Ships and the Sea

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 35, 11 February 1933, Page 22

Ships and the Sea

[THE CORNWALL

TRAINING OF CADETS

PROFICIENCY IN SPQRT

- The training o£ . cadets, or apprentice? .as they ara sometimes called, ib a moat important matter for a shipping company, for from them come; the men'who are to command the ships of the future." The various companies engaged in the New Zealand.service have different methods of staffing their ships with - cadets. Tho Shaw, Savill, and Albion- Company and tho Commonwealth and Dominion Line generally carry from two to fouf cadets on their ships. ■•' The New Zealand Shipping Company. have the Cornwall, Northumberland, and Devon set aside for the .training of cadets.. The Cornwall is at present on the New Zealand coast, and from a visit to her one obtains an ex-cellent-idea of the life of the cadets on board ship. The Cornwall is a cargo vessel which is run as a training ship for mercantile marine officers. She carries, in addition to her usual complement of officers and petty officers, a

supernumerary officer for instructional duties, and a physical training in-, Most of, the officers hold comfijissionß in ' the Eoyal Naval Eeserve.

"* The/Cornwall carries 34 cadets, alifhougb; there, is accommodation for about 40. There. are. no. sailors, the cadets doing all. the deck .work of the shipy 'The cadets:do; two. years' Bervice .at.-%he Nautical .-College, Pangbourne, qrH.Til.S.' 'Worcester or;H.M.S, Conway, the i shore training establishments for mercantile -marine officers;^ The fees at the "nautical colleges range from £150 to y;£l6o a year. ..The''cadets;-on the Cornwall are: mostly between eighteen and- nineteen years, of age. They ;re<eive jio -pay. on: board ship, and a, preajiiumvof'£so in most cases has to. be paid, "but all of it except £.6 is re!funded at the end.of the service afloat. The",cadets-serve three years at sea beSor&;--- tiey .^are- eligible to be ieiamined^: for ':. theif^.jecpnd . /mate's certificate; . .who . have not !been- • tb. one.. of v ;.the shore : training "establishments:^^iav.erto serve four years: at; 6ea before, they are eligible for examination/ v Several of the cadets are 7'midshipmen; in; tie Eoyal Naval iEesSrve.''". There are two New Zealand tbys-on-board, and taey are.boti AucklanJers._; ; .-' -j - . OOUBSE OF nrSTEXTOTION.

While in 'the ship the cadets Teceive instruction in the fundamental: ; principles of -nautical astronomy and time, mensuration, plane and spherical trigpiiprdetry and its allied mathematical subjects, practical and theoretical navigation, which includes a knowledge of the. theory 'of tides, -chart- work and cliart^constructipn, cargo work, element tiry ' naval. architecture and . stability^ oceanography \ and : meteorology, ' theoletteal; seamanship, ■ signals, and a. gen;eral/'knowledge of the' basic principles tod iuse :i of •- marine instruments. Erst aid; lectures. are given by the' ship's srirgeonj 'and the- engineer officers give practical and. theoretical' instruction in elementary marine and' refrigerating engineering.. They also receive practice 'instruction, inboat-handling, under .pars\'aod sail, seamanship, an, the genf eral maintenance "work of' a merchant chip/ The - supernumerary officer' for instruction •" duties; is 'Mr. G. W. Wake--ford/and he is also sports officer. There iß;no,''scliool''*in port, practical instruction being given, but at sea the **school; hours are .from'!l- to 4 p.m. and from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m. The class,-ioom-'ia usefully furnished, - and it contains A copy of Kipling's poem "If," presented by the late Mr. J. -H. '",Gi Bond, who was Dominion' sujieiiiitendent of the : . New Zealand • Shipping Company, hangs on the wall' Three classes are held. The cadets are housed in. four-and Bix-berth cabins, comfortably" furnished. The bathroom contains tot and cold fresh water, also' salt water, five shower baths, and a tub in iwhich to wash clothes. • "At sea the routine for the; cadets is| as follows: —Get up ;at 5.30 a.m. and turn to for duty; physical jerks from 6a.rn.-to. 6,20 a.m.;. 6.20 a.m. to 6.30 a m-, coffee; 6.30 a.m. to 8 a;m., work. The hour for breakfast is.B im. to 9 a.m. The cadets work from 9 a.m. until noon, when lunch is held. "While in -oort, the' cadets have to leport back from shore leave at 11 p.m. There is a Benior cadet asvcadet captain^ and a watch captain for the port and starboard watches. : SiPORTTNG ACTIVITIES. ; - Great interest in most forms of-.sport is.taken by the cadets. The ship has a tradition of proficiency in 'sp oirt of which all are very proud. To keep fit, the:cadetff rim Tip and down the deck, lave a punch-ball and a medicine : ball, swim (the swimming bath is }6ft by Idft^and have^bosing, deck-tennis, aecfccrjcket/'and'fencing. There is a boxing, a running,' and an " fthletics team on board, but they have practically no chance of contests on land. The greatest interest, perhaps, is taken in rowing and fencing. The boat used in rowing, is. a naval whaler .which was specially bought from the service. The following is the whaler'screwt-^—Cox, Mr. -Gi Eainsdale; stroke,.. Cadet Osbouin; No. 4, Cadet Greene-Kelly; No. 3, Cadet Byford; No. 2, Cadet Warner; No* 1, Cadet Wilson. The-; reserve is Cadet. EawlinS. •'• Mr. IJamsdale is physical training instructor on! the ship. He had a long career as a-physical training instructor in the Navy, serving on H.M.B. Orion, duringthe -war. He was physical training inBtructor at the Boyal Naval Engineering College, Keyham, Devonport, from. 1922 to 1929. In races -between the Eoyal Navy's representatives arid the Cornwall's crewj the fpllowiag were

