Identifier: fleetfromwithinb00moserich (find matches)
Title: The fleet from within. Being the impressions of a R. N. V. R. officer
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Moseley, Sydney A. (Sydney Alexander), b. 1888
Subjects: Great Britain. Royal Navy World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations
Publisher: London, and Edinburgh, S. Low, Marston & co. ltd.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ons. That was a fatal error. There areprobably more spies moving in prohibitedareas with apparent freedom than those whohave been actually dealt with. It sometimespays to wait—as they did in the case of Lody—until the spy has gathered all his availablematerial before pouncing upon him andgleaning from his records how much it ispossible for a spy to learn. Lodys report did justice to his daring,but hardly to his powers of observation.His description of guns was grotesque. Inestimating the calibre of these weapons heoften referred to pounders when he meantinches and inches when he shouldhave written pounders. He placed im-aginary defences where no defences were—because they were not necessary—and re-ferred to places as being unfortified wherethere was a veritable network of guns, mines,torpedoes, and other formidable weaponsbristling for all comers to see. Efficient spying in such a vast dockyardappears to the outsider not a very difficultmatter. It would seem impossible to hide
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SPIES AT THE BASE 129 the many and vast secrets of the Navy fromthe prying of trained observers. And yetsuch is the system in vogue that, so far as itis possible to learn, little ever leaked out,and probably every man sent by the enemyto spy out the land was under survey fromfirst to last. Secret information came in—of that I shall write later—but not very muchever got out. I obtained my first insight of what thisorganisation is in a curious manner. Myuniform as naval officer, I thought, would atonce dispel any particular interest in me,but I confess I was greatly taken off myguard when one of the intelligence officerssaid to me, d propos of nothing: Ratherhot time you must have had at the Dar-danelles, sir. I suppose youll be writinganother book about the Navy ? This wasa very unexpected greeting to receive froman official, when I had determined to impressmy status strictly as a naval officer. Hesaw my momentary embarrassment. Oh, youll find plenty of material here,he ended nonch

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