CORRESPONDENCE
Dear Pete,
Interested to read Nick Hall's article on the T boats in the September
Newsletter but disappointed that Thule didn't get a mention. Under the
Command of, I think Alastair Mars, the boat had a distinguished record in
the Med. and this was the subject of his book "HMS Thule Intercepts". The
boat was never streamlined or converted and I was the Third Hand of what was
probably Thule's last commission in 1961, clockwork mousing for work up
ships at Portland. Phil Toms, whose recent death was noted in a previous
newsletter, was the Engineer.
Regards,
Mark Wareham
Dear Peter
Some 9 months ago Pat Cullum rang me and asked me what I thought about some
sort of commemoration plaque for the 4th Squadron at HMAS Penguin, I replied
that it was a brilliant idea. Pat then approached the CO of Penguin
Commander Roger Dobson RAN who liked the idea and promised his assistance to
carry it out.
Pat then hunted down the piece of sandstone, which had been waiting millions
of years for this opportunity to be a star, and, after obtaining this,
started working on a plaque design.
The plaque itself was another matter as we had to get the dates of the boats
serviced spot on , and after a lot of research it came out in its present
form and was duly inscribed by a local company at Narrabri
Pat then worked on the stone to prepare an area to take the plaque, and at
the top, a shelf area to fold a model “T” boat, which had been copied from a
model of one owned by Dick Mason.
The stone was brought to Penguin on Saturday morning 29 September where it
was off loaded and had an insert carved out by Pat, Tony Maddock and yours
truly, to take the supporting stone.
On completion it was lowered by Hi Ab onto the site which had been prepared
by Tony Maddock on the Friday. The plaque was then fitted to the stone and
the “T” boat fitted into the shelf. We then moved to the barbeque area to
prepare the seating in the marquees and stow the drinks in the portable cool
room.
On the Saturday night, around 30 of us gathered with wives at the Oaks
Hotel, where over some pizzas and beers lots of stories were swapped, then
back to Buena Vista where a number of us were staying.
On Sunday we arrived early to set up a reception area and make sure all else
was in order and at around 9.30 am the first arrival trickled in. Some had
not been back to Penguin since their service days and were anxious to look
around their old base.
On arrival and registration all were given a name tag sticker and an
engraved pen memento, which had been provided by my good friend Roger Shayer
of Scribal, an ex Southsea boy now living in Terrigal.
Many were held up due to the traffic through Mosman, including Bill Owen who
was to do the unveiling of the plaque, but arrived in time for the ceremony.
Bill made a speech covering the 4th’s history then called on Pat to say a
few words, which he did. Pat then said he wished to present a plaque replica
and a cap to FOSM, Rear Admiral David Cook RN, the Admiral stood up and Pat
then said “Rear Admiral Cook one pace forward, March!” which the admiral in
good part did. Pat presented the replica and cap and then stated, “I’ve
always wanted to do that.” He then thanked the Admiral, his aide Captain
Suchet RN and Brigadier Robins for attending.
The Padre, Reverend Simon Hubbard CSC RAN (Rtd) then blessed the occasion.
A WW2 submariner Dr Colin Douglas-Smith, who had travelled from WA, then
gave a speech as to how he came to be in submarines and his wartime
experiences. On completion Bill Owen unveiled the plaque and invited all to
partake of a tot and lunch in the barbeque area near the jetty, where beer
wine and soft drinks were provided. Joe Everton did the honours as rum bosun,
then lunch was on.
Commander Dobson was unable to attend but his Executive Officer Lieutenant
Commander Shaw RAN was on hand and she made sure that all went well, for
which we thank her and to the Duty Chief for her assistance. Some of the
participants had travelled a long way, Dave Summers from the UK, others from
New Zealand, New Caledonia, Alan Jamieson and others from WA, Victoria and
Queensland, all up 112 attendees on the day.
Bill Starkey provided a door prize of two tickets to the Maritime Museum,
drawn by the Admiral and won by Tansy Lee.
The Admiral remarked that he was amazed at the camaraderie and how we had
all kept together after all these years.
One back mark on the day was when we discovered some light fingered person
had purloined an engraved hip flask of Nelson’s Blood rum which Pat intended
to present. I was ashamed that a submariner would steal from another,
practically unknown in the service. If, on reading this he can return it
anonymously to Pat or myself, no questions asked.
It was a memorable day otherwise and I have several phone calls to assure me
of this, the weather being just perfect for the occasion.
Several people sadly could not attend due to circumstances beyond their
control, family illness, etc, including Mike Pearson who is at the present
time very ill. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Let’s hope we can all get together again in the not too distant future.
Thank you one and all for attending and making it such a memorable occasion.
Tom McCammont,
Terrigal NSW 2260
Dear Peter,
An item for the Newsletter “Bill Hudson" who worked for Boeing as the
Project Director for the combat System during the Collins build has died
from the Cancer and will be interred on Tuesday the 23rd. October". I
believe many of your readers who knew and respected "Bill" would like to
know this sad news.
Regards Tim Everard
Hi David,
The chemo people have given me 12months to stay upright. During the last few
months I've met some great people suffering from this disease, the ones you
feel most sorry for are the children and I feel I must do something for
them. Therefore I would like to undertake a WALK FOR KIDS WITH CANCER from
Brisbane to Canberra to arrive in time for SUBCON 08 with the donations
going to Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane and Westmead Children's
Hospital in Sydney. I would like to involve the SAA and with the contacts
our Members have in the Association I feel sure we could put this together
quite easily.
It would take approximately six weeks and I
believe it would enhance our Association's position in the Community. All we
need is ten volunteers per week for six weeks.
I hope the SAA can get behind this and if I'm
not too late get it into the next INDEPTH. At our last meeting in
Maryborough the Members with a show of hands showed their enthusiasm for the
project.
Regards, Bob Wilson,
Beenleigh Qld.
ACT & SR BRANCH
Secretary Geoff BURNS JP
02 48494330 0427 435 314
gcburns@clearmail.com.au
Unfortunately, there was no report from the
ACT Branch prior to going to print. On behalf of the ACT President and
Executive we wish you a Very Merry Christmas. ED.
NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCH
Secretary Ken
WILLIAMS H 02-80042304 M 0400500604 email
kenbwilliams@hotmail.com
At the time of going to press there was no
report from the Branch however, I am sure Ken will keep you in the loop
regarding information. On behalf of the NSW President and executive we wish
you a Very Merry Christmas
NORTH QUEENSLAND BRANCH
Secretary Garth SCHMIDT email ssc83850@bigpond.net.au
G'day to all members. Well the time for our
last meeting for the year fast approaches.
