From: C.N. Parkinson’s “Edward Pellew, Viscount Exmouth, Admiral of the Red” (1934).
Schanck fully appreciated his assistant, and in after years used to relate anecdotes of Pellew’s energy on this occasion. One of these concerned the stepping of the masts of the Inflexible, immediately after launching her. There were two ways of stepping a ship’s masts in those days. One, the navy way, was to put the ship alongside the sheer hulk in a big harbour. The other, the merchant service way, was to erect sheers on the vessel to be masted. In this case the latter method had to be adopted. ‘On the day the Inflexible was launched, Pellew was on the top of the sheers trying to get in the mainmast, when - the machinery not being of the best - it gave way; and down fell mainmast, Pellew, sheers and all into the Lake. “Poor Pellew” exclaimed Schanck “He is gone at last;” not so however. He speedily emerged and was the first man to mount the sheers again. “Sir” the dear old man used to conclude “He was like a Squirrel.” ’ These are the words in which Schanck, when an old man and blind, used to tell the story to Pellew’s children.