE FLEET IN THE FORTH

A NIGHT ATTACK

What seems to have been the first serious attempt to enter the Firth of Forth by the “Blue” squadron was made on Friday after nightfall. The night was quiet and fairly dark, enough to be favourable for the handling of the smaller craft in the navy without being easily “spotted.” From the electric search-light stations at both ends of the Forth Bridge from the time that darkness set in, the long beams of light were kept projected across the water of the firth below the Forth Bridge, sweeping the fairway from both sides and at times brightly illumining the broadside of the repair ship Cyclops, lying towards the south shore, the only vessel belonging to the “red” fleet then in this particular area of the firth. The forts on the Dalmeny side, on Inchgarvie and at Carlingnose, and the coastguard station at North Queensferry, had, of course, been manned and on the watch when war was declared. Shortly after ten o’clock on Friday night the firing of a shot from one of the 4 inch guns at the north side startled the neighbourhood and as the night was quiet reverberated from cantilever to cantilever of the Forth Bridge, and gradually died away among the wooded heights of Dalmeny. As the beams of the electric light fell athwart the waters little could be seen of anything resembling the expected enemy for a time from the south shore, but it was not long till other shots rang out from the north battery and also from Inchgarvie. From this time on at considerable intervals, both batteries fired almost simultaneously or singly, while the sound of distant gunfire down the firth was heard before 10 o’clock. What the objective of the attack was not quite clear, but the submarine miners’ vessel Playfair and a torpedo boat destroyer, in all probability the first noticed from North Queensferry as they steamed rapidly up the fairway were seen clearly up in the searchlights’ rays to the north of Inchgarvie. The former vessel afterwards made way by the south passage when returning towards Granton. At intervals several other craft of seemingly the same class as the destroyer steamed up and kept on the move in various directions. When past the island it was noticed that most of them carried three lights, but, if the enemy, these would only be shown when their object had been considered attained, or they had been put out of action.

”RED” FLEET’S MOVEMENTS

Under war conditions, the thirteen battleships of the “Red” or defending fleet, led by the Dreadnought, flagship of Vice-Admiral Bridgeman steamed up past Inchcolm on Saturday afternoon, and there dividing into double column ahead, led by the flagship on the lee line and the second by the battleship Bulwark, took up their former positions below the Forth Bridge, the “Red” flag flying at the fore. The second dispatch cruiser Pandora also took her place below the Cyclops as originally assigned. Except the few gunboats which arrived previously, the other vessels of the fleet, including cruisers and torpedo-boat destroyers, remained outside. The weather remained exceptionally fine during the latter part of the day, and an opportunity of seeing a characteristically upper Forth sunshine was offered spectators at the Hawes. A slight haze hung over the horizon towards the mouth of the Forth. A large number of holiday-makers resident in the town were, till quite late in the evening, interested spectators of the coming and going of the duty boats from the fleet which were engaged in conveying mails and newspapers on board the battleships

After nightfall a dark bank of clouds formed the background to the fleet was viewed down the Forth, and it was not until well-nigh midnight when the moon’s rays began to be thrown across the water, that anything like the real outline of the vessels could be discerned, even with the aid of a good telescope. Evidently no light except the necessary headlight for purposes of navigation was being shown on the vessels, and the Firth below the Forth Bridge where were lying thirteen of the most modern battleships, presented no unusual appearance, beyond what may be often seen when a few wind-jammers are storm stayed. Far otherwise was the scene presented at daybreak on Sunday. From four to six o’clock an unprecedentedly powerful fleet of warships, for Scottish waters at any rate, presented itself to view. Above the Forth Bridge lay the two converted cruisers and other craft, below, the thirteen battleships with gunboats; while on the horizon against an exceptionally clear sky rose distinctly the hull and rigging of the cruisers lying off Burntisland. The atmosphere was exceptionally clear, and under the bright sunshine every detail could plainly be made out. Between ten and eleven o’clock on Sunday forenoon, two scouts (Attentive and Skirmisher) and five destroyers steamed up to Rosyth, and during the day there was much coming and going among the smaller craft.

Elaborate signalling all along the lines of battleships lying below the Forth Bridge was witnessed from Queensferry shore shortly after six o’clock on Sunday. It had been stated that the warships would leave before ten o’clock, and the emission of an unusual amount of smoke bespoke preparations for departure, at any rate before darkness set in. Prompt to the hour of seven o’clock the flagships headed down the firth, and within a few minutes the battleships had formed into line of some four cables length apart, so far as could be judged from shore. Steaming easy, soon the hull of the last vessel was lost in the gathering haze. Three torpedo boat destroyers left the Rosyth base in time to join the battleships as they left their moorings, and accompanied them on the south side of the line down the estuary. The only vessels belonging to the “Red” Fleet left in the vicinity of the Forth Bridge on Sunday night were the repair ship Cyclops in charge of the submarine communication cable with the shore and the Hecla, Blake and Blenheim, with the “petroleum” oil store ships and colliers.