This meeting is scheduled for the weekend of 9,10 & 11 November and will be
held in Ingham. It would be really great to catch up with as many members as
possible to bring the year to a close and have an early kick-off to the
festive season.
The meeting will be held in the Ingham R.S.L. Club with pre-meeting
refreshments from midday to 1400. The meeting will be called at 1400 and we
will be having dinner at the club at 1800.
For those that wish, there will be a meet and greet at the club at 1800 on
the Friday evening, and members will join the RSL contingent for the
Remembrance Day ceremony on the Sunday morning. I know that several members
will be staying down at beautiful Forrest Beach and Snow Schleicher has
booked several rooms at the local hotel /caravan park. Anyone that wants
accommodation booked; please let me know, so that we can make the
arrangements for you.
I will also need to know numbers attending the dinner on Saturday evening,
so the RSL can provide the meals for us.
As usual, we will be running raffles & auctions for various SAA memorabilia.
Safe travelling to all and please come along to support your Nth Qld
Branch....... these meetings are always great fun.
QUEENSLAND BRANCH
Secretary Rob H. WOOLRYCH MBE H 07-54421991 email
robjanw@launch.net.au
Next Meeting: When. Sunday 13 January
2008. Venue. Coorparoo R.S.L. 45 Holdsworth St, COORPAROO Time 1100
If there are any visitors to the area we would love to have you join us.
Remembrance Day: 1100 Sunday, 11 November 2007 at Coorparoo RSL – All
welcome
It has been a good year for SAA Qld Inc with new members coming in and most
importantly we have had some very good social occasions. The Social
activities will continue for the next year and we hope get better. The
Meeting recently held in Maryborough was a great success almost entirely due
to the efforts of Ailsa and John Head - our sincere thanks to both of you.
Ailsa's Heritage Walk was the only talk in our car on the way home.
There were nearly 30 of us at the meeting but the two important things were
we had new faces and our wives were able to join in the weekend fun.
From the men's point of view the highlight of the weekend was the whale
watching where our ladies were able to join in the fun and experience of
"Sea Time" and we did see whales and their babies.
As a result of this weekend away meeting, we will have another away trip to
a meeting
When, 11/12 October 2008. Where Stanthorpe
a. Saturday Wine Tour of the Vineyards
b. Meeting Stanthorpe RSL 1100 Sunday 12 Oct 2008
Any of you who wish to join us are very welcome to do so
SEASONS GREETINGS
From the President, Committee and Members of SAA Qld Inc to all
ex-submariners wherever you are, have a Happy and Safe Christmas and stay
well in 2008 and all the time Drive Carefully.
ONCE AGAIN THE IMPORTANT THING
Next Meeting is at the Coorparoo RSL on Sunday 13 January 2008 and all are
most welcome
SOUTH
AUSTRALIAN BRANCH
Secretary David BRYANT H 08-82630461 M 0412574790 email
djbryant@senet.com.au
At the time of going to press there was
no news from the South Australian Branch; however I am sure that David will
keep you informed. On behalf of the President and Executives we wish you a
Very Merry Christmas.
TASMANIAN BRANCH
Secretary David BYRNE H. 03/6233588 Email:
dbyrne@keypoint.com.au
This year’s Tasmanian Branch AGM was held in
mid-September and a good number rocked up for a short but interesting
meeting. It was agreed that Tassie’s laid back approach to meetings and
other gatherings was spot on and that the outgoing Committee appeared to be
getting the mix right. This was confirmed by having the same members
re-elected to the same positions for another year! They are: President Kim
Pitt, Secretary/Treasurer David Byrne, Member (North) Grant Beswick and
Member (South) Mike Crellin.
The post-AGM lunch was also well attended and gave members from across the
state the opportunity to catch up over a meal and a couple of beers. Ian
Doig was true to his word when we met by accident at Hobart Airport in June
and has officially joined the island state branch – welcome Dougal!
Occasionally we get wind of a former submariner who has moved to or retired
to Tasmania. Unfortunately, we rarely get any more detail than that. If you
know of someone who has moved here to God’s country and who you suspect is
not a member of either the national or Tasmanian state organisations please
either give them the Secretary’s contact details above or pass their details
to David Byrne.
The President, Committee and Members of the Tasmanian Branch would like to
take this opportunity to wish all of our submarine comrades and their
families across the country and abroad all the very best wishes for
Christmas and for a safe, prosperous and Happy New Year in 2008.
VICTORIAN BRANCH
Secretary Keith ‘Boot’ HATFIELD M 0408 051 085 email
hatfield.1@optusnet.com.au
A friendly reminder to all. November's meeting
will be held at the ESU, commencing 12 noon. Committee will meet at 11am.
This is a promulgated Business Meeting and any items for Business should be
in the hands of the Secretary 14 days prior to the meeting. 12 noon ESU,
corner of Walsh Street and Toorak Road, November 18. It is hoped that Mike
Rikard-Bell will be able to give an update on AE2 after the conclusion of
Business at the meeting. Should prove to be very interesting. Hope to see
you there.
16th December 1030 Christmas Dinner at the ESU, corner of Walsh Street and
Toorak Road. Commence 12 noon. Contact Keith Hatfield for details.
On behalf of the President and Executive a Very Merry Christmas to one and
all.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA BRANCH
Acting Secretary Lloyd (Joe) Blake H 08 94444912 M 0439943230 email
lloydblake@iinet.net.au
The departure for greener pastures in Queensland sees us without a Secretary
or Treasurer and in addition to my role as Branch Vice President I am acting
Secretary and Norm is Acting Treasurer until the positions are filled.
As a result of the lack of Committee things have been pretty slow, but
members can be assured that we are currently looking at the social calendar
and will be promulgating future meetings and events shortly. Planning for
the major event of the year, Remembrance Day alongside Ovens, held with the
support of the WA Maritime Museum, is well advanced and it is hoped that all
WA submarine community members will attend this important event.
The Branch has a few Members that are not travelling too well at the moment
and it is a reminder to all to take time to contact old mates every now and
then, that little bit of personal contact does more good than you realise.
Events Calendar: Remembrance Day Service Fremantle 1030-1100, Sunday 11
November.
The WA Branch will host the Remembrance service at the memorial plaque
alongside Submarine Ovens at the WA Maritime Museum, Victoria Quay,
Fremantle. The Service will start at 1030.
