NAVAL RADIO CIRCLES WORLD

Chronicle (Levin), 12 January 1948, Page 2

NAVAL RADIO CIRCLES WORLD

WAIOURU AS LINK IN EMPIRE CHAIN AUCKLAND, Jan 10. Padio impulses Hasliing across the world at a .speed of 186,000 railes a second link the British Cammonwealtli and its ships in all the seven seas with a web of wireless aerials that lies halfhidden ia the solitudes of the central North Island. Here, at Waiouru, in a basin of the tussoek-strewn highlands, a dry -land ship of the Royal New Zealand Na^w is a powerful link in a vast cliain of Iniperial communieations. The spectaele of neatlv-attire'd sailots so far froiu the sea never fails to startle long-distance motorists travelliug -Gver tlie lonely road. b.etween Taihape and Ohakune. Often they sense a mystery — but the mysterv died with Waiouru 's war role as the Navv's direct link with London, Canada, Bombay, East Afriea, Australia, Tokio, the United Btates and French possessions. It was then, also, the clearing house for the admiuistrative . signals of the British Pacifle Fleet and it was the splutter of Waiouru 's morse that enabled the fleet train to supply shijjs and mcn with a vast catalogue of re([uirements that ranged from bombs to beer. Vast Wartime Task Living remoteJy in an arniy-Iilce camp that was none the less regarded as their "ship", 80 Wrens an 1 70- ratings bore the burdeu of those liectic days. In every watcli they received, transmitted or relayed tens of thousands of eode groups." A dozen or inore circuits were simultaneouslv manned and telepisnter land lines fed the incoming signals to the coders and eiphorers at distanf service headqnarters. Now reduced to a peacetime eomplement of two", officers and 66 ratings, Waiouru telegraphists and technieiaus still help to keep New Zealaiul in toucli with the world. Crovernment conununiciftions, service signals, a flood of overseas private telegrams and a eonstant watch on radio traffie to and from shi]>s in every ocean are all a part of the daily routine. A hraction of a second after au operator taps a_ keyboard at Whitehall, in the heart of London, the message iiows from the ultra-moderu radio telelype machinos at Waiouru. Automalicaliy reproduced like a typists's eopy, it is spelt out, punctuated and paragraplied at a rate of 60 words « minute. Bimilar equipment is used on a constalitly-operated circuit with Australia and, every few liours, dperators are in eontact by key or perforated tape with stations in Canada and Honolulu. Services for Ships These standard l'outines are supplemented by the telegraphists who listeu incessa-ntly to the busy chatter of ships at sea. The logs that are kept of thii long-distance ship-to-shore wireless organisation read like a world gazeteer. Oue patch of brisk morse from the kev of a British freighter ineans a requestior charts of the far-away Aieutians. The message is acknowledged by u nearer Canadian station and no actioii1 is required from Waiouru. In the distaut Mediterranean, Y^essels are overlieard talking to Malta or Gibraltar; in the Atlantic they. niay be calliug Vancouver or Whitehall. It is ships nearer home in the sweep'of the Paciiie reaching to Panama an.l - Cape Horn that are of more direct coiiceri^ to Waiouru. Sometimes a call may reflect a marine emergency; more often it is a routine signal dealing with movements or intentions. Most frqquent, but handled with the same speed and care, are the telegrams *exchanged between , passengers and friends or assoeiates in near and dis tant lands. Wherever a ship may be and which - ever one of four wave-lengths it chooses, Waiouru or stations like it tliroughout the Coninionwealth will be listening. On oue occasion a NewT Zealand liner in the ' English Chahnel

broadeast a passenger's telegram for despatcdi to a relative in the United Kingdom. It was promptly picked, up and acknowledged by Waiouru, 14,000 miles away. Within a matter of miuutes it fiashed back to Whitehall over the radio teletvpe for deliverv to the addressee" iu Britain a few hours later. No one could have guessed its 28,000niile journey.