FIGHTING EMPTY SHIP

Hokitika Guardian, 25 September 1929, Page 8

FIGHTING EMPTY SHIP

RADIO CONTROLLED VESSEL. The world’s most powerful battleship firing shells at \ another battleship summing at high speed in a choppy sea, with aircraft spotting overhead, destroyers racing like greyhounds to warn shipping to keep out of the danger zone—such was the thrilling spectacle I witnessed one morning from the bridge of the mine-laying destroyer Versatile says the naval correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph. After embarking a party of military officers we sailed in the afternoon from Portsmoutn to the rendezvous at Sandown Bay where we found the Nelson, Adventure, and other shijisl A strong breeze was blowing from the east, and the sea was rising as we anchored in the bay after transferring the military party to tne Nelson. As evening wore on the weather became worse, and fears were expressed that rough seas would compel postponement of the day’s shoot. All night we rolled more or less gently in the exposed anchorage Put towards the dawn the wind moderated and tne sea became smoother. 'We weighed at 7 o’clock and steamed south-east towards the firing ground in mid-Channel. Soon the gigantic shape of the Nelson loomed through the mist, and far away to the northward I made out the silhouette of the Centurion, which was to serve as a target for the Nelson’s guns. At 9 the Centurion’s crew embarked in the destroyer Shikari, and the old battleship was left deserted save for the faithful cats, which never leave her, and which have endured repeated bombardments without a casualty. Then we had the marvellous sight of the Centurion, the 24,C00-ton battleship, steaming at 14 knots, turning to port or starboard and simulating every .manoeuvre of a fully-manned battleship although not a soul was on board. Wireless waves from the Shikari aetand these in turn control the main steam valves, move the helm to any position desired, and regulate the supply of oil fuel to the furnaces. But even the knowledge of how it is done does not lessen one’s amazement at the sight of this big battleship, dismantled, gaunt and unutterably for--lorn, ploughing through the sea and docilely obeying every silent order from the directing brain in the Shikari a mile away. Fring at immense range, the Nelson frequently straddled the Centurion, water-spouts rising short of or beyond the moving ship, wnile occasionally an eruption of dust and debris denoted a direct hit. In the second stage of the practice the Nelson was firing over a smoke screen laid by. a destroyer. The target ship was then completely hidden from her gunners’ view, and the guns were aimed entirely on the strength of reports from spotting aircraft. Even in these baffling conditions the firing was wonderfully accurate. As one salvo plunged almost alongside, the Centurion, with uncanny promptitude, would turn away. The next salvo would -i..i short, but the following shots usually found their mark, and again a puff of dun-coloured dust would rise from the ship’s deck as the projectile impinged on the steel. After the Nelson had finished her practice, the Adventure, our latest mine-laying cruiser, gave a brilliant display of snap-shooting with her 4.7 in. quick-firers. In half a dozen rapid salvoes she dropped shells in bunches all around the Centurion, and scored several hits. We were not sufficiently near the target ship to he able to see the actual damage, bu.t the vessel was heavily hampered. The most conspicuous features of the clay’s shoot were the ease and absolute reliability with which the Centurion can he manoeuvred under radio control, and the marvellous accuracy with which guns can be trained on invisible targets by means of reports from aircraft hovering overhead.