On completion of the service (30 minutes) members are invited to board
Submarine Ovens with family and friends.
Fremantle’s Submarine Fleet: Between 1942 and 1945 a total of 164 submarines
of the American, British and Dutch Navies were based and operated from
Australian ports with Fremantle playing the largest role. Patrols by
Fremantle based submarines accounted for the total tonnage sunk second only
to that from submarines based at Pearl Harbour. Attending the service brings
the lessons of history and demonstrates our support of submarines as an
important National security asset.
I thought that, in retirement, I would have much more time on my hands to
play with the website, but to my surprise I have less, having two websites
to maintain (submarinesaustralia.com and upperiscope.com.au) instead of one
has made it more difficult to keep them in sync. I intend approaching the
National Executive for permission to merge the sites again to resolve some
problems that I am experiencing. I think one site makes it easier for
visitors to use.
One of the problems I am having is that the two sites are under their own
URLs (address) and this has resulted in broken links and pages that do not
work. If you find any problems, please let me know so that I can fix them,
if I don’t know I cannot fix them.
Remember, constructive criticism, suggestions for improvements and even
complaints are always welcome. Remember, it is YOUR site and it is only as
good as you make it
Thanks for your support
Norm Williams Web Manager
COMMANDER NORMAN SHAW
RAN Rtd
Norman Shaw joined the RAN as a boy midshipman in the second intake of Cadet
Midshipmen at the RAN College then housed in Osborne House, Geelong in 1914.
Frank Getting had joined the college in the first intake the year
previously. Having moved up through the ranks both Getting and Shaw were the
first Australia submarine Officers to complete the “Perisher” in England. It
is rather unfortunate for Shaw that as the Forces list its personnel in
alphabetic order Getting gets the kudos and Shaw the footnote.
The following was written by Norman Shaw who was in his early 70s and living
in Bath, England in 1972, five years after the current Squadron was
commissioned at HMAS Platypus in Neutral Bay, Sydney in 1967.
RECOLLECTIONS OF COMMANDER N. H. SHAW
My first experience in submarines was with the “J” Class.
In 1919 the several Australian Ships which had been attached to the Royal
Navy during the war, returned to Australia.
HMAS Australia had been the flagship of the Second Battle Cruiser Squadron,
HMA Ships Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane had been with one of the Light
Cruiser Squadrons and the Destroyer Flotilla – Yarra, Parramatta, Warrego,
Huon, Torrens, and Swan had been employed principally in the Mediterranean.
Additionally HMAS Platypus, which had completed building during the war and
later, had served as a depot ship for RN submarines in UK waters, sailed in
company with six “J” class submarines which had been “given” to the RAN.
Most of the units proceeded to Australia independently.
I was a Midshipman in HMAS Australia at the time and I recall that we took
J7 in tow for a few days while on passage from Eden to Colombo. Taking
passage in the Submarines were six Australian Sub Lieutenants (all of the
first RANC entry), Calder, Getting, Larkins, Sadleir, Showers and Watkins.
Officers of the Flotilla were as follows:
Platypus Commander E C Boyle VC RN
J1 (Capt) LCDR R A Trevor LEUT De Mowbray (XO)
J2 ‘’ LEUT C B Barry LEUT C E Lowther ‘’
J3 ‘’ LEUT H K B Mitchell LEUT Howell-Price ‘’
J4 ‘’ LCDR A N Lee LEUT Hume-Spry ‘’
J5 ‘’ LEUT J J R Peirson LEUT C C Alexander ‘’
J7 ‘’ LCDR O E Hallifax LEUT J Drinkwater ‘’
(pictured at Blockhouse)
LEUT A. Powell was spare First Lieutenant carried in Platypus.
There were four or five RNR Lieutenants – Bunting, Dodds, Brickle, Sayle and
another who were “navigators” of the submarines. They were always referred
to themselves as the “Spearmints” because of their “Wrigley” stripes.
Of the Sub Lieutenants I cannot recall which boat they were in except in the
case of Larkins who was washed overboard from J2 in Karimata Straits
(Indonesia). The Engineers were Broomhead, Scott, Allen, McGuffie, Bradley
and Ballantyne – all RN Warrant Engineers.
In September 1919 after promotion to Sub Lieutenant I was appointed to
Platypus for a submarine course. Others of my year in the same course were
Casey, Dash, Gould, Spurgeon and Towers. We were replacements for Calder,
Getting etc, who had returned to the UK for their short courses at
Greenwich, Vernon, and Excellent etc.
On completing the course in February 1920 I was appointed to J7 which was
undergoing a long refit and two months later when the visit of the Prince of
Wales was imminent and ships in reserve were re-commissioned with reduced
crews, I was serving first in “Parramatta” and later in “Sydney” for a total
of four months before returning to the S/M Flotilla.
Earlier it had been decided to establish a Submarine Base at Osborne House
Geelong (the temporary site of the RANC during 1913 and 1914 pending
transfer to Jervis Bay at the end of 1914).
Platypus with J1 and J4 were the first arrivals there and J2 and J5 came
along later. Platypus was secured to mooring buoys off the end of the pier
with the submarines berthed alongside. The submarine crews, both Officers
and men, were accommodated ashore at Osborne House
I am uncertain whether J3 and J7 ever arrived at Geelong for they were still
refitting in Sydney when I left Australia in August 1921 for my short
courses at Greenwich etc., and when I returned to Australia in October 1922
the base at Geelong had been closed down and J3 and J7 were then at
Westernport.
The “J” class were double hull boats with an armament of 4 bow torpedo tubes
(18”). I cannot remember whether or not they mounted a 4” gun.
They were propelled by three sets of 12 cylinder solid injection diesel
engines giving a speed of 19 knots.
Their diving qualities were not the best, it being asserted by one
experienced submarine captain that if you could drive a J boat you could
drive a bath. In common with the “K” class steam propelled double hull
submarines the “J”s had a very flat upper deck and casing which acted rather
as one large hydroplane when an angle of more than 5 degrees was reached.
As a base, Geelong was far removed from the diving ground even when the
shallower waters of Port Phillip were used instead of Bass Strait, but it
was very agreeable place insofar as accommodation and recreation facilities
were concerned.
J7, unlike the other five Js, had
had its conning tower situated well aft
over the motor room between the forward and after engine rooms. I was never
able to find out the reason for this arrangement. Nobody seemed to know – it
meant a long journey for the captain from his bunk in the wardroom to the
control room.
My actual seagoing experience in the J boats was not very great, for much of
my time was spent in J7 at Cockatoo Island.
