THE NAVY WAY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 17 November 1924, Page 6

THE NAVY WAY.

FUELLING A WARSHIP AT TWENTY KNOTS.

In modern naval emergencies the maintenance of speed is vital. To prevent waste of time a new scheme of oiling warships at sea whilst steaming at high speed is being successfully developed. Warships proceeding hurriedly to far distant waters would need replenishment of fuel from such naval bases as Malta and Singapore, and to stop at these ports would waste invaluable time (states A. J. Cole, writing in the Daily News). Hence the development of this new scheme. It is seemingly a simple method, but it demands assiduous courage and skill, for there is considerable risk involved w r hen two ships are steaming side by side at high speeds. The captain of the battleship, on sighting the oiler which has been warned to wait for him, signals the course he wants her to take, and* the necessary speed, both of which are, of course, relative to 'his own. Intermittent signals are exchanged, and by an admirable pieee of navigation the ships draw ■within thirty feet of each other.

At a given signal from the captain of the oiler, a rocket is fired, which carries a line to the warship. A specially constructed cable carrying the oil hose is attached to the line, which is rapidly hauled aboard. The hose is connected to oil fuel filling system, signals aTe exchanged, pumping from the oiler commences, and 500 tons of oil an hour are transferred from the oiler to the warship, whilst both vessels are pounding along at turenty knots.

The mental tension for both navigators is tremendous, for slight changes of speed diie to such causes as “cavitation” of the propellers, variations of ■water resistance, have to be immediately rectified and both ships have to be kept to their accurate courses. The helmsmen must respond immediately, and both helms mush sychronise. One single mistake might be calamitous — collisions at .twenty knots do not merely disturb paint. The hours seem singularly long, but there is no relaxation of vigilance for the men in charge. In three hours 1500 tons have been pumped over, and the signal “Enough!” brings untold relief to both bridges. The hose is speedily withdrawn, and the battelship goes ahead on her responsible mission. These experiments have been carried out with all types of worships, from the smallest destroyer to the largest battleship. Only a few oilers of suitable speed are yet available, but the scheme is young, and offers an interesting insight into the ever-in-creasing efficiency of the Navy.