WARFARE AT SEA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 265, 29 July 1918, Page 6

WARFARE AT SEA

THE TALE OF A CONVOY

11.-STATIOMEEPING AND SIGNALLING

(By Sir John Bhnd-Sutton, in the

"Morning Post.")

Tho convoy is kept in order by signals. During daylight signalling is continual, and if the yeoman of signals is not smart at his job tho captain, of tho cruiser has an extremely unpleasant time. Signalling is indispensable 'for station-keeping at sea, and to facilitate, matters a signalman (K.N.V.K.) of experience is put on board each ship of tlie convoy, it is easy for a squadron of battleships to keep station; the ships work together, and are able (o keep a few spare knots

"up their sleeve," so to speak, for an emergency, or sudden order, and at night each ship lows a fng-buoy astern. A fog-buoy is a barrel tied to tho end of a rope and dragged astern, where it makes a splash; this is e-isily seen, and, if necessai'3", illuminated by a searchlight. This is not permissible on a convoy, where (he exhibition of a light at night even for a few moments might give the show away and bring on disaster.

Station-keeping in a convoy of merchant ships differing in shape, tonnage, and speed is not an easy job. The lir.-t difficulty is (he reputed speed of each ship: some are over-rated, especially the slowest, and it is tho highest speed of tho slowest ship (hat regulates tho sailing rate of the whole convoy. Some of the ships could steam at double the rate of tho slowest, so they had to mark time, and when impatient came in for stern rebuke. A discordant' steam whistle can utter an unmistakable reprimand. A quick ship can, as a rule, answer the helm quickly; a slow ship lakes time, and, like the tortoise when a hundred years old, seems to think a great deal before altering course. In many of their actions ships seem extraordinarily like women. Sailors always refer to the ship as She. It is easily appreciable that if signals are badly displayed, ill-undorstood, or answered in. a dilatory way, the convoy would soon become disorganised like a flock of sheep without a shepherd, or mixed up as in the fa'miliar game of General Post, and when they bump against each other, well . The method employed is simple. In starting each ship gets in space several cable lengths in the four cardinal directions, ana-as the navigating officers form an opinion of tho peculiarities of tho ships they gradually reduce the space covered by the convoy, by limiting the intervals between the ships. Gradually the convoy came to bo handled almost <ig smartly as line of battle ships. . All day long the rangefinder was in use to keep the leaders in position, any deviation was promptly noted, and by controlling the leading ship of each line tho followers were kept iairly well in order. Tho yeomen of signals had a smart set of men under him, who hoisted Hag, pennant, and burgee with celerity, neatness', nndi smartness and drew them in again with alacrity. The yeoman watched for replies through a telescope, using his right or left eye with equal facility and accuracy. On a deep blue sea, with tho sun shining and signals (lying starboard and port, tho convoy often looked as if it were bellagged for a regatta. After a few days' training the convoy could be manoeuvred easily, and gradually the ships were brought closer together. Merchant strips m convoy are not very anxious about a neighbour on the beam, but they are fidgety of tho snip immediately astern. The bow of a heavy ship close- under the stem of one that' sluggishly answers the helm does not make for bliss in bad weather, especially fog and snow. In addition-to fog-signalling, messages are transmitted very rapidly by semaphore, and an extremely useful method is Morse signalling. ' ■ Stragglers.

