First World War. His talents in the sea elevated his position by an appointment to a coal-burning destroyer HMS Vulture which he described as “Distinctly Inferior”, where he shifted himself to the command his beautiful little ship.
5. Demonstrating of higher professionalism made an entrance to Command larger ships where he was given the appointment of Commanding Officer of HMS Scorpion which was one of the latest ocean-going destroyers with 900 tons, well-armed and capable of 27 knots in her speed. Unbelievably, Cunningham was strangely junior to command such a ship where the whole period was full with adventure, war and numerous challenges in command. However, the early years which he spent in home waters under the watchful eye and the stern leadership of the Commodore of Destroyers nicknamed as the ‘Ruthless Disciplinarian’ Rear Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot, Cunningham drove a hard, but happy and efficient seamanship.
6. Even though, during this tenure on a dark night of November in 1911 in the Dover Straits, Scorpion collided with a sailing ship which resulted the sailing ship sunk in Dover Straits, but Cunningham with his maximum effort was able to rescued five out of six sailors of the sinking ship. However, the Court of Inquiry conducted by the Royal Navy found that the
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Eventually, during the month of November 1913 Cunningham was tasked to secure the Mediterranean as the Commander of HMS Scorpion in corporation with fifteen other destroyers where he was remained in the command until December 1917. This historical tenure of Cunningham’s life was involved in infamous chase of the German ships Goeben and Breslau, secure the Allied landings in Gallipoli, secure the safe passage of battleships and conduct convoy escorts. It was considered as difficult and challenging period, but it was also a period which Cunningham formed as a leader and gave him his instinctive to know about region and geography while exposing to regional politics and its