NAVAL BUILDING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 254, 6 January 1941, Page 6

NAVAL BUILDING

WORK IN AUSTRALIA

UP TO SCHEDULE

The first of three Tribal class destroyers being built in Australia was launched in Sydney at the week-end and 48 naval patrol ships far escort anil anti-submarine work will be> completed towards the end of next year. The Minister for the Navy, Mr. Hughes, said that Australia's naval ship-building programme was well up to schedule. Seven shipyards were employed in naval construction an.l more yards would be brought into production. Of 48 patrol vessels provided in the programme. 40 had already been ordered. Some had ween launched or were nearing completion. Half of the vessels contracted lor weie under construction. Patrol ships said Mr Hughes, were coming from the slips in increasing number. Many would be in commission long before the end of next year, and would be of great value both to the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. Of between 800 and 900 tons, they were of Australian design, and were primarily intended for the defence of eoaslai routes and for anti-submarine work. They were well armed, had a good turn of speed, and wereideal* for the .job for which they were planned Fast and Powerful The' Tribal class destroyers had proved themselves in the present war. They were fast, powerfully gunned, and admirably suited for the defence of the Australian coastline.< The addition of three of them to the naval forces would be most valuable. "There is o doubt as to the ability oif. the Australian workmen to build the ships," said Mr Hughes. "They have proved that in the construction of nave;.] ships, including cruisers, sloops, destroyers, and the seaplane-carrier Albatross, and in the. building of merchant ships at the close of the last war. These, ships, after uninterrupted work for. many years in a hard trade, are still doing work and have shown themselves the equal of ships built in any overseas yard." The launched Tribal class destroyer, the first to be built outsde Rri-

HOW THEY ORIGINATED A common expression is "The devil to pay." This is purely a ship's expression, referring to painting a more or less inacecssable plank on the ships side.This again leads to the saying between the devil and the deep blue sea, meaning, on land, in an awkward position, and on sea, from being between the Bucko mate on board and the sea and the sharks below. Someone asks you lioav you arc, keeping, and you answer A.l. thanks —this as you know is a high classification in the registration of vessels at Lloyds. Offish and to stand off afloat means to alter a ship's course to avoid something. Aloof from the ship's term a-luff, or upwind and therefor difficult fov a sailing ship to approach. Grog used to mean drink, came from the ha;dt of placing a proportion of water in the men's rum ration. and a certain Captain Grog was said to have instituted the idea. No roiO'iu to swing a cat is most likely thought not to be enough rcoi to swing poor puss around by its tail, whereas it Avas a navy term, where flogging had to take, place on ueck, as there was not room to swing llie cat (cat-o-nine-tails) in the ward room or elsewhere below deck. To thrart anyone, to get across their path or to cross them either lit erally or figuratively and so "athwart ship" across the ship, or thwart,, cross seats in a ship's boat, etc.

tain, "was named H.M.A.S. Arunta, It is the largest naval vessel to be launched in Australia l'or 12 years. It is of 1870 tons displacement, is designed to develop -1(>0(M horsepower, and has a speed ol •'>(> knots. It is :MH) feet in length and 36 feet in beam. "Every rivet put into ships in this dockyard," said the Governor-Gen-eral, Lord C.owrie, " is a nail in the coffin of Ilitlev and his gang.''