What Would The Duties Of A steward be during Comba

[Chris Talbot]

Hi All

I realise that this question is off topic by a few years but I feel that the answer would be true for both world wars so here go,s.

I am researching my wifes uncle Victor Forrest who perished during the sinking of HMS Hood in 1941.

He was a petty officer steward on the Hood and I was wondering what his likely duties be during combat.

I,m thinking that he would have been part of a damage control party or perhapse in some sort of first aid role.

If anyone has any other ideas i would be interested to hear from you.

Yours Chris

[westkent78]

I recently asked a similar question on this forum with regard to a cook's mate during the Battle of Jutland. The general concensus was that he was most likely to be used hauling ammunition as this would not require much training. It was felt that damage control would require too much training to be a viable action station when he had to do his other duties. The thread can be found by searching for "HMS Lion at Jutland" (must learn how to put a link in! )

First aid seems an interesting option though, with regard to your relative. Seems in the realm of possibilities, and I do remember reading about stewards so employed on destroyers and corvettes in WW2, but things may have been done differently on a larger warship.

Hope this is of some help.

Matthew

[stevedrew]

Chris,

Ship's crews cannot be replaced except at port, and so, the Captain MUST make the best of what he has on board at any one time.

During combat, a cook or steward would obviously not be required to perform his normal function, but would be required, as you have mentioned, to be in a damage control party, loading ammunition etc.

Westkent suggested that " damage control would require too much training to be a viable action station when he had to do his other duties", but that is not correct.

EVERY person on board a fighting ship MUST know (to a greater or lesser extent) how to perform adequately at EVERY station on board a vessel.

The cooks MAY be in Damage Contol/Reporting at the initial outbreak of action, then be required to perform as a Gunner or Gunner's mate, or any other station as needs be (due to loss of personnel) during an action.

Of course, a cook cannot be expected to know the exacting science of naval gunnery to the extent that a gunnery officer does, but in the event of heavy losses of personnel, he might be of more use to the ship's survival to, say, man the guns than to perform his normal "battle station".

Steve Drew

[healdav]

That is an impossible question to answer. As has been said (by me) the most probable is that he was moving ammunition, but it could be something much more responsible.

If you read Forester's "The Ship" which is about a convoy to Malta and an excellent book, you will find that the Captain's steward had been a steward on TransAtlantic liners, was calm and collectcd, reliable and discreet and was one of the people correcting the fire of the guns.

The RN uses what it has to be the best of their and its abilities.

On theother hand, the only man on a missile submarine who has no hand in firing a missile is the..... Captain's steward.