H. M. S. Vanguard

Chose for her helm the faith more fair than fame,
A spotless record to her ancient name;
Her compass, that which varied not nor swerved,
The honour of the fleet in which she served.
Lit by a loyalty that never failed.
Shone high tradition when the Vanguards sailed :
So sailing, found the haven of their quest,
Where they are glad, because they are at rest.

She shall fear no doubting challenge streaming out against the sky.
When she makes the shining harbour where the old-world Vanguards lie;
For her name shows bright as ever, free from all that stains or harms.
To the mariners and Captains and the mail-clad men-at-arms.
Can you hear the swell of cheering thro' the crash of culverin
As they man their yards and castles for a Vanguard's coming in?

But her Squadron, all in silence, set their steel-clad stems to sea,
For the wake shows white and empty where their sister loved to be.

From The Secret of the Ships, by Admiral Ronald A. Hopwood, published by John Murray, London, UK, © 1918, p. 57.

In memory of the officers and men of H.M.S. Vanguard who perished with her on July 9th, 1917, when she blew up at Scapa Flow as one of her magazines overheated.

Charley Noble