After my return to Australia in late 1922, I spent the next two years as a
watch keeper in the Flagship “Melbourne” and for a short period as 1st Lieut
of the Flower Class Sloop “Marguerite” which had been re-commissioned to
carry the Admiral’s Office when “Melbourne” developed “condenseritis” (sic)
and “Brisbane” was temporary Flagship.
By 1924 all the former RAN Officers with any submarine experience (except
Getting, Casey and myself) had decided to specialise in “G”, “T”, “N” etc.
In September 1924, Getting and I, with our wives, sailed in TSS Diogenes
(Aberdeen White Star) for UK to get further submarine experience and qualify
in due course for command of the two “O” class submarines which had been
ordered for the RAN. Casey was to follow later to provide a spare CO.
It was a grim tragedy that Casey, such a sound, placid and competent fellow
should be lost in HMS M1 when she was rammed by a Swedish ship off Start
Point in November 1925.
After a short period at Fort Blockhouse I joined HMS K22
(photo) as a “spare dinner”
and Getting joined HMS R4 as First Lieutenant to LCDR V.R.S. Bowlby who was
Senior Submarine Officer (SSO) of the 6th Submarine Flotilla at Portland.
Commander G.P. Thomson, who commanded the 6th Submarine Flotilla at the
time, was second Naval Member (ACNB) shortly before the outbreak of the last
war (WW1).
K22 was the former K13 which had flooded while doing diving trials in the
Gareloch during the first war. The majority of the crew were saved. After
re-conditioning she was, for obvious reason re-numbered K22.
Shortly before I joined her she had been commanded by LCDR Trevor who had
been captain of J1 in Australia. One night when leaving Portland harbour and
about to pass through the southern entrance he turned to his navigator and
asked “which side of the light do we pass” reply “leave it to Port sir”. The
reply should have been “to Starboard” and presently K22 hit the breakwater.
Trevor, who had been considered a certainty for his brass hat in the New
Year’s promotions due in a couple of weeks, missed out.
A couple of days after I had joined K22, the First Submarine Flotilla
consisting of the Light Cruiser “Conquest” (Captain S), the depot ship
“Cyclops”, K2 (LCDR Coltart), K4 (LCDR Boyd), K12 (LCDR D’oyley-Hughes) K22
(LCDR Busbridge) and K26 CMDR Lockhart SSO), sailed with the Atlantic Fleet
on its way to the Mediterranean for combined fleet exercises with the
Mediterranean Fleet.
On completion of the combined fleet exercise both fleets steamed into Palma
Bay, Majorca and then followed one of the finest sights I have ever seen.
Just over 100 ships came to anchor on the signal from Revenge (Admiral
Oliver) – out went the lower booms, down went the boats and accommodation
ladders, all awnings spread – all under a clear blue sky with the sun
shining brightly.
While at Palma I received an appointment to relieve LEUT J Donovan RAN as
“third hand” of submarine L.52 in the Second Submarine Flotilla based on
Malta. Jack Donavan returned to the UK to take passage to Australia in HMAS
Moresby and I went on to Malta. Shortly afterwards my wife joined me from UK
and we spent a happy 14 months on the Mediterranean Station. A few months
after I had joined L.52 the first lieutenant went back to the UK for his
periscope course and I stepped into his shoes.
It was a very busy flotilla and our activities covered a very wide field. In
1925 all six submarines L.25, L.54, L.56, L.69 and L.71 were kept busy for a
month at the island of Siros in the Cyclades carrying out 90 degree angled
torpedo firing under the direction of LCDR G E Creasy of HMS Vernon. Creasy
attained the rank of Admiral of the Fleet and clocked up his 78th birthday
recently (circa 1972 Ed). The exercise was designed to find out the mean
advance from the firing position to the point where the torpedo settled down
on its new track 90 degrees to the right or left of its firing course.
At one time each submarine was painted a different colour to determine which
colour was less likely to be sighted by an aircraft on reconnaissance.
White, black, blue green, Grey and striped Mackerel were the colours –
Striped Mackerel was L52 – but I never heard if cast iron conclusion was
reached. I imagine much would depend on the time of the day, the amount of
sunlight, cloud etc.
The L.50 class of submarines were very much like the standard L class except
that they had a duck tail stern. They were very good diving boats but as
Automatic Inboard Venting had not yet been introduced it was not an easy job
to prevent them from breaking surface when firing a salvo of six torpedoes.
In those days the Mediterranean Fleet consisted of two Battle Squadrons
(Queen Elizabeth and Iron Duke classes), two cruiser squadrons, four
destroyer flotillas , one submarine flotilla, two Aircraft Carriers
(Glorious and Courageous) and a variety of depot ships and small craft for
target towing and the like.
Sea time was plentiful and Fleet exercises frequent. During my spell there
we visited practically every friendly country, Spain, Italy, Greece, Algeria
and Islands under their control.
At that time Rear Admiral A.P. Addison was RA Destroyer Flotillas – he had
been Commodore and later Rear Admiral Commanding the Australia Squadron in
1922-24 and I believe he had influenced the Australian Naval Board in
ordering Oxley and Otway. As an ex-torpedo
man he had been Capt (S) of the
Submarine Flotilla during the first war.
In 1928 when he was Vice Admiral, Director of Dockyards, he came to lunch
with us at Fort Blockhouse shortly before we sailed in Oxley and Otway for
Australia.
In March 1926 I returned to England with my wife and shortly afterwards
Frank Getting and I commenced our Periscope course at Devonport. Our teacher
Capt was LCDR C.B. Barry who had commanded J2 in Australia. The Attack
Teacher was situated in the Port Library and a flotilla of H-class
submarines based on HMS Maidstone (the old one) at Torpoint was available
for makee learn COs to practice what they had learnt on the Attack Teacher.
We soon gained confidence.
In July 1926 I was appointed in command of H.27 in the Fifth Submarine
Flotilla based at Blockhouse and a week later Frank Getting assumed command
of H.29 in the Sixth Flotilla based on HMS Vulcan at Portland.
While in H.27 I took the opportunity of paying a visit to Chatham dockyard
where ‘Oberon’ (the prototype of the O-class) was building, and again met
Jack Donovan who had returned from Australia and had been designated as
First Lieutenant of Oxley when Frank Getting would assume command. There
again I was also to meet CMDR G D’Oyley-Hughes who had been First Lieutenant
to LCDR Dunbar Naismith VC in E.11 during the Dardanelles campaign of
1915-16. D’Oyley-Hughes had come out as Flag Lieutenant to Commodore
Dumaresq in HMAS Australia in 1919.
