Navy Lore
From the pages of Warship International we bring you our feature called the Naval Lore Corner.
Starting in 1966, and for the next 14 years, Warship International featured the "Naval Lore Corner". The material and drawings featured in the "Naval Lore Corner" was the work of our member Captain (N) J.M. Thornton, OMM, CD, ADC of the Royal Canadian Navy.Captain Thornton was born in Toronto, Canada in 1926. He was educated in various cities in Canada until the age of 17 when he joined the Royal Canadian Navy as an Ordinary Seaman in WW II. He served aboard various ships, including the cruiser Uganda.
He developed an interest in ships and naval history from earliest childhood and combined this interest with a hobby of pen-and-ink sketching to produce an feature entitled "Naval Lore Corner" which appeared monthly in the old RCN magazine Crowsnest for over 15 years.
Thornton was commissioned in 1955 as a lieutenant and continued producing the "Naval Lore Corner" until the demise of Crowsnest in 1965--a victim of the Canadian Forces Unification Act. Afterward, a compendium of the features was published in four countries.
Appointed in Command of HMCS Discovery, in 1970 (Naval shore establishment and reserve base in Vancouver, B.C.), he was also appointed an Honorary ADC to the Governor-General of Canada. He was promoted to the rank of Captain on New Year’s Day, 1974, and, later in the year, was awarded the Order of Military Merit in the grade of Officer.
Over the 14 year period, Warship International was proud to feature the "Naval Lore Corner" in each issue. It has been 18 years since the excellent artwork of Captain Thornton has appeared in Warship International. We feel that the information and fine work of Captain Thornton should not be lost. As a result, we will feature the "Naval Lore Corner" as part of our web page. We hope that all of our new members and those on the Internet will enjoy reading this feature.
We are starting with the first 2 installments and we will add to this each month. We hope all of you enjoy them today as much as they were enjoyed back in 1966.
Navy Lore Corner - July 1998
NAVAL YACHTS
MANY LUXURY YACHTS HAVE SERVED AS NAVAL AUXILIARIES AND TRAINING SHIPS IN PEACE AND WAR. THE HEY DAY OF THE GREAT YACHTS ENDED DURING THE DEPRESSION OF THE 1930S, AND MOST OF THEM CHANGED HANDS SEVERAL TIMES...
...THE 'SAVARONA' BECAME THE TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL YACHT IN 1936, BUT IN 1851, AFTER THE DEATH OF KEMAL ATATURK, PASSED TO THE TURKISH NAVY. SHE WAS SERIOUSLY DAMAGED BY FIRE EARLY IN 1980...
