Immediately after the official inspection (July 10th), which was said to be quite satisfactory, the vessel so fitted was ordered to sea, and in due course I received a registered letter marked "Personal and Private." The envelope covered an inner envelope also marked "Private." The inner envelope contained a short note conveying the thanks of the Lords of the Admiralty to me, the inventor.
[Illustration: _Sketch No. 1_ (taken at 25 feet) shows the dummy boat in position ready to go to sea.]
[Illustration: _Sketch No. 2_ (taken at 25 feet) shows the dummy davits down, the boat gone and the gun deck cleared for action _within three seconds_ from the word of command having been given.]
To what further uses, or with what results the design was utilised, remained as closely guarded a secret as the inner letter of thanks.
Meanwhile I was more than anxious for active service which would give me a chance of getting at short grips with the dastardly submarines which I had hunted in the frozen north so long but never fairly and squarely behind a gun.
Further reflections caused the following letter to be written:
"_To_ "THE ADMIRALTY, "WHITEHALL, "LONDON. "_August 17th, 1915._
"Since I wrote you with completed report on my gun-screen-dummy boat, submarines have continued to favour these waters in particular. Three large steamers have quite recently been torpedoed.
"They have sunk in this neighbourhood alone over fifty sailing trawlers, _every one_ bombed or sunk by gunfire, and _from the surface_, but not a mine-sweeper nor a patrol-boat seems to have been attacked!
"There are plenty of sailing trawlers lying idle in ports.
"I therefore humbly venture to suggest to the Admiralty that if half a dozen of these were mounted with guns, covered by the dummy-boat-screen and manned by a small, smart crew, dressed in _ordinary fishermen's_ clothes (not the naval uniforms with gold braid and _white-topped_ ornamental caps, so much in vogue at present), those submarine pests would be caught napping without much difficulty; whilst the fishermen, who are mostly ruined, would at least feel that we had got a little of our own back with every pirate so sunk.
"It would also be easy to place a motor and propeller in the vessel so employed which would help manoeuvring in no small measure; whilst as to manning them, there is plenty of material of the very best to select from for such a job--men who have been patrolling in gunboats and trawlers for a year without a smell of powder which their nostrils hunger for. I personally know plenty who would willingly abandon good positions and hail such an opportunity with eagerness; whilst, if the chance was given, I myself would willingly and gladly volunteer my services with them in the first boat sent out, or under them in any capacity, from the lowly cook or cabin-boy upwards.