N.Z. NAVY

Hokitika Guardian, 26 June 1930, Page 2

N.Z. NAVY

EXERCISES IN HAURAKI GULF

AUCKLAND, June 23.

Varied and exceedingly interesting gunnery and torpedo exercises were carried out in Hauraki Gulf during the past fortnight by 11.M.5. Dunedin, flagship of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy. In a number of practices valuable co-operation was given 'by the New Zealand Air Force. The Dunedin, was delayed in her return by a mishap off Tiri. The battle practice target which she had in tow broke adrift in the darkness in- a heavy easterly swell. The target is a. massive structure weighing 275 tons, and manoeuvring the ship in the heavy sea to pick it up was a difficult and dangerous business. In such, an emergency men have to be placed ole the target and the lioavy towing wires shackled on, while all the time the ship must be so handled that the rolling and pitching, monster does not crash into her and damage liar projecting propellers. This was no light task in the dark with half a gale blowing, and it added valuable seamanship experience to the lessons learned from the gunnery and torpedo practices. The Dunedin was under wav during twelve days, and carried out a comprehensive programme of day and night gunnery and torpedo firing. Twenty-five toiijj of mussels and a mat of sea grass a foot in depth were removed from the hull of the naval training ship Philomel when the vessel was docked for her first underwater overhaul since 1926. Some of the mussels were exceptionally large, but their hold on the steel sides was not so strong as to call for more than ordinary effort on the part of the workmen who wielded huge scrapers similar to Ibroad chisels on the end of long handles. With the scraping completed the hull will be swept witn strong fibred brooms before it is repainted. The shallowness of the water at the Philomel’s berth at the naval base contribued to the prolific marine growth during the past four years. The rubbish will be lifted out of dock by a crane and transported out of the harbour on a barge. To-day’s operations, on which thirty men were employed, revealed that the hull is in splendid order. The ship is expected to come out of dock to-morrow.