CLOSE OF THE MANOEUVRES

At sunset on Tuesday night the naval manoeuvres, which had been in progress for about a week, between the “red” of defending Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Bridgeman, and the “Blue” or attacking Fleet, under Lord Charles Beresford, were brought to a close. Throughout these manoeuvres the base of the defending fleet had been in the Forth, with headquarters at Queensferry and Rosyth. With the operations nearing a close, it was not surprising that those interested in naval affairs at Queensferry, and particularly that section of the inhabitants which lay claim to some knowledge of such matters, became desirous as the day advanced to know whether the defending Fleet had been successful in repelling the supposed attack on the coast of Britain, or it Lord Charles Beresford had succeeded in effecting his purpose. The answer to that question was the more difficult inasmuch as the general scheme of defence and attack had been kept a profound secret. But it was clear to the most casual observer that whatever was happening in the North Sea the operations were over so far as a number of ships were concerned. The Blake, the Blenheim and the Hecla, lying off Rosyth, were joined overnight by the Amethyst and a number of destroyers flying the Red flag, while four warships were to the east of the repair ship Cyclops under the Forth Bridge. The Dreadnought, flagship of Admiral Bridgeman was in the Forth on Monday night, but she did not come as far west as Queensferry. She lay off Burntisland overnight, and having signalled for her mails to Queensferry, these were obtained from the Post Office by the Cyclops, and immediately forwarded to the flagship by a steam pinnace.

A FALSE ALARM

On Tuesday forenoon the weather was brilliant, and every movement of the ships in the vicinity of the Forth Bridge could be followed with the naked eye. A thick haze, however lay on the horizon and nothing could be seen of what was taking place east of Inchcolm. The constant plying to and fro of torpedo boat destroyers, and the arrival and departure of a fleet of five gunboats, gave rise to all sorts of rumours, one these being that an attack on the Forth Bridge was contemplated. To this some colour was lent when it was observed that the guns at Carlingnose, Inchgarvie, and the North Queensferry stations were unmasked, and the forts manned by artillerymen. Heavy firing from Inchgarvie heightened the belief that some movement of the kind was in progress; but after a time the spectators at the Hawes Pier and on the heights overlooking the Forth discovered that the “objective” was nothing more than a few harmless moving targets, at which the members of the Royal Garrison Artillery Volunteers at present in camp at North Queensferry were having firing practice. The presence of the five gunboats lying in line beyond the Cyclops, Furious, and Iphigenia also gave rise to some speculation.

As all carried the red flag, they could not possibly be part of the attacking fleet, so some other theory than that of their having broken through the lines of defence had to be propounded. The fact was that these gunboats had accomplished the task for which they had been set apart. Their duty in the course of the manoeuvres was to sweep the channel and thus secure for the cruisers and battleships a clear passage through the estuary of the Forth to the open sea. The gunboats – five in number – arrived shortly after two o’clock, but no sooner had they cast anchor that they went off again down the Firth, and returned with another gunboat, the Gossamer, by which they had been joined east of Inchkeith. The Cyclops, a floating foundry, as she has been termed by reason of her magnificent equipment as a repair ship; the Furious, designed for telegraphic operations, and which in the course of the manoeuvres was in constant communication with the Admiralty, and the mine-laying ship Iphigenia were lying in column close by the shore at Dalmeny, and the six gunboats took up a position in line with these three, the line being made up as follows:- Cyclops, Furious, Iphigenia, Circe, Speedwell, Speedy, Seagull, Jason and Gossamer.

REINFORCEMENTS BREAK THROUGH

In addition to these six gunboats, there were lying east of the Forth Bridge on Tuesday morning two battleships and two cruisers, whose presence there gave rise to considerable talk. These were the battleships Albion and Cornwallis and the cruisers Drake and Devonshire. When the result of the manoeuvres is known it will in all probability be found that these four warships bore no small part in the action of the operations. It is understood that the scheme embraced the idea that the home or defending fleet were in need of reinforcements, and that eight warships of the Red fleet stationed in some British ports were instructed by signal to effect a junction with the base of the defending operations. Four of these eight were the ships just named, and their presence at Queensferry on Tuesday morning betokened a successful outcome of an attempt to reinforce the defending fleet at its base. The ships having eluded the vigilance of the Blue Fleet had come into the Firth overnight. About midday they steamed away apparently with the object of joining the battleships and cruisers defending the coast.