the results on the New Zealand coast: At Auckland, H.M.S* Philomel won by three and a half lengths. The distance was .81 of a sea mile, and the winning time was Bmin 36sec; This was the first time the Cornwall's crew had been in action for bix weeks, and it was the only race the Cornwall has lost on the New Zealand coast. The Cornwall beat the Diomede at Auckland by two lengths. The distance was .81 of a sea mile, and the time was Bmin 35sec. The Diomede 5s crew was under 20 years of age. A race was held at Wellington against H.M.S. Veronica's crew, and the' Cornwall won hy about seven lengths. Tho race was held in bad weather. Tho distance was .8 of a sea mile, and the winning time 11mm 44i[sec. In a race at Dunedin the Cornwall's crew beat H.M*.S. Laburnum's by. six lengths. The distance was .85 of a sea mile, and the winning time lOmin 40seo. On the Australian voyage of .'the Cornwall, the-crew was victorious over a number of Boyal Naval Volunteer Reserve <irews.

The Cornwall's fencing team is as follows:—Foil, Mr. H. Hoplclns, Mr. Devitt, Cadet Young, Mr. Ramsdale; epee, Captain Lettington, Mr. Hopkins, Cadet Young, Mr. Ramsdale; sabre, Mr. Hopkins, Mr. Wakeford, Cadet Young, Mr. Ramsdale. The Cornwall's fencing team had an assault at arms in Sydney

agaiast the Sydney Swords Club. The match ended_ in a draw, the fights and .hits being equal—a very rare occurrence.- The Sydney Swords Club is considered; to be the premier swords club of the Southern Hemisphere. "The Cornwall defeated the Eoyal Navy at fencing,in Wellington about a year ago, and a return match was field this voyage at Auckland. The representatives; of the Navy, were from the Diomede, the Dunedin, and the Philomel. The; result was as follows,' the contest being in foil, epee,-and sabre, with'four entrants to each weapon:-^ Cornwall won foils by 14 fights to 2 fights, with 77 hits to 49 hits; Cornwall won epee by; 11 fights to 3 fights, with 13_hits"to s;hits; Cornwall won sabres by ll'flgitff to's fights/ with 71 hits to 56 hits. The assault at arms was won by the Cornwall by 36 fights to 10 fights. The teamv is endeaypnring to secure other; matches, but finds ; sdnie difficulty,;as .the sport- is not widely practised in the tJominion; ' . ~ •;

' The Conrwall 's cricket team is as f 61----lpws:—&r. Hopkins j Mr; lawl^r, Sir. Dennis, Cadet Besseli (captain)i Cadet Captain- Knbtt . (vice-captain), Watch Cap.taii . ; Andrews, Watch: .. Captain Durell ? Senior. Cadet West, Cadet Johnson,- Cadet>j;Watson,"Caaet Wilson. The followingare the results of the matches: —At Auckland,, v. H.M.S. Philomel, Cornwall, first innings 48, second innings 35 for. four wickets, declared; H.M.S. Philomel, first innings 54, second innings 28.; At Wellington, v H.M.S. Veronica,^ Cornwall^: 56 (Cadet J. Watson 20); Veronica, 68 (Mr.: Hopkins four for 15); H.M.S.; Veronica won by 12 runs. Last Tuesday a match' was played; against the Wellington Kre Brigade, The .fire-brigade made1 111 runs, Dnrell taking four wickets for 6 runs; -The Cornwall made 97' runs (J. Watson .42). The fire brigade won -by Jl4 runs.;; At prinedin the Cornwall met H.M.S. Laburnum at'cricket.. The result' was as follows: Laburnum, 64 (Wilson five for 17); Cornwall, 95 (Durell 43). The Cornwall won by 31 runs. The Cornwall also has a Eugby and a Soccer team. .-■?■■

The Cornwall's personnel is as follows:—Commander, Captain A. E. Lettmgton; chief officer,' Mr. Hopkins; second officer, Mr. G. Dibley; third officer, Mr. T. Bevitt; supernumerary omcer for instructional duties, Mr. G W. W,akeford; fourth officer, Mr. N. Baddeley; chief engineer, Mir. A; Drumm.oad; surgeon, Dr. H. Hannesson, B.Bc; cadet captain, J. A. C. Knott; physical training instructor, G. Eamsdale, E.N.. (Eetd).