In February 1927, I went up to Barrow-in-Furness and took up my appointment
as First Lieutenant to LCDR G.J.G. Tweedy in Otway. Frank Getting had gone
up there a little earlier in a similar capacity to CMDR H.R. Marrack in
Oxley.
Both Marrack and Tweedy were very capable submarine captains with war
experience. Naturally I knew Tweedy much better than I knew Marrack and I
cannot recall ever having served with a more likable and pleasant superior
Officer. Later on when we were in Malta, all of us were extremely sad when
Tweedy was passed over for promotion.
During the fitting out period at Barrow other Officers and key ratings came
along and when all personnel, after varying periods of service in several RN
Submarine Flotillas, had arrived we started “school sessions” to get
everyone acquainted with the hull construction and the various systems of
pumping and flooding, venting telemotor, electrical equipment, low power
etc.
Vickers had provided a suitable schoolroom in the shipyard and when the yard
workmen had their lunch break we took our personnel on board to show them
“in situ” what they had been taught during the forenoon. Each Saturday
morning the ship’s company was given a written examination covering the
week’s instruction.
Most things worked surprisingly well when several trails commenced although
there were some occasions when things went wrong. On one occasion I
expressed concern to the Engineering Works Manager that when some fault
appeared in a piece of equipment in Oxley it was replaced by robbing Otway’s
accumulation of gear and materials. He pointed out that time was of the
essence to complete the first boat and the defective item would be repaired
in good time for installation in Otway. However he went on to say that
during the first war when they had contracts for building say – twelve
submarines there was scarcely anything left at the end of the contract with
which to build the twelfth boat!
Oxley did her diving trials in the Gareloch. George Tweedy and I went up
there by train and stayed at the Shandon Hydro for a couple of nights and
went out each day to see how everything went in Oxley. Conditions in Oxley
were very crowded – in addition to a full crew there were numerous shipyard
workmen and also Admiralty Overseers of various grades.
In Otway we did our diving trails a few miles to seaward of Barrow, and
having done a static trim in the yard basin the previous day we expected all
would go well.
When the time came and we flooded main ballast, main motors at half ahead
grouped up, take her down to 25 feet – there was no apparent movement on the
control room depth gauges. Tweedy had a look through the periscope and
immediately ordered “blow main Ballast” – a few seconds later we hit the
bottom. Fortunately it was sand. An examination showed that someone – maybe
a yard workman – had overnight blanked off the small pipes connecting the
gauges to the sea. Eventually our diving trails were completed without
further incidents of that kind.
Throughout our time at Barrow we had Engineer CMDR C.W. Bridge RAN assisted
by LEUT (E) F.C. Hodgson RAN as general Overseer – but the main overseeing
responsibility was that of the Admiralty through who the Australian
Government had placed the order.
The Managing Director of the Vickers Yard at Barrow was Commander Charles
Craven (a few years later Sir Charles) who had been a submariner himself and
anything within reason that we asked for was readily provided by him.
On frequent occasions he invited all the officers and their wives to Sunday
supper at his official residence – Abbey House – very jolly evenings they
were indeed.
After completion at Barrow, Oxley went on to Chatham Dockyard for the
installation of Asdic equipment and we in Otway followed later. While at
Chatham we were all accommodated in the RN Barracks.
One rather tiresome job we had there was breaking down of the Specific
Gravity of the electrolyte in our batteries. This involved drawing off the
electrolyte covering the top of the plates and replacing them it with
distilled water – the operation having to be repeated three times,
immediately after re-charging, before the target specified gravity was
reached.
From Chatham we went on to Blockhouse for a short period before going on to
Portland for exercise with the Anti Submarine Flotilla based there. Oxley
went on later for deep diving trials off the Scilly Isles – she was to go
down to 300 feet but on the way there received instructions by signal to
limit the depth to 200 feet. She had been designed for a depth of 500 feet.
While Otway was at Portland we developed a serious steering defect – after
clearing the breakwater one morning she would not answer her helm and
started turning circles. Examination showed that the rudder crosshead had
fractured, and as the rudder was “overbalanced” it would only remain in hard
over position while making way through the water.
We were taken back to harbour by tugs and after the rudder had been clamped
to the tail fin in an amidships position we left for Portsmouth, steering
with our engines and with a tug as escort. Eventually a team from Vickers
arrived to fit a new and modified crosshead.
Oxley and Otway sailed in company for Australia from Portsmouth in April
1928.
Oxley
CMDR H.R Marrack DSC RN
LEUT F.E. Getting RAN
LEUT J. Donovan RAN
LEUT J.B.S. Barwood RAN
LEUT A.E. Fowler RAN
LEUT (E) F.C. Hodgson RAN
Wt ENG J.A. Hutton RAN
Otway
LCDR G.J.D Tweedy RN
LEUT N.H. Shaw RAN
LEUT J.A.A. Stocks RAN
LEUT L.R. Brooks RAN
SLEUT H.C. Wright RAN
SLEUT M.L. Power RN
Wt ENG A Nairn RAN
(Sub Lieutenant Power ended his naval service a few years ago (late 1960s
Ed) as Admiral Sir Manley Lawrence Power KCB C-in-C Portsmouth).
After a brief visit to Gibraltar we continued on our way to Malta and during
that passage the Engineer Officer of Otway (Alex Nairn) reported evidence of
cracks in the columns of the main engines. On arrival at Malta an
examination of Oxley’s engine columns revealed cracks also.
Engineering experts, both naval and from Vickers, pondered over the problem
for some time and eventually it was decided that the engines should be
rebuilt with new modified columns.
A minesweeper in reserve, HMS Stoke, was made available as an accommodation
ship during the long period over which the necessary work was undertaken by
HM Dockyard Malta under the supervision of personnel from Vickers. Some
Officers and ratings returned to UK for further training and some returned
to Australia.
Towards the end of the period, Engineer Captain J.J.C Brand RAN and the
Engineering works Manager from Vickers (Mr. W. Johnson) paid a visit on
behalf of their separate interests and before they left they jointly gave a
dinner party to the Officers and wives heading the invitation “If this be
the price of Admiralty, my God we have both paid in full”
As both CMDR Marrack and LCDR Tweedy would have completed their two year
period of service with the RAN before the submarines could possibly arrive
in Australia, they asked to be relieved.
CMDR A. Gordon Hine DSO was appointed to Otway as Senior Officer Submarines
and Frank Getting, who had put up his half stripe while we were in Malta,
was appointed in command of Oxley.
