One of the earliest arrivals at the Base was H.M.S. "Imperieuse" (previously "Fisgard I."). She left Portsmouth in September, 1914, in company with "Fisgard II.," with a party of dockyardmen who were coming up for work in the Grand Fleet; unfortunately "Fisgard II." capsized off Portland Bill with the loss of several lives, but "Fisgard I." arrived safely at Scapa Flow, and was renamed "Imperieuse." During the war she discharged many useful and important functions, and there are few naval officers who served any length of time at Scapa who did not at some time pass through her. Primarily she was the receiving and distributing centre for the mails for the Fleet, and some idea of the enormous number of letters, etc., dealt with may be gleaned from the fact that when the Fleet was present some 50,000 items were sorted and despatched daily. "Imperieuse" was also the headquarters of the staffs of the Admiralty Port Officer (or King's Harbour Master, as he would be styled at a dockyard port), Fleet Coaling Officer, Naval Store Officer, Victualling Store Officer, Naval Ordnance Officer, Cashier, Base Censor, and also accommodated the dockyard working parties, until at a later stage other vessels arrived which relieved her of some of these functions. In spite of the limited office and cabin accommodation, it was an interesting time: the work and the conditions were novel, and there was always plenty to be done in straightening out the various problems that arose. One could write a small volume on the personalities one met at the Base at that time: of a certain genial captain, addicted to forcible but effective speech; of "V.O.S.O.," equally proficient in supplying flour and potatoes, and music; of "N.O.S.O.," who insisted on a duly receipted, countersigned, and approved voucher (in triplicate) before he would part with a minute brass screw; of the "Drifter King," whose knowledge of Scotch drifter-men and their idiosyncrasies was profound; of a certain officer in charge of Water Boats, sent to the Base by the Admiralty as a "gentleman of affairs," whose versatility flowed into such diverse channels as the organisation of a band, sports, the edition of a ship's magazine, the supervision of gifts forwarded by the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Fund, and in numerous other directions; of W—— and B—— (the "Bullion Brokers"), who could give you the very latest tip straight from the horse's mouth: these are but a few of those who enlivened the Base in 1915-1916.
H.M.S. "Victorious" at Scapa Flow.
One of the next noteworthy arrivals at the Base was that of H.M.S. "Victorious," early in 1916. A "dockyard ship" had been awaited for nearly a year to relieve the congestion on "Imperieuse," and in September, 1915, the "Caribbean," duly fitted out for the purpose, left Liverpool for Scapa, but, like "Fisgard II.," sank on the journey north off Cape Wrath. H.M.S. "Victorious" was then taken in hand, and reached the Base safely in March, 1916. She was well provided with workshops and accommodation—being indeed a miniature "floating dockyard"—and at times over 500 dockyard artisans were accommodated, although these usually lived afloat on the ships of the Grand Fleet. The presence of such a large body of civilian workmen on a ship officered and manned by Service ranks and ratings presented several novel problems, and it was largely due to the tact and consideration of both parties that the experiment, on the whole, was justified by the results. The possession of such a ship at the Base, by enabling defects to be adjusted and installations, such as director firing gear, protective deck plating, flying-off platforms, etc., to be fitted by skilled workmen at the Base instead of at a southern dockyard, added considerably to the fighting strength of the Fleet at a time when ships were badly needed, and when our numerical superiority over the enemy fleet was less marked than at a later period of the war.
R.F.A. "Ruthenia."
Early in 1917 the addition of a small Floating Dock enabled much useful work to be done in carrying out minor refits and emergency repairs, and over 200 keels were docked whilst it remained at Scapa.
The Fleet repair ships, H.M.S. "Cyclops" and "Assistance," have already been referred to, and they should not be overlooked in this connection; both these vessels carried out, with naval ratings, valuable repairs in connection with the maintenance of the machinery, etc., of the ships of the Grand Fleet.