I was serving in the 3rd Battle Squadron, 'Flag Iron Duke, Marborough, Emperor of India and Benbow in the Med. on arrival back at Portland in time for the autumn cruise in 1926 - I was drafted to the Hood. This was known as the gunnery cruise.
The Battle Cruiser Squadron Flag Hood Vice Admiral Dreyer, Captain French and Commander Arthur John Power later to become famous in Ark Royal.
Repulse, Renown and the Tiger flying flag of Flag Officer, Portland.
She was a local stantion and did her gunnery etc. with us. ' We did a full power trial in the North Sea about 33 knots. We had Admiral the Earl of Jellicoe with us to see this rather spectacular Prince of Wales Feathers effect up through the 3 hawse pipes. He was tickled pink. He had been used to 20 knots or so. I stood with him on the Flag Deck - I was a Communications Rating. Our siren jambed open and filled the North Sea with noise and it took the Engineers ages to fix it - you can imagine the panic. A prolonged blast means, "I am in distress" and our Fleet all round us in very ponderous numbers - can you imagine it? Then the bearings ran hot and we lost speed to a point where we only just about had steerage way, but we made Invergordon O.K.
Harry Smith, Portland