Download - Royal Australian Navy

honesty
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Knowing that one can depend on his or her shipmates in all situations is the life blood
of a cohesive ship’s company. This trust begins in the mess deck or cabin with simple
things such as knowing that one’s possessions will be respected by those sharing the
compartment. Other gestures, such as being punctually relieved by a shipmate at the
end of a watch or duty, build on this trust and dependence and inspire confidence within
everyone in the crew.
Pride in, and being honest with, oneself is perhaps the most critical part of being an
effective member of a ship’s company. For if an officer or sailor takes pride in themselves
and in their performance of duty, they will soon gain both the respect and trust of their
shipmates. Such honesty, however, can at times be the most confronting challenge of all.
Sometimes this form of honesty will reveal flaws in one’s character or level of competence
which can lead to self doubt, lack of confidence and poor performance. Mastering this
realisation and taking action to address these inadequacies is the mark of a person who
will always emerge as a better individual and team player.
Often it takes courage to be honest, particularly in a Service environment where rank
can often be intimidating to junior personnel. No subordinate ever enjoys advising their
superior officer of bad tidings, and when these situations arise it can challenge the
honesty of all involved. Juniors must feel confident that they can apprise their seniors
of both good and bad news without fear of unjust rebuke. The temptation otherwise is
to water down the gravity of a situation or avoid bringing it to the attention of a superior
altogether. Neither of these outcomes is desirable and superiors should always be
prepared to honestly evaluate a situation to avoid reacting in an injudicious manner. By
doing so, they will do much to preserve the level of trust and respect between themselves
and their subordinates.
One of the most famous examples of trust, honesty and mutual respect to be found in
naval annals took place on board the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Victory immediately
prior to the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. Joining his signal lieutenant, John
Pasco, on deck, Admiral Horatio Nelson ordered him to make a signal. ‘I wish to say
… ‘‘England confides that every man will do his duty’’’. Nelson added, ‘You must be
quick for I have one more to make, which is for close action’. Due to the urgency, Pasco
suggested replacing the word ‘confides’ with ‘expects’, as this was a single flag in the
code book and did not need to be spelt out. Nelson replied ‘That will do, make it directly’. 3
The inspirational signal was subsequently made and became inextricably linked with
the decisive victory won by Nelson that day. What should not be overlooked, however,
is the honest exchange that took place between the famous admiral and his subordinate.
In stark contrast to this honest exchange of advice before Trafalgar is the avoidable loss
of HMS Victoria in a collision with HMS Camperdown on 22 June 1893. Three hundred
and fifty eight officers and men died including the Commander in Chief, Vice Admiral Sir
George Tryon. Although both Tryon’s staff commander and flag lieutenant were aware
of the probable outcome, they allowed him to order two columns of ships to perform an