EVIDENCE TO COURT MARTIAL Watched Officer Open Valve: ‘Saw Nothing’

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30975, 3 February 1966, Page 3

EVIDENCE TO COURT MARTIAL Watched Officer Open Valve: ‘Saw Nothing’

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, February 2.

A young engineer mechanic in H.M.N.Z.S. Royalist told a Navy Court Martial today that he had watched an engineer lieutenant open a valve, close it and lash it with a piece of rope before witness was told by the lieutenant that witness had seen nothing.

Engineer mechanic first class T. Hikaka said the incident occurred while he was on duty in the ship on November 1, the day the cruiser broke down in the Solomon Islands.

After hearing Hikaka’s evidence just

before 6 p.m. today, the Court decided to ini’ spect the valve in the ship at Devonport tomorrow before resuming the hearing.

Before the Court is Henry Rogerson Simmonds, a commander, who is charged with negligent performance of duty as engineer officer in the ship by failing to prevent the spread of contamination in the propulsion machinery of the Royalist on November 1.

Accused has pleaded not guilty to the charge, which is brought under Section 7 of the Naval Discipline Act. Engineer Mechanic Hikaka said he took over from a member of the crew named Cain on a job of watching a tank level glass in the A bo'ler room.

Jie was not sure whether the k?vel was supposed to be goj/g up or down, but had to report any fluctuation.

He then returned to the engine-room and went on with his watch-keeping duties as a forced lubrication watchkeeper.

Witness said he saw Lieutenant T. Arthurs come rushing down the ladder to the engine-room. He was going so fast he nearly fell. The lieutenant went behind the engines and witness went round to see what he was going to do. To Mr Beattie, witness said the gauge glass he had been watching would be less than half full. Lieutenant Arthurs had backed do'~n the ladder and went to the after end of the engine-room.

“Opening Valve”

“I walked round the port side and saw him opening a valve. I did not know what valve it was, but when I visited the ship in port 1 found it was the extractor pump cross-connexion discharge valve. “I saw Lieutenant Arthurs make four or five turns on the valve before I went back to the desk to get some paper and take readings of the gauges.

“When I saw the lieutenant again he was standing by the ladder, watching the level in the main feed tank glass. I saw him again about 15 or 20 minutes later, closing the valve he had opened earlier. The lieutenant left the en-gine-room but came back a few minutes later with Lieutenant Pearce. “Lieutenant Arthurs told me to get a rope and lash the levelling valve, but I could not find any rope in the en-gine-room.” ‘ Lashing Up” Witness said he saw Lieutenant Arthurs with a length of rope. He was lashing the valve up. “Lieutenant Arthurs said to me, in effect, that I had not seen him open or close that valve “1 made a report about this to Chief Petty Officer Reddell about two days later.” Witness said he had a fair idea that the “levelling valve” had something to do with water passing between the two engine-rooms. He said he was recalled from leave, to make a statement before counsel for the

defence and the prosecution. He remembered speaking on the telephone to Lieuten-ant-Commander Gould. Lieutenant Arthurs had intruded on the conversation and asked who it was had come down into the engine-room with him, who had lashed the valve and what position it was in when lashed. Witness had told him Lieutenant Pearce had been with Lieutenant Arthurs, that Lieutenan* Arthurs had lashed the valve and that it was lashed in the shut position. Witness said he thought the valve was a levelling valve because Lieutenant Arthurs had used the term when ordering witness to find a piece of rope. ; An early witness, Lieuteni ant T. M. O’Brien, was recalled by the court this morning.

He said the ship’s telephone and public ' address system were working on November 1.

He had not used the telephone to get in touch with a superior because, in the light of his experience, he found it difficult to use. Not Remembered Witness said he left Chief Engine-room Artificer K. W. Hunt in charge when he left the engine-room but could not remember what orders he i gave him. Chief Engine-room Artificer Kelvin William Hunt said he was on duty in the engineroom from 12.30 p.m. on Nov- ■ ember 1. I Routine checks showed the machinery was functioning correctly without contamination before 2.45 p.m.

About that time —“five minutes either side” —he saw the needle of the starboard engine salinometer rise. A similar rise, but a few degrees behind, was noticed on the port engine salinometer. Both needles crossed the I dial completely, passing the maximum mark, within five 'seconds, and the two red warning lights came on.

He immediately broadcast for the engineer officer of the

watch, Lieutenant O’Brien, who appeared “in about three seconds.” To him the movement of the needle indicated contamination by salt or impurity after the use of boiler compound. The prosecutor: What action did you take? Witness: I informed the engineer officer of the watch and tried to isolate the starboard engine, as I thought the trouble was in the starboard condensers.

He found it impossible because a valve connecting the condensers to the main feed tank was fouled by a pipe. About 20 minutes later tests showed that contamination had reached the main feed tanks. Accused and the senior engineer, Lieutenant-Comman-der R. J. Rolton, arrived in the engine-room about 3 p.m. Lieutenant O’Brien had already returned after saying he was going to inform them of the situation. “The commander (engineering) asked me wfrfit I thought the trouble Was, and I said I thought the fault was condenseritis in the starboard main condenser.” After ordering further tests, accused went away for “quite a while” and when he returned witness noticed the engine revolutions had been reduced to 60 (about four knots). At this time witness was still trying to isolate the starboard engine.

This was stopped shortly after the drop in revolutions.

According to the engine-room rough log this was done at 4.22 p.m., he said.

Pumped Out

He ordered the main feed tank to be pumped out, and about 4.15 p.m., personally ordered an increase of revolutions to 100 on the port engine to assist this. “I gave the order after consultation with an officer—l can’t remember who,” he said. Asked what time he handed over the watch, he said he was due to do so at about 4 p.m. “It was my part of the ship. 1 couldn’t hand it over in that state so I stayed down there,” he said. The watch was, in fact, never handed over, he said. To Mr Beattie, he said silver nitrate tests led him to believe the trouble was in the starboard condenser. Although both starboard and port condensers could have been contaminated this' would have been most unusual.

The Royalist had previously had drain cooler trouble, but on this occasion tests cleared the drain cooler so he was left with the probability that the trouble was in the condenser. Black*Out He said that steam failures causing black-outs had occurred in the Hauraki gulf before the ship left New Zealand and later in Hawaii, and that on both occasions Lieutenant Arthurs had been engineer officer of the watch. Told that the question of rust scale on the after turbine blades would later arise, witness was asked about the state of the for’ard turbines: He said that examination had later shown that the for’ ard turbines, used for the 1200-mile steam home were in a worse state than the after turbine.

Petty Officer Engineering Mechanic E .C. Crawford, in evidence, said an amended time shown in the auxiliary engine-room register had not been altered by him. Witness said the entry had been changed from “0330 pumped 4 tons” to “1530 pumped 4 tons.” It could have been altered by another watch-keeper who realised the entry was a mistake.

There were occasions when entries in the register had to changed, said witness.