N.Z. Navy's First Job To Protect Trade

Chronicle (Levin), 21 February 1949, Page 3

N.Z. Navy's First Job To Protect Trade

1 — . WELLINGTON,' Feb. 20. The policy of the New Zealand Gover&ment so far as the Royal 'New Zealand Navy was eoncemed, was to concentrate on the defence of trade, said the "first meinber of the New Zealand Naval Board, Cominodore G. W. G. Simpson, at the anniial dinner of the New Zealand Coxnjjany of. .Master Mariners on board the Doxninion Monarch now at' Wellington. CoinmodoVe Sinipson said the Royil New Zealand. Navy was a sma-11 bne. There were ' two cruisers on loan,' one kept ih conirnission * and ihe seCond in reserve but kept refitted. In a&ditloit there were six, f rigates, f our or whieii were already here and t'wo mOre were to arrive shortly. : , The frigates were, -syery ; effective "S ahti-submarine weapofls.' Royal Naval research on anti-subinarine ineasuros was being very actively pursued, he added. Manpower was most iinportant but the Navy liad no great difficulty in getting Tecr.uits. The Royal Navy and Merchant Navy were no longer even sister services. They were twin services. The Merchant Navy. -was responsible for the Empire's lifeline . of trade and the Royal and Comlnonwealth NavieS wero its' insurance. - In- addition while officers'of the Royal Navy were not able to master a bill of lading or to say at what' temperature perishable cargo Bhould be carried/ officers of the Merchant Navy could carry out most duties in a naval ship so that 1 in tijnes of stress, the Royal Navy' could 'xely with confidence on Ihe Merchant Navy to come to its assiatanCe. ' This was. the rcsult of understanding ' promoted by the 1914-1918 war and soaled in tho years between 1939 and 1945. In the recent war. the first TJ-boat attack lvad cOme with tlie sinking of tho Athenia on the dav hostilities had been announced and had ended with a sinking the day before the announcement of Ihe armistice. Of shipping sunk dnxing the war, 80 per cent. had been sunk in the Atlantic. Of 729 Gennan submarines sunk in the war, the navies • of Britain and the Commonweialth had sunk 579, also 60 of 85 Italian submarines and 10 of 110 Japanese. The British and Conunon-

wealth Navies, substantially - added by the Boyal Aix Porce, of course, had • accounted for 71 per cent. of the total number of enemy submarines sunk. The New Zeaiand Shipping Company superintendent, Captain F. Tether, said that war-- had broken down all bar,riers between it and the Merchant Navy. After their close asaociation in convoys and beach landings, they were now one. ' 'Should the ball go up again the Navy would have the meirchant service on its doorste^ at once asking 'What" "are' our orders ' " he said. : , , jHe referred to Sea1 Cadets and the Sea Scouts as sources of meh for the sea in wartime. If peace continued most of ithem . would never wear ,a uniform again. after- they, left these organisations, but if War came they would join 'the Navy.;- It 'was through such crganisations that the Emprre spirit of the sea was maintained. The principal guest was the ship's commander, Sir Henry Gordon. Others present included Mr. H„ E. Combs, presenting the Minister of Marine (Mr; Hackett), the First Member of tha N.Z. Naval Board', Commodbre Simpson, thc High Commissioner for Canada, Dr. Rive, and the Secretary of the Marine Department, Mr. W. C. Smith.