(2) The establishment of schools of instruction for captains and officers of the Mercantile Marine.

This training scheme was begun at Chatham Barracks in February, 1917, by Commander E.L.B.  Lockyer, acting under Captain Webb, and later was extended to Portsmouth, Cardiff and Greenock.  Its success was so marked, and its benefit in assisting officers to handle their ships in the manner best calculated to save them from submarine attack so great, that the Admiralty was continually being pressed by shipowners and by the officers of the Mercantile Marine to extend the instruction to more and more ports.  This was done so far as possible, our principal difficulty being to provide officers capable of giving the instruction required.

(3) The provision of wireless plant and operators to the Mercantile Marine.  This was another matter taken up with energy during 1917, and with excellent results.

(4) The drilling of guns crews for the merchant ships.  Men were invited to go through a course of drill, and large numbers responded and were instructed at the Royal Naval Depot at the Crystal Palace.

All these matters were additional to the important work upon which the Trade Division was constantly employed, which included all blockade questions, the routeing of merchant ships, examination of ships, etc.

In addition to the instructional anti-submarine course for masters and officers, gunnery courses for cadets and apprentices were started at Portsmouth, Chatham and Devonport.  A system of visits to ships by officer instructors for the purpose of affording instruction and for inspection, as well as for the purpose of lecturing, was instituted, and arrangements were made for giving instruction in signalling.  Some idea of the work carried out will be gathered from the following figures showing the instructional work carried out during the year 1917: 

  Masters 1,929
  Officers 2,149
  Number of cadets and apprentices passed through
    the gunnery course 543
  Number of merchant seamen trained in gunnery at
    the Crystal Palace 3,964
  Number of ships visited by officer instructors 6,927
  Numbers attending these lectures: 
    Masters 1,361
    Officers 5,921
  Number of officers and men instructed in signalling 10,487

The keenness shown by officers and men of the merchant service contributed in a marked degree to the success of the courses instituted; just one example may be given.  I visited the Royal Naval Depot at the Crystal Palace early in 1918, and amongst other most interesting scenes witnessed a large number of men of the merchant service at gun drill.  I questioned several of them as to their experiences, and many of the men had had their ships torpedoed under them three, four or five times.  Amongst the gun crews was a steward who had been through this experience four times.  On my asking why he, as a steward, should be going through the gunnery course, he replied that he hoped that by so doing he might stand a chance of getting his own back by assisting to sink a submarine.