Otway and Oxley sailed from Malta towards the end of November 1928 and after
a short call at Port Said for fresh provisions continued on through the Suez
Canal. When half way down the Red Sea we were overtaken by our wives who had
returned from Australia to be with us in Malta, travelling in SS Orama. They
were crashing on at eighteen knots while we lumbered along at an average of
about twelve knots.
After three days at Aden we set off for Colombo making a fair passage with
only minor engine stoppages. There we were topped up with fresh provisions
from Colombo Cold Storage Co. which included Australian sirloin of beef.
(After arrival in Sydney we were admonished by the ACNB through the agency
of Director of Victualling for having brought sirloin at 10p per pound
instead of rolled ribs at 8p per lb!!!) We were in Colombo for about a week
during which CMDR Hine went up country with his wife who was passing through
on her way to Australia.
We arrived in Balawan Deli two days before Christmas and were made welcome
by the British residents of Medan. On Christmas Eve both submarines were
deserted with only one Officer and a few key ratings left on board. The
remainder of us were accorded hospitality over Christmas by the British
community. CMDR Hine and I stayed with the Consul in great comfort and were
taken up to the hill station at Brastagi for Christmas dinner.
Our next stop was Singapore where we spent New Year’s day CMDR R.D.
King-Harman (a Singapore Pilot) who had been the navigator of HMAS Sydney a
few years previously, organised all kinds of entertainment and recreation
for both Officers and men during our visit.
On to Batavia where we needed help in the way of re-winding of the armatures
of our water and oil pumps. This was undertaken by Radio Holland at Tanjong
Priok and they made an excellent job. The British residents of Batavia
extended much hospitality to both Officers and men. While there we were
joined by HMS Kent, flagship of Admiral Tyrwhitt and met an old shipmate or
two. One was LCDR P.L.Vian of Cossack fame in later years. He had been LEUT
(G) of HMAS Australia when I was a midshipman. I had recently put up my half
stripe and he remarked that I had caught up with him. As he subsequently
became an Admiral of the Fleet I had to concede the race to him!
From Batavia we went on to Koepang in Timor and after a couple of days, on
again to Thursday Island where Platypus awaited our arrival. Preparations
for Platypus to resume her erstwhile role of Submarine Depot Ship had been
sadly lacking – no mess decks were available for our ship’s companies.
On the way south we called in at Townsville and Brisbane before arriving in
Sydney in February 1929. Shortly afterwards CMDR Hine took command of
Platypus and I took command of Otway.
Then followed a period of Foreign Service leave for all.
LEUT Barwood of Oxley had come to Otway as my First Lieutenant and LCDR
G.A.W Voelcker RN who had taken passage out in Canberra went to Platypus in
the in the dual capacity of First Lieutenant and Spare S/m Captain.
Later in the year Platypus, Oxley and Otway sailed for Jervis Bay from where
we worked up to a reasonable state of efficiency after such a long period of
diving inactivity.
Occasionally, as opportunity offered, we were able to carry out attacks on
Australia and Canberra but torpedo firing was not frequent owing to a lack
of vessels available for picking up torpedoes with nicely crushed heads
after attacks on the cruisers. When attacking other ships the torpedoes were
set to “run under”. When exercising independently inside Jervis Bay, I
frequently fired torpedoes for the sake of keeping the TGM and his team up
to scratch in their preparation tests. In calm waters we could recover our
own torpedoes.
Some time after we returned to Sydney, Jack Donovan and Ben Barwood left for
UK for periscope course – Fowler then became First Lieutenant of Oxley and
Brooks in Otway.
The next occasion we used Jervis Bay was after Platypus had become HMAS
Penguin and moored securely alongside Garden Island, and after both
submarines had undergone an extensive refit. CMDR Hine took passage with me
in Otway and conducted operations from ashore at the Collage. Oxley followed
shortly afterwards. HMAS Anzac (LCDR Paul Hirst) came along to act as target
and recovery vessel.
Shortly after we had returned to Sydney we received information that the
submarines were to pay off into immediate reserve. (The world financial
depression had started).
Frank Getting went to UK for his “big ship” time; CMDR Hine and LCDR
Voelcker left for the UK and I remained as Senior Officer Submarines in
reserve with reduced crews.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that we never really got going.
In reserve I had some difficulty in obtaining permission to take alternate
submarines to sea each week for a day’s diving. Money was short and fuel
expensive. Never again did we fire a torpedo, but occasionally I could fluke
a target vessel on passage to some place.
Later when it was decided that Oxley and Otway were to be transferred to the
Royal Navy the takeover went smoothly with both submarines in sound working
order. CMDR E.M. Loly took over Oxley and LCDR T.H. Dickson took Otway.
It is my opinion that (a) it would have been wiser for Australia to have
waited until the “O” class had been proved before ordering Oxley and Otway,
for they were in fact the guinea pigs of the class, and (b) had it not been
the financial depression we would have had a fair prospect of establishing
successfully, on the third attempt an Australian Submarine Flotilla.
Shortly after the submarines had been taken
over by the Royal Navy I came to UK in August 1931 and before joining HMS
Ramillies at Malta, I called on Rear Admiral Submarines (Naismith) at
Blockhouse. He questioned me on several matters and asked why we had not
fitted Davis Escape Apparatus while the submarines were in reserve. I told
him that the Naval Board had sought my opinion and I had advised against. He
asked “Why”. My reply was that (a) I took the view that it was much better
to prevent a submarine being sunk than to seek ways of rescuing the crew
after it had been sunk. “And how do you propose to do that?” He asked. And
(b). My answer was “By being more careful and discriminating in the
selection of your Submarine Captains.
I cannot recall any submarine disaster in peacetime which was not
attributable to negligence, and in most cases the Captain himself was either
negligent or incompetent. In other cases the negligence derived from lack of
supervision and/or lack of training, both of which could usually be traced
back to indolence on the part of the Captain.
While in UK at that time I met up with LCDR Leathes who had been my captain
in L.25 some years before. He was now in Command of M.2, one of the M-class
which had originally mounted a 12” gun. M.2’s gun turret had been replaced
by a hanger housing a small seaplane which had been catapulted along rails
set up on the forward casing. Leathes invited me onboard for a short
demonstration in the vicinity of the Isle of Wright. Quite an interesting
performance – we dived, and on surfacing the hangar was opened and after a
very short interval the seaplane was catapulted off, did a few circles and
low passes before landing on the surface alongside, was hoisted in, stowed
away and we dived again .
