TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 787, 24 November 1922, Page 10

TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL.

NAVY LEAGUE BRANCH, On Friday afternoon the scholars of the Technical High School were treated to a very interesting address given bv Lieut, R. P. Nisbet, D.S.C., K,N.R., who visited Pukekohe under the auspices of the Auckland Branch of the League, On behalf of the school the headmaster (Mr W. F. J, Munro) said they were doubly pleased to extend a hearty welcome to the speaker, not only because he represented the Navy-and the Navy League, but aiso because Mr Nisbet had just arrived from England to make his home in New Zealand.. It was necessaiy, continued Mr Munro, to maintain a lively interest in the Navy and its traditions, so that its motto of “SeT vice ,and Self-sacrifice” might react upon the character and imagination of the young people and lead them to understand the vital ot the Navy to the safety of the Empire. Mfr Nisbet was greeted with loud applause on rising to speak, and thanked the school for its hearty welcome. He was thoroughly at home with his subject, speaking with first-hand information, biased on i*»s years ofl service in the Mosquito Fleet, whose operations were dii-ected chfietty against the German submarine menace,

In his opening remarks Mr Nisbet stressed the importance of the hjavy as the guardian of trade routes, enabling the millions of the Homeland and its scattered Empire to use and enjoy the necessary commodities of life in perfect and uninterrupted There .were times, however, in the Great War when the united energies of the Royal Navy and its estates were taxed to thdir fullest to allow the civilian and figh’Jjdr alike to sit down and enjoy his meal of New Zealand lamb and choice butter and: cheese. People weke .apt to know little of the units of the great naval fighting machines, even those who fived at

the great sea-port towns. The speaker here caused .some merriment when he related the vague ide ts his people had of his whereabouts when at sea. They actually thought he was fighting on board a “torpedo.’ Needless to say he was bu dly engaged on bo/U'd a safgr craft man that. Mr Nisbet hoped tbit a strong branch of the Navy League would be maintained in Pukekuhe, and was pleased to know that so much interest in this organisation and its aims existed among the boys and girls of toe school He then ga.ve a graphic account, of his own experiences in the anti-submar-ine campaign, ile 1 raced the necessity for the use of tactics to out* Hun the Hun ; explained the orig'n and method of working the famous “Q” ships and them success as submarine decoys describing in this connection the g!o"ions feats of the late Lieut.. Comnmndtv’ Saunders. V C. His account of the action of the “Dunravdh,” <n hich he was proud to have serve-.!, was followed v.lth breatless inte. esi and made one find all feel that “they who go down to the sea in ships” eerily marry their ];/es in their hands. Mr Nisbet t hen described tiie most succtsciul device invented to detect the presence of under-sea - craft —coded the “fish hydrophone.” lay its use not only was the presence of submarines detected, but they were also located; for as each unit was supplied with a wireless outfit and worked on a triangular basis, once the direction of the sound was found, its distance could be chan-ed To show how successful the service was, the speaker said they followed a German submarine for five days ,ancl in the whole of that time sighted the craft but twice. Mr Nisbet dwelt for a short time on the morale and tradition at the back ,fo the Navy pnd trusted that with the name and fame of Nelson alwpys to guide it, the Empire would never lack its valiant defenders, A hearty vote of thanks to Mr Nisbet was carried by acclamation and terminated the afternoon’s proceedings,