DOLPHIN'S FATE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20084, 2 November 1939, Page 7

DOLPHIN'S FATE

STRUCK BY SHOT DROWNING AND SHOCK CAUSE OF OWNER'S DEATH ORDERS TO GUN CREW OFFICERS' EVIDENCE (Per Press Association.) CHRIST-CHURCH, this day. The coroner, Mr. F. E. Reid. S.M.. to-day returned a verdict that E. J. Brasell, owner of the launch Dolphin, sunk by a shot from the port, battery at Lyttelton on October 12. died from drowning, plus shock. He added that the signal from the battery had been seen but not understood. The warning shot fired struck the launch in the engine-room, a piece of metal from the engine striking Brasell. The coroner said it was not his duty to comment on the procedure adopted by the examination vessel or whether there had been any negligence. Wilman had done everything possible for Brasell. Second Lieutenant V. A. Smith, of the 23rd Battery, said he was on duty at the battery observation post i>n October 12 when the trawler came inside the heads and approached the examination area. He instructed the signallers to send the "stop" signal both with the lamp and the semaphore and to send it slowly. The trawler did not make anj' indication that she had seen the signal, but continued on over the examination area.

Witness rang Major Mitchell and re- ': ceived instructions to carry on. He I gave the alarm signal and carried on | the normal procedure. The orders ' were: "Target, trawler moving right. i Plugged shell. Right deflection 20 | (twenty) minutes," which was cor- ! rected by the sergeant-major at the j command post, who gave: "Right deI flection, two degrees." Did Not Cancel Order Witness did not think it necessary to ; cancel his last order as he heard the . sergeant-major give the order. Witness then sent the order to fire and ! observed the shell strike the vessel. He communicated with the Navy I Office, and the examination vessel after several minutes came into the j harbour. He did not see anybody on ; the trawler. Two degrees was the | standing order. He expected the j reading on the sights to be two de- ! grees in accordance with his orders.

No efforts were made to render assistance from the battery as they had no facilities, added Second Lieut. Smith. He had confidence in the gunlayer, but he did not know much about the gun setter. If the orders nad been properly carried out, the diot would not have hit the vessel. Mr. C. S. Thomas: You really have no doubt that some error crept in. Second Lieut. Smith: I would not be prepared to- say that.

Set Deflection Sergeant-Major James Patrick D'Connor said that he was advised by Second-Lieutenant Smith that there ,vas a boat coming in that might have :o be stopped. He had the battery manned. He placed Bombadier McEvor as No. 1, Gunner Grundy as layer for the line, Gunner Cotton as layer for elevation and Gunner Rollon as setter. Witness went to the position )f sight setter, and personally set the deflection as 'right, two degrees" and instructed the setter he was not to move it under any consideration. Witness then gave the order: "Cartridge only. Load." and then proceeded to the command post to act as section commander and receive fire orders. Witness gave out the fire orders ,vhich were: "Target, launch moving right. Two degrees." He next ordered No. 1 to check the setting of the deflection scale and to move in the rear of the gun and ;heck the gun. for line. He then >rdered "fire" and he looked ahead or the snlash. A moment or two later he observed the Dolphin had been ait. He advised the officer to call the ug. His first examination alter the iccident was that of the scale which ■ead: "Left, 10 minutes." He questioned the setter if that was where he had set it. He replied: No. Witness then turned dellection scale 'o "right, two degrees." He made the remainder of the detachment move -dear. Setting Altered Lieutenant Symons and Major Mitchell arrived on the gun platform and witness requested them to test the

sights for line. The setter, on examination, said he had altered the set- ' ting, but j;ave no explanation for his | act. When witness examined it he had ! expected to find, "right, two degrees.' j There was an order from the battery ! commander as "two owe minutes. I This was incorrect and witness gave j the order "lw:> degrees." The order "two owe minutes" was not passed on to the gun. The actual check for line j was made by No. i in the rear of ! the gun. Witness first inspected the deflection scale. The time would not be more than three seconds from the time of checking to the time of firing, it would not be possible for the layer to take off "two degrees, right." The shell should have passed I at least 20yds ahead of the ship at i that range. ! In witness' opinion the cause of the vessel being hit was that the deflection scale was not set correctly or that the layer was at fault. It was quite impossible that the deflection dial would have moved when the gun was | fired. The gun crew did not leave the gun after firing. They were amazed. Someone must have got bustled and made a mistake.