SHERSTON, G. P.
Each section consists of records for that month, from May 1899 to March 1901. Change to H.M.S. Ocean in February 1900. Neat, readable handwriting describing location of ship, events on board. References to other ships seen eg. H.M.S. Seagull, Lasseur or Australia. Sighting of royal yacht "Victoria & Albert" Jan. 1900. Maps show routes of H.M.S. Majestic and Ocean during maneuvers, indicating the H.M.S. Ocean sailed farther abroad, apparently as far as the Suez. Plans of Portsmouth Harbour, Devonport, Colombo, Port Said, etc. Illustrations of a torpedo firing valve, gun, coaling arrangements, a midship section, bow and stern sections. B&w line drawing of Fastnet Rock, small islet in the Atlantic Ocean and the most southerly point of Ireland. Also tucked inside is a colour illustration of the H.M.S. Majestic and a receipt from The Club Hotel, Yokohama, 1901.The log appears to be that of George Ponsonby Sherston (1883-1963) of Kildare, who joined the Royal Navy on January 15, 1898 on the training ship H.M.S. Britannia, apparently graduating 33rd out of a class of 63. Sherston was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on April 1, 1905, to Lieutenant-Commander on April 1, 1913, to Commander on June 30, 1917. He was placed on the Retired List due to non-service on September 10, 1927 and subsequently promoted to the rank of Captain (retired) on August 31, 1928. A story from World War I states that Lt.-Com. Sherston was required to transport German POWs to Milford Haven on board his sloop, Snowdrop. He had the prisoners placed on the upper deck ten feet apart, had a chalk line drawn around each, and placed a sailor with a rifle amidships. He then explained to his prisoners that any man who stepped over the line would be shot. Apparently, he had no trouble on the voyage. HMS Majestic was a battleship built for the Royal Navy in 1895. When World War I broke out, Majestic was attached to the Channel Fleet during the early stages of the war before being detached for escort duties with Canadian troop convoys. In early 1915, Majestic was dispatched to the Mediterranean for service, participated in bombardments of Turkish forts and supported the Allied landings at Gallipoli. On May 27, 1915, she was torpedoed by a U-boat and sank with the loss of 49 men.Sherston's next ship, HMS Ocean, was another battleship intended for service in Asia. Ocean and its sister ships were smaller and faster than the preceding Majestic-class battleships, but retained the same battery of guns. Ocean was launched in July 1898, and commissioned into the fleet in February 1900 when Sherston joined. It was sunk by a mine off the Turkish coast on March 18, 1915.
