H.M.S. PHILOMEL

Taranaki Daily News, 30 March 1916, Page 5

H.M.S. PHILOMEL

(PRAISE FOR THE SHIP; ' A NEW ZEALAND HERO, INTERESTING LETTERS FROM TH* COMMANDER. By Telegraph.—Press AMociatiofc Wellington, Last Night ' "Tile inspecting officer of the Navy »as seen the ship, nn<l made so,me quite complimentary remarks about her," aay« Captain TTall Thompson, commanding the New, Zealand cruiser Philomel, in a let* ter to the Minister for Defence. "He said that she was remarkably clean and efficient for hep age, that the ship's company were clean, smart, and well dreated and they were a very fine looking body of men. Tliq ship and her crew are a' credit." f Captain Hall Thompson mentions, in a further letter, a very plucky act performed by a member of the crew of the Philomel, able seaman Frank Kivell, who is a volunteer from New Zealand. A cutter from the ship was attempting to communicate with the shore at , in heavy weather, and was swampedi Kivell saved life under conditions tha{| called for exceptional courage. Captain Hall-Thompson says: ''Conn munication with the shore was urgently necessary. The boat was told to anchor outside the surf and endeavor to com<t municate b,v means of native canoes. Soon after the boat had anchored, in fourteen feet of water, a succession ot steep waves completely swamped her anfl the canoes coming off were upset. The majority of the men were washed out of the boat and had to swim for the Bhort in a heavy breaking S urf, A.B, Kivell baling among the number. A.B. Anderstnh who was attending to the anchor, is t weak swimmer, and was left in ttift boat, having been severely buffatted anj washed right along to the stern of tlii boat. He had entirely lost his .heS<£ and states that he knows very lilile of what happened. Seeing this, m got ashore, Kivell at once started bacik£ The heavy breakers made this a verj hazardous proceeding, which the «trony< est swimmers in the crew state would not have cjircd to have under* • taken. On his way to the boat Kivell' found A.B, Castell in difficulties, he ha»" ing attempted to float ashore on a mMfc and had got his foot entangled in thjs rope gear.' Kivell dived and cleared Castell's foot, being sttuck by the ma# on coming to the surface. Notwithstanding this he proceeded to the boat and rescued Anderson, who waa helplesf, and made things much more difficult bjf clutching Kivell by the neck and nearly drowning him. However, he successfully brought Anderson ashore, and I consider it was entirely duo to this man's pluck and perseverance in very difficult circumstances that no lives were lost. I " recommend that his services be recognised 'by the award of the Royal Humar' Society's life-saving medal."