COURT MARTIAL HEARING Officer Says He Did Not Open Valve

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30977, 5 February 1966, Page 3

COURT MARTIAL HEARING Officer Says He Did Not Open Valve

(Ntia Zealand Prttt Axxociation)

AUCKLAND, February 4.

An engineer officer in H.M.N.Z.S. Royalist told a Navy court martial at Auckland today that he had not opened any valves in the engineroom of the ship on the afternoon she broke down in the Solomon Islands.

The witness, Lieutenant T. Arthurs, said that he checked the main feed tank levelling valve and the extractor pump cross connecting discharge valve with Lieutenant Pearce about 4.55 p.m. on the day.

Witness told the Court he placed a wheel spanner on them to make sure that they would not close any more and then lashed the valves. Before the Court is Commander Henry Rogerson Simmonds, who is charged with negligent performance of duty in failing to prevent the spread of contamination in the propulsion machinery of the Royalist in the Solomon Islands while engineer officer on November 1. Accused, who has pleaded not guilty, is represented by Mr D. S. Beattie, Q.C., with him Mr J. H. Wallace, and Commander E. R. Ellison. Petty Officer Engineering Mechanic S. J. Frampton said that when he left the aft boiler room at about 8.30 p.m. one boiler was completely shut down and the other in the process of being shut down. When he had come on watch at 7.50 p.m. there were numerous steam leaks. They appeared to be wet steam. Leading Engineroom Mechanic N. F. Reader said that he was responsible for doing all quantitative tests on the Royalist. He checked the alkalinity and salinity levels of all four boilers at 8 a.m. on November 1. The tests showed nothing unusual. Witness said he was first asked to carry out tests at about 3.15 p.m. After 4 p.m. he took a number of tests and did not come off duty until 5 a.m. the next morning. The Deputy Judge Advocate recalled Engineering Mechanic Terrence Hikaka at the start of today’s court martial hearing to confirm a plan showing the lay-out of the Royalist’s forward engineroom and the positions of various valves and other items, which the Court inspected yesterday. The plan was put before the Court and counsel for reference. 16 WITNESSES With 16 of some 30 witnesses still to be called by the prosecution when the Court resumed today, it was expected that the hearing

will continue well Into next week. If the defence decides to call witnesses, the hearing could continue for up to three weeks. Mechanician A. R. Yorke said that on November 1 he began boiler room duties at 3.50 p.m. About 4.10 p.m. he was recalled to the aft boiler room in order to “blow down” the boilers from 5 p.m. The B2 boiler was shut down when he went off watch at 6 p.m., and the Bl was steaming on main and auxiliary. About 5.50 p.m. all glands suddenly started blowing steam. The noise of the turbines began to alter and they then- continued to run rough for the rest of his watch. To the defence he admitted that he and Petty Officers Walker and Christie had later talked about the event, but not very much. He also admitted having read a newspaper report about yesday’s evidence. Petty Officer Engineering Mechanic J. W. Humphries said the engineer officer of the watch, Lieutenant T. Arthurs, told him to increase the water level in the No. 1 aft boiler after it had been boiling over. Lieutenant Arthurs had been in the boiler room when the boiler was first reported to be priming (boiling over) by the engine room over the broadcast system at about 7 p.m. Asked by the defence if he could think of any reason Lieutenant Arthurs might have had for increasing the water level, Petty Officer Humphreys said: “1 have no idea, sir.” At 7.50 p.m. Lieuteant Arthurs told him that the No. 1 aft boiler was going to be shut down as soon as the forward boilers were steam- • ing. LOG BOOK ENTRIES Petty Officer Engineering Mechanic H. G. Smith, recalled, said that he recognised the document put to him by the president as the rough engine room log, and said the entries in it for the afternoon of November 1 were made by him. Asked how he arrived at

I the time ot 8 p.m. for the shutting down of both aft J boilers, he said he would I have “asked questions around.” ! Entries were not necessarI ily made in the log at the 1 time the reported incidents ! occurred. He would have fill- ' ed in the log during the last ' 20 minutes of his watch, he • told the president. 1 Lieutenant T. Arthurs de- } scribed how he checked three 5 valves in the forward engine- ' room on the afternoon of the cruiser’s breakdown. 5 Lieutenant Arthurs said he 5 first went to the engine-room ’ at about 3.20 p.m. when he f thought something might be 1 wrong. After hearing from some--1 one that condenseritls was 5 suspected he changed and rer turned at about 3.30 p.m. t He spent some time pre- - paring equipment to test the - condensers and then returned - to the after engine-room. About 5.30 p.m., witness ? said, he relieved Sub-Lieu- ; tenant Savage as officer of the f watch. “About that time the after » engine-room was ordered to [ be shut down,” witness said, j It was finally shut down about 6 p.m. where . He had gone to the forward 1 engine-room about 6 p.m. ! where preparation to bring ' the engine into service again 1 was being carried out. ' At some time between 7.40 ’ p.m. and 8 p.m. an attempt to get the engines going failed. t Witness said the engines • were shut down completely s at some subsequent stage. - He was not present all of the f time but would have returned 1 later as part of his duty. Lieutenant Arthurs spent t almost two hours giving evie dence, much of the time under o cross-examination from Mr e Beattie. i- Mr Beattie asked him if he knew of the implications of evidence already given by Engineer Mechanic T. g Hikaka. i- Witness said he did. He I could not think of any reason y why Hikaka would be hostile 1 towards him. e “At no time did I open 1 those valves,” witness said. y “I did not spend that time in the compartment. At no time t did I intimidate Hikaka.”