FLAGS LOWERED

About five o’clock, the scout Attentive steamed up the Firth, and, passing beneath the bridge made for Rosyth. After waiting half an hour she went off again. Shortly thereafter another scout appeared and took up a position opposite Rosyth. About nine o’clock, as darkness was settling down over the Forth, what looked like a cruiser steamed slowly under the Forth Bridge, and came to anchor opposite Port Edgar. She was flying no flag –an indication that he manoeuvres were at an end.

OFFICERS PLEDGED TO SECRECY

As to the actual outcome of the manoeuvres, nothing of an official nature has been allowed to transpire at the base of the Defending Fleet. As already indicated, two cruisers, the Drake and the Devonshire, and two battleships, the Albion and the Cornwallis, succeeded in joining up with the Defending Fleet, and to this extent at least the Blue Fleet were out-manoeuvred. On the other hand, Lord Charles Beresford will doubtless have something to show for the part his fleet has played in the operations. Having in view the fact that the Dreadnought and some of the other battleships were never far from the Firth of Forth – there is reason to believe that the Dreadnought never fired a shot – and that Queensferry was the base of Vice-Admiral Bridgeman’s Defending Fleet, the suitability of Rosyth as a naval base in the event of an attack by a foreign naval Power would most likely form no inconsiderable part of the scheme of operations; but the extent to which the Forth has proved impregnable is meantime, unknown. The secretary of Vice Admiral Bridgeman let it be known that all officers had been enjoined to observe the utmost secrecy as the extent of the manoeuvres, the scheme, and the result. He dared not even say whether the Red Fleet or the Blue Fleet had been successful. Lord Charles Beresford had gone to Portland, and the battleships and cruisers other than those of the Nore Division remaining in the Forth, had left for their respective stations

[Note: Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary and River Medway.]

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The Courier, Saturday, October 11, 1913

EXTENSIVE NAVAL MANOEUVRES
ARE IN PROGRESS IN FIRTH OF FORTH

IRONCLADS ASSEMBLE IN THE DARKNESS

Are the Forth defences sufficient?

The question is prompted by naval manoeuvres which took place in the darkness in the Firth of Forth between last night and this the morning.

The purpose of the outbreak of “hostilities” was to test the defences on the south and north shores.

That manoeuvres were last night to be engaged in was kept a close secret by the authorities. Indeed it was at the beginning of this week that service orders were given to the commanding officers of the forces to be engaged – artillerymen from Leith forts, local Territorials, and engineers.

Information that something was in the wind leaked out of North Queensferry during the course of yesterday, and towards evening numerous war vessels arrived in the Forth from the North Sea.

80 Vessels Near Forth Bridge.

Before nightfall there were about 80 craft lying above and below the Forth Bridge, the majority having moored in the vicinity of the Rosyth Dockyard.

From the bridge to about two miles up the river was a grand display of illuminations. The outline of each ironclad could be distinctly followed by twinkling lights, but even in the dark the vessel carrying the First Lord could easily be picked out.

From bow to stern the Enchantress was marked by a magnificent illumination, which was carried down a gangway to the sea’s surface, giving evidence that Mr Churchill was acting as host to the Admirals of the King’s Navee.

THE BATTLE

The first move of the attackers was made shortly after nightfall. It resulted in the Carlingnose Forts being captured in the easiest possible fashion. A body of blue-jackets landed in Burntisland from a torpedo boat and journeyed by train to Inverkeithing.

Arriving there, the “tars,” heavily armed and accoutred, skirted the main streets and succeeded in attracting but little attention.

They avoided the main highway to North Queensferry, and, scrambling over dykes and palings, made their approach to Carlingnose by the Ferry Hills.

Between the land and sea forces there was a pre-arranged scheme, and when the guns began to belch forth their message of war the bluejackets, taking the garrisons in the rear, surprised them.

For a time there was high fusillade from the forts on either side of the Forth. Searchlights swept the waters. Looking from the shore, it appeared as if nothing could pass those lines of light.

Between ten and eleven o’clock away towards the mouth of the Forth a rocket was seen high in the air and fell in a myriad of sparks. Shortly afterwards the crack of a gun from the forts overhead proclaimed the presence of the enemy.

Looking from the coast one could see sinister-looking craft swiftly stealing towards the bridge.

A torpedo boat and the shore defences exchanged shots.

The black clouds of smoke were at once used as a cloak by the invaders.

Several of the enemy’s craft followed, and were met by the guns of the defenders.

Throughout the night the warfare went on as the enemy’s vessels attempted to run the blockade.

What the result of the manoeuvres was cannot be stated, but the ordinary individual was struck by the fact that the enemy’s ships, showing no lights, reached a dangerous proximity to the Forth Bridge.

It is anticipated that Mr Churchill will today come ashore and carry out an inspection of the Rosyth dockyards works, the Port Laing flying station, and the Queensferry forts.

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