Submarine At Lyttelton

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31117, 21 July 1966, Page 16

Submarine At Lyttelton

Snow-capped hills greeted < the British submarine H.M.S. Tabard on her arrival at Lyttelton from Napier at 9 aun. > yesterday. When she berthed at No. 5 wharf, however, she received a warm welcome from a size- ;

able crowd, including port officials and a number of schoolchildren. The Tabard, the first submarine to visit Lyttelton for several years has been exercising with the Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal New Zealand Air Force in the Hauraki Gulf. Calls at Napier and Lyttelton were arranged for recreation for the crew. A T-class conversion, the Tabard was first commissioned in 1946, and since 1960 has been in the 4th Submarine Division, based at Sydney. She has a maximum surface speed of about 11 knots (the maximum underwater speed is classified). Commanded by Lieutenant-Commander A. B. Miller, she has a crew of 68. Among those on the wharf when H.M.S. Tabard arrived were the Harbourmaster (Captain A. R. Champion) and the resident naval officer, H.M.-

N.Z.S. Pegasus (LieutenantCommander C. J. Carl). After they had boarded the submarine, Commander Miller made shore calls on the Mayor of Lyttelton (Mr J. B.

Collett), the chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board (Mr L. G. Amos), the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr G. Manning) and the commanding officer H.M.N.Z.S. Pegasus (Commander R. F. Sanderson).

The Tabard spent three weeks exercising from Auckland, and by the end of the period the work of the R.N.Z.N. hunting craft was, from a submariner’s point of view, uncomfortably good, said Commander Miller. The submarine stayed at Napier four days and left for Lyttelton at 9 a.m. on Monday. Rough weather which caused the coaster Pateke, on a similar trip, to shelter in Wellington, had little effect on the Tabard, as she cruised at periscope depth across the mouth of Cook Strait for nine hours on Tuesday. Three reservists from H.M.N.Z.S. Pegasus joined H.M.S. Tabard at Napier on Sunday for the trip. They are Lieutenant D. B. 8001, and Leading Seamen B. E. Henderson and R. V. Williams. Room for them was avail-

able because sax of the submarine’s ratings went ashore at Auckland and hitch-hiked to Christchurch. They arrived here long before the submarine, which spent 48 hours on

the 335-mile journey from Napier. Questioned about the warped appearance of the plates on the Tabard’s hull. Lieutenant Commander Miller said this was the result of underwater pressures which built up during diving. He said it was usual for men to leave the submarine service when they were 40, as it was regarded as a young man’s calling. H.M.S. Tabard will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Yesterday pupils of the Lyttelton Main School went in relays throughout the day, accompannled by teachers, to see the submarine from the wharf. Special visiting parties aboard the submarine today will include 32 children from Flemington School, 40 students from the R.N.Z.A.F, and a scout group from Mount Pleasant. Sea Rangers and members of the Girls’ Nautical Training Corps will go aboard tomorrow, and sea cadets on Saturday. A dance was organised by the Navy League for H.M.S. Tabard’s crew last evening. Today the officers will be the guests of Lincoln College, this evening they will attend

a cocktail party given by the Navy League, and members of the ship’s company will be entertained at H.M.N.Z.S. Pegasus. Tomorrow the ship’s company will be taken on a bus trip to Hanmer Springs. H.M.S. Tabard is expected to sail for Sydney at 8 a.m. on Monday.