That was the last time I ever dived in a submarine – over forty years ago
(circa 1932 Ed).
Some months later M.2 was lost with all hands. I believe the hangar door was
opened too soon when surfacing.
Apart from submarine X.1 which was a purely experimental venture the “O”
class were first of the post war (WW1) new construction programme. They were
probably best described as a modified saddle tank submarines in so far as
the hull was concerned. If I remember correctly their surface displacement
was in the region of 1400 tons. The pressure hull was 1 inch plating
calculated to permit a maximum diving depth of 500 feet.
The only external ballast tanks with Kingstons were Nos. 4, 7 and 8 which
could be, and were, used as reserve fuel tanks. Additionally Nos 3 and 9
external ballast tanks had smaller fuel tanks built within them. Although
these arrangements for fuel stowage gave the vessels great range of
endurance, there was a crucial disadvantage in the matter of oil leaks from
these lightly constructed tanks. The differential two-way relief valve
installation – spring loaded to 6 lbs – was not satisfactory and my
experience was that it was well nigh impossible to avoid leaving a tell-tale
oil slick when diving. I expect a solution was found before the outbreak of
war (WW2), otherwise many more of our submarines would have been lost.
Many new features in these submarines were incorporated for the first time.
All vent, Kingstons and blowing controls for the external and internal
ballast tanks were operated from central telemotor panel in the Control
Room.
The LP Blowers were of a new rotary type replacing the former reciprocating
blowers.
Centrifugal ballast pumps replaced the old reciprocating type.
The Main Engines were blast injection diesels giving a speed of about 15
knots. The pistons were of aluminium and were oiled cooled through an
arrangement of walking pipes connected to a circulating pump – the cooling
agent was sea water.
The main batteries were housed in battery rooms, 3 in number, instead of
battery tanks as hitherto. Each cell of the Exide Ironclad batteries had a
connection to the battery ventilating system on the exhaust side, and on the
supply side the air passed through a cooler serviced by the CO2
refrigeration plant.
The batteries could be “grouped up” to supply 330 volts to the main motors
by splitting No.3 battery and connecting half in series with each of Nos 1
and 2 batteries. All auxiliary motors and power remained on 220 volts when
“grouped up” and the Reducer was then switched to “levelling” to preserve an
equal discharge from each of the three batteries.
The Main Motors were totally enclosed and ventilated by fans drawing air
through sea water coolers.
The refrigeration plant enabled the storage of a limited quantity of fresh
meat and could also produce six blocks of ice per day.
The fresh water supply could be augmented by passing the exhaust gases of
the Main Engines through an evaporator.
The Forward and After hydroplanes and steering gear were powered by
Williams-Janney Variable Speed gear with telemotor control from the Control
Room.
The armament consisted of six bow and two stern 21 inch torpedo tubes. Bow
caps were telemotor powered and the tubes had Automatic Inboard Venting,
Electro-Magnetic firing gear and access openings for 90 degree angling and
alteration of depth setting.
The periscopes were 30 feet but otherwise were much the same as the shorter
periscopes in earlier use.
Water cooled Valve transmission was an innovation in the W/T equipment.
On the domestic side a cook rating and an Officers steward were included in
the complement for the first time. In Harbour the cook used an oil fired
galley in the forward casing.
A skiff powered by a small engine carrying its own petrol tank was stowed in
the after casing – very useful too after the old Berthon Boats.
Oxley and Otway were very good diving craft and most manageable. For their
time, they were comfortable to live in.
It was much to be regretted that the circumstances prevented Frank Getting
and the rest of us from establishing a good foundation for an Australian
Submarine Service.
I hope that this latest effort to maintain a squadron (that is the modern
term I understand) of Submarines in Australia will be successful.
THE U-BOATS WERE BEDAZZLED by Rupert Butler.
Dazzle was a revolutionary naval deception technique designed to confuse WW1
German U-boats on speed and course of Allied ships. Accounts of how Dazzle
worked are revealed in ‘Camouflage” an exhibition running until 18 November
2007 at the Imperial War Museum in London.
The introduction of Dazzle came at a crucial point of the war, spurred by a
dramatic announcement in February 1917 from the Imperial German Chancellor
Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg that the country was increasing its aggressive
policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
It involved all ships travelling within a war zone, even those from neutral
countries, if they were suspected of transporting aid to England.
Between March and December, U-boats sank 925 ships. In mid-April came the
blackest period, with 55 destroyed in a single week for an average of almost
eight ships per day, Says James Taylor IWM historian and exhibit curator:
“What evolved on the Allied side amounted to a revolution in camouflage.
This was visual mimicry, which had already been foreshadowed by Q-Ships.
These were armed British vessels disguised as unarmed merchant ships, often
flying flags of neutral countries. Their role was to attack a U-boat when
they closed with what the German Commander believed to be unarmed ships. By
then the Q-Ships had unveiled their guns and were firing at close range. For
a while this ruse worked but it was not nearly enough.”
Conventional camouflage was strictly limited – a truth increasingly
recognised by a group of illustrators, marine painters and designers,
predominately 39-year old Royal Navy Lieutenant Norman Wilkinson. He later
explained: “Since it was impossible to paint a ship so that she could not be
seen by a submarine, the extreme opposite was the answer…To paint her, not
for low visibility, but in such a way as to break up form and thus confuse a
submarine officer as to the course on which she was heading.”
Therefore, the purpose was not concealment but to make the enemy think it
was seeing a different size, type or class of vessel making identification
hard.
An approach was made by Wilkinson to the Admiralty which at first merely sat
on the idea. But, faced with continual heavy losses, it had a change of
heart Within a short time, a group of artists were making up the Dazzle
Section, using studios at London’s Royal Academy (Art Gallery/Institute Ed).
A number of them had taken their inspiration for their new work from nature,
discovering, for example that zebras had the knack of displaying camouflage
makings pointing in one direction when in fact an entire heard was intent on
another. A small store ship, HMS Industry, was painted in experimental
Dazzle. Shore stations and vessels were ordered to report their impressions
on sighting her and comment on the likely effectiveness. Success exceeded
all expectations. An order went out that 50 troopships were to be
Dazzle-painted. Work began with wooden models of vessels already chosen for
Dazzle. Surprise was a major factor, with the designs made as varied as
possible and always different on each side of the ship.
Then the models were studied through periscopes with the results forwarded
to the ports where vessels waited for Dazzle to be applied Results were
judged to be so effective that by October 1917 the Admiralty directed that
Dazzle should be painted on all armed and unarmed merchant ships,
particularly those carrying vital munitions.
