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24 australian maritime issues 2009: spc-a annual
The RAN’s understanding of honour is likewise quite different from the form of militarism
which praises unrestrained fighting and heedless physical courage. Significantly, Navy
Values: Serving Australia with Pride suggests an awareness of professional martial virtues
which, being internal to the armed services, differs from the relatively undemanding
requirements of civilian society. As Mark Osiel notes in his book Obeying Orders:
The individual is free to choose, of course, whether or not to seek
membership of his county’s [armed services]. But he is not free to
decide what it means to be a professional [serviceman], much less an
excellent one. The meaning of meritorious [service] is determined by
the practices and traditions of the professional community. 7
Australian naval tradition recognises a professional community, which is defined less
by national borders and more by a fraternal ‘fellowship of the sea’ and shared sense of
honour. During the first months of World War I the German raider SMS Emden created
havoc on Allied shipping lanes; her crew under Captain Karl von Müller nevertheless
earned a reputation for honourable conduct. Recalling his capture after the epic battle
with HMAS Sydney (I) on 9 November 1914, Oberleutnant Franz Joseph, Prince of
Hohenzollern, made the point:
[We received] an order from the War office by which the King of England
returned to us officers and subordinate officers our swords. This was in so
far meaningless, as we had no swords with us, but doubtless the order was
intended as an honour for the Emden, and as such it greatly pleased us.
Given the rare opportunity to associate closely for a few days after their battle, officers
in Sydney and Emden came to the joint conclusion that ‘it was our job to knock one
another out, but there was no malice in it’. 8 Later, transferred as prisoners to HMS
Hampshire, Franz Joseph added:
We were received by Captain Grant, the captain of the cruiser, with great
cordiality. It was noticeable at once that we were among members of
our own profession. Wireless messages were coming in daily about the
war, which contained fascinating news for us. Thanks to the kindness
and chivalry of Captain Grant, we were given the messages to read.
The contrast between the conduct of the combatants during our first at sea triumph
and the situation we face today is stark. ‘Pitted against adversaries who fight without
any rules or restraints [who] employ methods that are rightfully viewed as horrific
and appalling by the rest of the civilised world’, we are shocked by a type of conflict
we immediately reject as ruthless and uncivilised. Understandably there are those
who wish to respond to terrorism in kind, yet it would be dishonourable, ‘a violation
of our own values for us to engage in a war with no rules’, with a sense neither of
honour nor shame. 9