A cruiser in charge of a convoy is liko a shepherd «nd the ships are liko the (lock. We learn from earliest childhood that sheep are liable to stray; and this is true of a convoy. On tho second day at sea, after Divisions, the men lined up in the well-deck and listened to the Articles of War read in a clear voice by the captain. Silence was profound, but the most interested spectator was a lively cock sparrow ; the pert bird hopped about a sixinch gun or perched on a shell and fancied himself as important as a petty officer; the bird listened intently, and turned his littlo head from side to side like a clerk of Assize. This bird was at least 250 miles from land. A 6hort and impressive church service followed, and "Beautiful Dove" steamed around the convoy to And those ships which "like sheep had gone astray." Nearly all the ships were keeping excellent stations, but two were missing. One straggler five miles astern replied to signals that the speed of the ship had been exaggerated. The sluggard was many miles astern, and bobbed about on a lumpy sea sitting first on one wave and then another, looking in its blue, white, and red paint like a gaudy butterfly flitting from one cabbage to another. A long interview -by signal followed. Briefly it amounted to this: Tho captain said that he had grievously over-estimat-ed the speed of his ship; the error was unintentional, and he was certainly getting as much out of the engines as possible. He received some useful advico in regard to the rendezvous, and by this time a suspicions bank of mist, suggestive of fog, appeared ahead, so the. cruiser started ofi' at a good speed to rejoin the convoy. Shortly after sundown the cruiser was at (he tail of the ships, and was so surprised at the brightness of the lights that ho duly admonished the captains. The licet looked like Clapham Junction, or, as a witty midshipman whispered in my ear, the yellow, red, and green lights suggested a chemist shop. A few hours later the convoy was enveloped in a thick fog, and the steam whistles were making a tremendous noise, resembling the despairing wails of tortured giants, and representing a great waste of steam and incurring much blasphemy from the engineers. A few days later one of the ships dropped some miles astern. Signals promptly set to work to find out the cause. This sliip had a. leaking condenser that could be repaired in a few hours. She promised to be in station midday following, and this forecast truly canio to pass. Another ship lagged. Beautiful Dove, getting within signalling distance, was informed that the heavy sea had delayed the ship, and the coal was bad. These were insufficient excuses. Then the blame was attributed lo the presence of two firemen belonging to the I.W.AV., or the Industrial Workers of the World, and the captain asked for some firemen to be sent aboard. This was impossible. The cruiser decided that he must leave the ship to iiei own course. Then the captain explained that the cargo consigned to the British Government was worth million dollars. These communications, sent by signal, rccupied a long time. The escort watched this ship for two hours, ami when convinced that her speed was improving rejoined the convoy, for it seemed quite probable that she would be in station by midday. .The anticipation was realised, and the ship. frith the valuable cargo, regained and retained'her station and reached port safely. Contributory Ncgliflence.

Eventide. The bugle sounds, "Darken ship." The ports are immediately obscured and all internal lights screened. The Ship Police go round and ascertain that the order is properly carried oul. Tho darkening of the ship is an important matter, and a study of tho evidence makes it clear that many ships have been torpedoed from neglect of this simple precaution. Steaming without lights adds to the perils of the sea. To be hit by a torpedo in daylight is bad enough, but to be sunk at night is worse. In the House of Commons it was feared that vessels had been svnl; at night from neglect of the simple precaution lo darken ships at night, Many stories have been did of the Unngws arising from lailnre h c::li:'guish or screen tho lights. A bidding adieu to a mail steamer it had escort™ shouted through the megaphone: "Last night your ship was lighted like a litllo town!' 1 , . Ono tragic instance may bo given of tho result of negligence in regard to lights. A large and magnificent steamer had on board a testy and troublosome passongcr, who opened a port for light

e,ud air. The officer who' looked after, this matter remonstrated with this selfish man for disobeying regulations, and there was much disturbance. The same nigiit the ship was torpedoed, and with great difficulty tho passengers and crow were got into boats. The refractory passenger found himself in a bout uud'er tho command of the officer who had remonstrated with him about the open port. This passenger bemoaned liis misfortune', and as the Ixiat moved away, on tho sido where the torpedo struck the ship, a brilliant beam of light from nn upon port sliuno direct into tho boat, like a searchlight. The ollicer-in-chnrge directed the attention of the moaning passenger to this and said: "Tho light that "brought this misfortune on the ship comes from your cabin!"

A stewardess gave me many particulars relating to the tribulations, anxieties, and sufferings of the women during: the hours they were iviloat; and the offi-cer-iiwilwrgo of the boat gave a pathetic description of the Inst moments of the ship. As sho gradually nettled stern first, air and steam rushed up the fu'vnelfi awl the ventilating shafts with li.ud and discordant noises, as if they issued from a huge organ. The ship, lv.-iembled ft giant in a death struggle, dying unwillingly. The captain was the last to leave the ship. The bow mutinied for some minutes in the air after Hie captain stepped into the boat, then suddenly disappeared. The occupants of tho boat, sighed with relief to think that this struggling ship no longer suffered!

As soon as the ship sank, the submarine approached in the darkness, and a voice in excellent English asked for its name and tonnage. When the Germans got the answer, they shouted, "Wo didn't think wo bad 6unlc such a big, ship. Hurrah I"