Building a fighting ship from reserves and merchant sailors

The account describes 39 officers and roughly 210 ratings drawn largely from naval reserves, pensioners, and merchant service, with only a small active-service core. Kennedy tried to build cohesion across those backgrounds by establishing common standards, encouraging merchant firemen and seamen to share recreation space, and praising well-kept departments. He revived a deck-marching exercise routine from HMS New Zealand and repeatedly drilled the gun crews despite the cold, blizzards, and short winter daylight south of Iceland. Because Kennedy was the senior captain, Rawalpindi was treated as the Northern Patrol's informal flagship even though Vice-Admiral Max Horton flew his flag ashore, and Horton praised the ship's efficiency. The converted hull needed weapons and a deliberate social process that could turn mixed personnel into a functioning ship's company.