NAVAL VIGIL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 136, 1 August 1941, Page 3

NAVAL VIGIL

WATCHING FOR ENEMY FOREIGN SHIPS BOARDED Jus:t as ships and men of the Royal Navj r arc keeping a ceaseless walch on the shores of Britain, the Royal Australian Navy is constantly at work "on a similar job. Naval patrols and mine-sweepers are always out, and in addition a 24-liours-a----day watch is kept on merchant ships entering Australian ports. The watch on merchant ships which enter Sydney Harbour has been assigned to the officers and crcw of a small grey vessel which any day can be seen wallowing in the swell just outside or inside tjjhr Heads. The task of these naval men is to identify and examine every merchant ship and small craft which approaches the Heads to guard against 'the possibility of sabotage by enemy vessels disguised as merchantmen. If an3 r vessel fails to satisfy the officers of the examination ship that it is on peaceful and legitimate business it is liable to be sunk without further ado by batteries of guns ashore, the gunners ot which are in constant communication with the examination ship. The examination ship works in con junction with a naval signal station, which is responsible for the identification of naval vessels. Foreign ships are boarded and their papers examined. Questions are asked about the cargo, and; the masters of ships have to satisfy the boarding officers that the ships are what they purport to be.