THE MINE SWEEPERS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 16 January 1917, Page 6

THE MINE SWEEPERS.

WHO BROKE THE GERMAN blockajde. Glowing tribute was paid before an Auckland audience recently by the Rev. Harry Johnson, of Christchurch, to the humble but heroic and immensely important service done in the war by Britain by the deep-sea fishermen of the Dogger Bank. Speaking to an audience in” the Mt. Eden Congregational Church hall. Mr Johnson, who had spent some months as “sky-pilot” to the Dogger Bank fishing fleets, described how, before the war, there was a floating population among the ten or twelve fleets of between 10,000 and 15,000 men continuously afloat on the waters of that great fishing ground. Day and night, summer and winter, fair weather or. foul,, these men braved the ;■ rigour of the North Sea in small boats | that had no port to run to when a storm .arose, and daily and nightly engaged -‘•n the heavy, strenuous and risky work of trawling in both calm and storm. Always afloat, with only eight days ashore in every eight weeks, and continuously facing violent death, these men had a unique knowledge of the Sea its floor, channels and currents, developed ft matchless skill m ’iaij'iiig Small ships, and a persona hardihood and endurance that conn e the most heroic risks in storm as mere matter-of-fact duty. When war broke M t and Germany sotted the tica broadcast with floating mines, halt the Dogger Bank fisher popnlation volunteered for service os mine sweepers, and the other half joined the navj m ”tr capacities. It was the fleet ot “ ine-sweepers thus formed of mea with special ship skill and sea knowledge, P fl sto iiJ reckless heroism that had broken the projected rain by s "* imS ' * deadly, dangerous look np the aw, infr t i ie ■ -_ fl q n-cnuous work ot suoepm _ d ’ f nil the channels of trade, pi- :«» ors 1, Steamers safely .lotmg «■» b i S itaill sweeping the walj° and f ?“® a j ing ’neutrals, sweeping ers sa < i British battleships, the way clea f „„d cr the even in trom. of H goland tight, German guns m tbc » Dn’daunder the Turkish go"» hc . of ndlcs Narrows, sweeping iBtil a British transpoi ' at the Anzae an tranr arts Gallipoli, and of the El ,. ; i is h iP the Acgcoyea had f'Tn-bv the mines they fished tor been s-.n- b. torpedoed, and perished, but stili "sisted in their hnmbTe, heroic ■ an ,{ invaluable work of keeping waters free for British commerce and the British Navy. .