Royal Navy Instructor Officers

How Meteorology became part of the Royal Navy

Development

On reflection, the meteorologist’s skills as used during WW1 must have been of use, particularly to the Royal Navy aviation world as once hostilities ceased, for those officers who had a particular interest in the weather; cessation did not appear to be an option. Although the majority of their work was done, these intrepid future RN Forecasters continued using their knowledge alongside their other duties on board ship.

At this time it did not really occur to anyone that these skills could be transferred to the shore bases where a few planes were still based. True most of the aerodromes had been transferred to the newly formed Royal Air Force, but now that the Naval Air Service (NAS) had disbanded, Royal Naval Air Stations (RNAS) were beginning to come into being, after all aircraft carriers were beginning to come into their own and when the ships were not at sea or were being refitted it was necessary to store the planes somewhere. Most of these stores were part of the newly appointed RAF Stations, but it is noticeable that when WW2 seemed to be looming over the horizon the RN appeared to be prepared and by 1939 a significant number of air stations were signed back over to the navy to become Royal Naval Air Stations.

Once the Great War was over most of the met forecasting for both shore bases and ships at sea was resumed by the State Meteorological Service or Meteorological Office (today’s Met Office). In 1920 a naval officer of considerable experience, Cdr Leonard Garbett RN was assigned to the Naval Section of the forecast section which was controlled by the Air Ministry. The Naval Meteorological Service was transferred from the Admiralty to the Air Ministry on 12 August 1920 and personnel, ten in number, were absorbed into the staff of the Met Office, Air Ministry on condition that the new Meteorological Office provided for the met needs of the Fleet. The Navy Service Division was created specifically for this purpose and in April 1921 a Superintendent Navy Services was appointed in the person of Cdr Leonard Garbett.

Captain L Garbett

At this time Fleet met was virtually non-existent except for those few officers who continued their interest and the training they had built up during the First World War. The newly appointed Superintendents first task was to explore the possibilities of utilising the met information available in fleet operations, arranging for the services provided by the Met Office and for an embryo met organisation within the Fleet itself; both afloat and ashore. To facilitate all this Cdr Garbett sought the views of senior officers and found them to be of considerable value in formulating a policy which could be adapted to the practical requirements of the Fleet.

Further to this and in order that naval officers became familiar with the developments most likely to be of assistance to Fleet Operations, a series of lectures were inaugurated; the first series being given at the Navigation School in 1924/5. These aroused considerable interest in meteorology within the fleet and close liaison with Home Port shore establishments and HM Ships on the Home Station ensured that special forecasts for specific operations were obtained from the Met Office. By 1925 a similar arrangement was also instituted on the Mediterranean Stations; additionally the Fleet Synoptic message and the issue of Gregale warnings were transferred to the Met Office in Malta.

It was whilst on passage to Malta on HMS Barham that the Superintendent and a scientific officer took the opportunity to demonstrate constructing a synoptic chart at sea with the idea of introducing the utilisation of synoptic charts on HM Ships along with a series of blank met working charts covering all stations for use on board and already in preparation by the Admiralty. At the same time arrangements were also made for HM Ships in the Mediterranean to furnish weather reports in International Code to the Met Office Malta. By 1928 the Admiralty had appointed a Fleet Met Committee who were of considerable influence; the members being heads of naval departments who had a direct interest in Fleet Met and were able to discuss and recommend to the Naval Board on all matters connected to the development of meteorology within the Fleet.

HMS Barham pre 1930

In order to develop the Fleet Air Arm it became vitally important that met information connected with naval aircraft became recognised and meteorological courses to select naval observers were instituted. After qualifying these observers were to be appointed to the Fleet Carriers and other ships carrying aircraft for met duties. The success of these first courses led to further courses which enabled ninety officers to extend their meteorological knowledge and put it to good use once aircraft carriers had been supplied with an equipped met cabin and special met instruments; albeit this met cabin was very often the officers own personal cabin.

In 1928, Naval Met Service memos and a six monthly periodical newsletter were introduced as a means of keeping officers involved with meteorological work in touch with the latest developments in met practice. By the early 1930’s ships were collecting data on upper air information and had been equipped with pilot balloon apparatus, a handbook had been produced laying out methods of observing and encouraging various scientific investigations which may lead to further met observations on board ship. Also brought in was a directive that Fleet Navigation officers should attend a one week met course before taking up a sea appointment and the Admiralty authorised the use of the prefix ‘Met’ for all officers who were qualified in meteorology.

The early to mid 1930’s was the time when single observer forecasting was investigated with the idea of extending this method of forecasting to stations abroad. 1934 saw the Admiralty approving the establishment of a forecast service within the Fleet and met organisation in ships other than aircraft carriers; by 1935 a trained met rating was to be detailed in each ship to assist the Met officer. The Fleet Navigation Officer was made responsible for met or it became the responsibility of the Fleet King’s Harbour Master to liaise with local met services.

The situation in Germany and the dominance of one Adolf Hitler had not gone unnoticed by the Admiralty, certainly as far as Meteorology was concerned. A sub-committee of the Fleet Met Committee was formed to consider war organisation and to prepare a memo putting forward their proposals. This proved to be a timely idea as by the time hostilities were declared a plan was in place which designated certain met officers to named ships commensurate with their training and experience. The number of ratings assigned to each ship had been decided and equipment ordered and subsequently put into place.

In order that enough trained officers were available in the event of future hostilities approval was given for selected RNVR officers to attend a twelve week qualifying course in meteorology, there was also a three week training course in upper air work for the RM establishment at Calshot. In 1936 the Admiralty commenced the production of a series of uniform met working charts to cover the world and preparation of an Admiralty Weather Manual was also begun.

Dr A G Forsdyke

All this preparation culminated in 1937 in meteorology being introduced as a subject for study at RNC Greenwich; the courses being taken by Dr A G Forsdyke, a senir forecaster employed by the Meteorological Office and seconded to the navy. So began the formation of a fledgling Met Branch with formal recognition for Q Met ratings and 3d per day extra pay when they were doing a met related job. By the end of 1937 the Treasury had approved the transfer of the Naval Division from the Meteorological Office to the Admiralty under the remit of the Hydrographer Royal Navy. Commander Garbett became Chief Superintendent of the Naval Met branch and was promoted to Captain; two years later the status was raised to a directorate and he became the first Director Naval Meteorological Services (DNMS). All this in preparation for the upcoming hostilities! In the future the introduction of females into a world which up to this point had been male dominated.

Sources: Various Official Admiralty documents archived with:
The National Archives, Kew
Royal Naval Historical Branch, Portsmouth
Gill Charles, Secretary and Researcher Cloud Observers – an Association for retired RN Meteorologists.