Three Kings

“If they had any hesitation, our Mister Churchill has beaten that out of them by now.” At this they all smiled, for they knew, without any doubt, that Churchill would be the first to demand the Royal Navy now beat to quarters and come to the defense of Malta.

“Yes,” said Cunningham. “Churchill will raise the flag high and sound the trumpets in the House of Commons, but it will be our ships and guns on the line, and our crews at battle stations here. I remain assured that every man will do his utmost, but I am a realist as well. Even with your ship thrown in, odds are that we may face certain defeat, no matter what we do.”

“Which leads us to the question of whether we should spend the coin we have in hand now on Malta, or save it for a darker hour that may yet come.” Wavell raised the one question that had not yet been considered. “You have just informed me that we haven’t the strength to guarantee the safety of our planned reinforcement of Greece. Remember also that my force here relies on a supply line stretching over 12,000 miles by sea. And we also have troops on Crete and Cyprus that will need to be supported. If we lose what naval power we now have, those islands will be in jeopardy as well.”

“True,” said Tovey. “If the Germans are now planning to move on the Middle East, then we must preserve a strong naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. We must have the means of preventing the Germans from projecting power against Egypt and Palestine, and the islands you mention, General Wavell. The navy is the one tool for that job. If we use it now in defense of Malta we must be resolute, but ever mindful of the consequences should we lose our battle. I remind you that things have not gone as well for the Royal Navy as we might have expected. Our initial encounter with the Germans in the North set us back for some months. We only now have the services of the Battlecruiser Squadron and Admiral Holland on that watch, and thank God for King George V and Prince of Wales, now that we have those ships at sea. Yet we remain spread very thin. Somerville needs all of Force H just to keep an eye on the two French battleships still at Casablanca. We will need everything we have here to save Egypt and Palestine. So I put it to you all-should we fight now? The consequences of a defeat here will have dramatic repercussions.”

Tovey left that in the silence as each man considered the situation. The Royal Navy had always been the master of the seas, and could presume to back down any other navy in a one on one conflict. Yet the actions against the new Kriegsmarine, and off Dakar against the French, had exposed a weakness in the fleet that was of some concern.

The Royal Navy was aging, with 80 % of its ships still dating from the last war, many which had seen service with Jellicoe and Beatty at Jutland. Where it had the speed to catch its foe at sea, the armor was thin, except on HMS Invincible. Where it had the guns and armor to stand in any good fight, the battleships were slow, and could be easily out maneuvered by the fast new ships of their enemies. There were too few ships combining the speed and power necessary to prevail in the new war at sea, and the Invincible could not be everywhere.

“Well,” said Admiral Volsky. “The consequences of a defeat would be too severe to contemplate. So the solution is a simple one. We will win. Yes. I have an answer for you, Admiral Tovey. We will not be defeated. I will give orders that my ship be made ready for action immediately, and if you would be so kind as to entrust me with your naval ensign, I will proudly raise it and stand with you, here and now. We will fight and we will win. Of this I have no doubt.”

Tovey was the only other man in the room who knew that Admiral Volsky’s words were no idle boast. “That’s the spirit,” he said quickly. Cunningham nodded his approval.

“We thank you for your offer,” said Tovey, “and I will accept it and be grateful if you would receive my own naval standard as a way of welcoming you to the fleet. It is no ordinary ensign. In fact, it was flown by our very own Horatio Nelson at Trafalgar, and I have been privileged to raise it on my mainmast aboard Invincible. Now I am honored to offer it to you in trade for your able services, and I know it will be in good hands.”

Volsky fully appreciated the significance of this offer, and knew the history that had been sewn into that flag over many centuries. “The honor is mine,” he said. “And whenever you see that ensign raised on my mainmast, you will be looking at HMS Kirov.” He smiled, extending his hand, which Tovey shook with eager warmth.