Within eight months, more than 2,300 were ‘Dazzled’. Transport vessels on
the Atlantic run, many leaving from Portsmouth, were among the first. Ships
frequently underwent more than one Dazzle painting, typified by the British
troopship Olympic, which by war’s end had transported 41,000 civilian
passengers and 66,000 troops surviving a torpedo attack in the English
channel from a U-boat she had rammed. So as to confuse other U-boats, strips
previously across Olympic’s bows were removed and four oval shapes painted
on her port side between the first and second funnels. Dazzle also extended
round the funnels, masts and ventilators and even over the lifeboats.
Early in 1918, Norman Wilkinson visited the United States to advise the Navy
Department on design and deceptive colouring for both merchant vessels and
warships.
Eventually, thanks to backing from the US Navy’s Assistant Secretary
Franklin D. Roosevelt, all pre-Dazzle systems for Dazzle. During the final
eight months final eight months of war, more than 1,200 American ships
sported Dazzle schemes, about half of which were modifications of British
designs.
Cunard had long pledged Britain that it would place its fleet at its
disposal in time of war. The company’s Mauritania, sporting a distinctive
confusing patchwork Dazzle scheme, was initially intended for use as an
armed cruiser, but was converted in 1915 to a troopship. She then became a
hospital ship, reverting finally to troopship status, bringing 33,000
American soldiers to Europe in the spring of 1918.
With the close of WW1, Dazzle painting fell into disfavour. Rigidly
traditional elements in the US and Britain had never liked what they
regarded as the intrusion of painters, regarded as tiresome amateurs. One
senior American serviceman had even fulminated “O, God, as if we didn’t have
enough trouble! They send us artists.” Although America reintroduced Dazzle
in WW2 to a limited extent in the face of a new submarine threat, it was
clear that improvements in radar and sonar were removing any need for
submarine commanders to sight their targets visually. The blunt truth was
that Dazzle had outlived its use. For warships in WW2 it was back to
conventional grey, along with some simpler disruptive patterns used. The
Imperial War Museum’s James Taylor points out: “At one point, the Admiralty
had carried out a study discovering that one of the effects of Dazzle had
been as a marvellous moral booster for merchant crews. They were able to see
not only their own vessels but others in harbour in a range of colours. It
gave them a sense of reassurance. It was possibly Dazzle’s most positive
achievement.
For more details on the Imperial War Museum and its camouflage exhibition
visit the web site www.iwm.org.uk
AXIS SUBMARINES OF WORLD WAR II
The struggle for supremacy above and beneath the swirling waters of the
North Atlantic was the most important battle fought by submarine forces of
the Axis navies, but was far from being the sole scene of operations.
Indeed, Axis submarines ranged the sea lanes from the Atlantic through the
Indian Ocean to the South Pacific.
During World War Two the common factor that permitted the USA to wage war in
both Europe and Pacific simultaneously, and which allowed the UK to exist at
all, was merchant shipping. Losses of warships could cause problems, but
losses of merchantmen were potentially disastrous. If the loss rate has
exceeded the construction rate for a significant period, the Allies’
capacity to wage war would have slowed, to the point eventually of
capitulation.
As World War One had adequately proved to the Germans that submarines were
the best vehicles for this form of warfare, it seems extraordinary that more
resources were not put into their construction in the late 1930s. Those
available caused damage enough, but greater numbers and a higher
construction rate from the outset would have swamped the ability of current
Allied defences to cope.
Throughout the conflict, the Germans stove to improve both the technical
quality of their boats and the methods by which they could best be employed,
natural energy that contrasted strangely with that of their Axis partners.
Both Italy and Japan had sizable submarine fleets and, as each joined the
war at later dates, they had adequate time to learn at first hand the
problems of submarine warfare before actually committing themselves.
Italy, however, found her boats to be deficient in quality and their crews
both poorly trained and, in many cases, suffering form the same lack of
motivation and conviction that affected her surface fleet.
Japan, on the other hand, had no lack of motivation but was stricken with an
inflexibility of purpose that worked to the American advantage. War waged
against merchant shipping was viewed as ‘defensive’ so, despite in most
cases being manifestly unsuitable for the purpose, Japanese submarines were
employed almost exclusively against warships. The twin fact that American
lines of communication vulnerably straddled two oceans and that American
submarines were throttling Japan by blockade appeared unnoticed.
There was no lack of sacrifice. In pursuing their various objectives, the
Axis partners lost over 950 boats in action and many more from other causes.
The above story is from the magazine “War Machine” volume 6 issue 62,
published by Orbis Publishing Ltd.
NEW
MEMBERS – WELCOME ABOARD
Collins, A.E. (Tony) Tewantin QLD 4565 - CPOERASM HMS/ms Token, Cachalot
and HMAS Oxley 1963 – 1968
Millar, R. J. (Bob) - Vista, CA USA 92084 4615 - ETCS(SS) USS
Thresher SSN-593, Patrick Henry SSBN-599, James Monroe SSBN-622
and Sam Houston SSBN-609 1960 – 1978
Pegler, J.R. (Pegs) Thuringowa, Qld 4817 - LSTDSM HMAS Otama and
Otway 1988 – 1993
Robinson, J. (Robbo) Ardross, WA 6153 - WOETSM HMAS Orion twice,
Otama twice, Waller and Sheean 1988 – 2003
Russell, P.J. Goodanup, WA 6210 - CPOMTPSM HMAS Ovens twice, Otway
thrice, and Otama 1978 – 1992
EDITOR’S COMMENTS
It is with regret that I
announce the passing of Dorothy Selby, the wife of Gordon. On his crossing
the bar, Dorothy went to a nursing home, without her coxswain to guide her
Dorothy passed quietly away several weeks ago..
You may have noticed that there are many reports not printed and I know that
the Max’s report was emailed to me twice and I still have not received it. I
am not an RO, so I have no idea where these messages go before they are
delivered to me by my server.
On behalf of the National President David Sandquest, Vice President Max
Hardy, Treasurer John Rana I wish all
readers of In Depth a Very Merry Christmas.
Peter Smith.
Hon Nat Secretary
November 2007
SUBCON 2008
To be held in
Canberra on the Queen's Birthday long weekend, commencing
Friday 6th June 2008
The Branch would like to
invite you to the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding
area to partake of our hospitality and to visit the many
interesting and varied places contained within our region.
Visit the
SUBCON 2008
website for details and complete your Registration of Interest.
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