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In the dim, empty hangars of the aircraft carrier Courageous, the King inspected 1,500 reservists who just ten days before had dropped jobs as miners, postmen, spot welders, turncocks, chefs, whatnots. The crews had drawn lots for the privilege of being reviewed. The King chatted with some, found they had been landlubbers for 16 years. But they all said they were ready for come-Hell. After lunch he boarded the royal barge, toured the entire fleet—past many a proud name: Brazen and Brilliant; Dauntless, Vivacious, Wakeful and Ardent; Dragon and Basilisk; Skate, Sturgeon, and Swordfish; Antelope; Emerald, Pearl, Cornelian and Ruby; Wren, Mallard and Kittiwake. The crews, told they could stand at ease, leaned on the rail and shouted themselves froggy.
King George, trained as a naval officer and a veteran of Jutland, displays many of the solid, unimaginative qualities which make British fighters what they are. One of those qualities consists of seeing everything through insular eyes—Britain's way is the only way, the world over. When someone commiserated the King on the poor weather last week, he said, philosophically and without a moment's hesitation: "It's the same everywhere."
*Her steel hide was flayed under the terms of the London Naval Treaty, 1931-32.
*Home Fleet: 63 vessels; Mediterranean Fleet: 111; East Indies Squadron: 9; Africa Squadron: 8; America & West Indies Squadron: 8; Royal Canadian Navy: 15; Royal Australian Navy: 14; China Squadron: 70; Singapore Squadron: 13; British home ports and miscellaneous: 138; Reserve: 103 (augmented last week by 30 vessels borrowed from other fleets). These are technically all King George's private property.