“MYSTERY SHIPS”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1037, 30 July 1930, Page 10

“MYSTERY SHIPS”

CAMOUFLAGED INGENUITY AGAINST SUBMARINES A PHASE OF SEA WAR Adventures on “mystery shine* some of the difficulties • rieounttt**^ 2 camouflaging these ship* .Jr “ by Lieutenant-Commander R vsr v* d bit, D. 5.0., R.N.V.R., at a meetiri**; the Victoria League literary wj" last evening. “At first,” said Mr. Nesbit served as gunnery officer on the vessels, “the scheme adopted to fly a neutral flag and to as some particular ship that chaSS to be In the vicinity. Huge would have to be made ovenSJL. Funnels and hulls would be repaSw new names attached and even the <wL' line and funnel-shape altered. GnJ. skill and ingenuity were bring the submarines within without suspicion being aroused. “Later the tactics were changed. 7V new method was to invite’ or shelling. A terrible batteringVonr be received and a panicky of the ship would be carried out large number of the crew concealed. Eventually the submarine! would approach to inspect their viT tim. The tables would be turned o' them abruptly. Though the ordeal 0 : hiding behind false bulwarks mar of tarpaulins—while the ship being shelled, called for great nerve never once saw the crew lose its p?**. ence of mind or fail to do its duty “Submarines could submerge in seconds and they never showed themselves above water within range of armed vessel. On the ‘mystery ehip* false decking, false funnels, tarpauk deckhouses and innumerable device! were used to effect an adequate cor' cealment The crew was trained carry the deception to its fullest limits “The first ‘mystery ship’ on which 1 served was a converted coastal collier the Farnbrough. We began our patrei around the coast of Ireland. “One of the plans adopted was to create the impression that panic had broken out among the crew as soon as the first shot was fired by the submarine. Everyone had to run wildly around the deck. “An effort had to be made to launci the boats and care was always taken to tip them up and so create farther apparent confusion. A section of the crew would get away in the boats an all those left on board would ke*i» under cover. The ship would appear deserted. By means of various devices the boats’ crews would lure th* submarine as close to the ship an possible. Suddenly the false bulwark* would be dropped, the White Ensign would be flown and a broadside wouM be directed on the submarine."