The RMC bar is a friendly venue for a pre-meeting lunch and chat
Our well-attended December session covered maritime navigation and Eagle ships of WW2. Richard May, a retired naval architect and now a Warrior 1860 guide, gave us an illuminating talk on maritime navigation. He led us from anthropological insights into migrations around the Pacific rim via the Babylonian calendar, the discovery of magnetic north, Newton’s theoretical work leading to the first instruments for taking solar and star measurements. From there we moved to the Longitude Act 1714, John Harrison’s chronometer, John Hadley’s 1740 sextant and the remarkable range of navigational aids available today. None of which are proof against human error. Richard led us cheerfully and accessibly through a potentially complex subject and sparked lively discussion at the end.
And so to our own Richard Blake’s eagerly anticipated talk on Eagle Ships of World War 2. The first three of what would become a substantial flotilla were the Thames paddle steamers Golden Eagle, Royal Eagle and Crested Eagle (the last sadly lost at Dunkirk). The paddlers’ wide beam, shallow draught and high speed suited them well to their wartime role as anti-aircraft ships. Possibly the first RN ships fitted with air defence radar (hastily adapted army sets) they complemented the Thames estuary defences and were especially useful against low-flying minelayers. Their impressive service record gave the lie to the often poor reputation of naval AA gunners. In the later stages of the war the supported combined operations in Dieppe, Normandy and the Scheldt. Crewed almost entirely by RNVR officers and Hostilities Only ratings they showed the effectiveness of so-called ‘civilians in uniform’.
Please see the Events page for details of our exciting 2025 programme.