Contributions to Korero R.N.Z.N.

Korero (AEWS), Volume 2, Issue 9, 8 May 1944, Page 2

Contributions to Korero

R.N.Z.N.

You are reminded that a maximum sum of £3, payable in canteen orders where there are canteens under New Zealand control and in cash where there are not, will be divided among contributors in each issue. It is necessary, therefore, that all contributors should send us number, name, and full address. Remember, too, that articles are not the only contributions we are looking for. We would like to see also short paragraphs, black and white drawings, and verse. There is space, too, for your comments and inquiries, provided you keep them short. The address is : D.A.E.W.S., Army H.Q., Wellington.” Mark your envelopes Korevo in one corner.

C C T cannot speak too highly of the I behaviour of officers and ship’s company,” wrote Captain W. E. Parry, C. 8., R.N., Commanding Officer of H.M.N.Z.S. “ Achilles,” in his official report on that ship’s proceedings in the memorable Battle of the River Plate, fought on December 13, 1939. “ Very few people in the ship had been under fire before. Yet every one carried out his duty with complete unconcern ; and it was not until after breaking off the main action that any signs of unusual

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excitement appeared. This took the form of a souvenir hunt amongst those who were fortunate enough to be detailed to clear up the debris ... I can only add that New Zealand has every reason to be proud of her seamen during their baptism of fire.” Sir Henry Harwood, R.N., who commanded the division of three cruisers “ Exeter,” “ Ajax,” and “ Achilles ” — that boldly fought the “ Admiral Graf Spee ” and drove her to Montevideo and her inglorious scuttling there, recorded in his official despatch describing the action, “ the honour and pleasure I had of taking one of H.M. ships of the New Zealand Division into action, and I fully concur with her Commanding Officer’s remarks concerning the behaviour of her company.” The Battle of the River Plate, the first major naval engagement in this war, and the first in which a New Zealand ship largely manned by a New Zealand crew ever took part, wrote one more brilliant page in the age-old story of the Royal Navy. It demonstrated that New Zealand seamen, equally with their brethren of the parent Navy, “ can find precedent or parallel for any situation that the force of the weather or the malice of the King’s enemies may bring about.” There is not space here fully to retell the famous story of this bold, swift action in which three cruisers tackled the heavily-gunned,, armoured German ship and ended her brief commerceraiding career. Nine British merchant shipstwo of them New Zealand traders had been sunk by the “ Admiral Graf Spee ” when she was intercepted and engaged by the patrolling trio. Between them they opposed six 8 in. and sixteen 6 in. guns to the German’s six ii in. and eight 5-9 in. guns. In the early morning main action lasting barely hree hours, H.M.S. “ Exeter ” had four of her six 8 in. guns disabled and sustained other damage which greatly educed her speed and compelled her to withdraw. H. M. S. ' Ajax ” also took punishment, and at one time had only three of her eight 6 in. guns in action. ■

But by this time the “ Admiral Graf Spee ” had had enough and retired at high speed to the westward, shadowed by “ Ajax ” and “ Achilles.” As she made for the River Plate, the “ Graf Spee ” opened fire with her n in. guns whenever her pursuers came too near. Half an hour after midnight the German ship anchored in the roadstead of Montevideo. Reinforced by the cruiser “ Cumberland,” “ Ajax ” and “ Achilles ” kept watch off the port while the world waited and wondered. A few days later the “ Graf Spee ” was scuttled and blown up by her company, and her Captain committed suicide. The “ Achilles ” sustained only slight damage in the engagement. About twenty minutes after action commenced an ii in. shell fell short of the ship in line with her bridge and burst on the water. Splinters killed four ratings in the control tower and stunned the gunnery officer, Lieutenant R. E. Washbourne, R.N., himself a New-Zealander. Captain Parry and the Chief Yeoman on the bridge were slightly wounded. Two men were killed outright when heavy shell splinters entered the control compartment. An ordinary seaman replaced one of the dead men and carried

out the essential duty coolly and efficiently for the remainder of the action. A boy acting as communication member to the guns behaved with exemplary coolness throughout. He passed information to the guns and repeated their reports clearly for the information of the control officer. He was heard at one time most vigorously denying the report of his untimely death which had somehow spread round the ship. The River Plate action was the first serious blow dealt in this war to the Nazi forces of Hitlerdom. Since then the Royal Navy and the Dominion navies have passed through more than four years

one the most exacting and dangerous periods in the whole of our great naval history. They have demonstrated again and again that British seamen “ can outwit, outmanoeuvre, outfight, and outlast the worst that the enemy’s malice and ingenuity can contrive.”

It has not happened that other New Zealand ships have fought in actions such as that of the River Plate. Naval warfare has been described as months of dull routine, punctuated by brief periods of intense activity. This has been the lot of “ Leander ” and “ Monowai ” and some of the little ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy. They have seized their chance whenever it has come their way, and their standard has been that set by “ Achilles ” in her first action. That standard is in line with the highest traditions of the Royal Navy.

In May, 1940, H.M.N.Z.S. “ Leander ” left New Zealand on a cruise which lasted more than sixteen months. Much of that period was spent on patrol and escort duties in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. “ Leander ” had one stroke of good fortune when she intercepted the Italian armed merchant cruiser “ Ramb I,” which was sunk after a brief action. In JuneJuly, 1941, “Leander” was in the eastern Mediterranean and took part in offensive operations against Vichy French naval and military forces on the coast of Syria.

In the meantime enemy activities in New Zealand waters had occasioned considerable expansion of the minesweeping flotillas, and during the period JuneSeptember, 1940, these newly-commis-sioned vessels successfully carried out a major and arduous operation, in the performance of which officers and ratings gave of their best in skill and endurance. The growth of the anti-submarine minesweeping flotillas has been one of the major developments of the Royal New Zealand Navy, notably since the outbreak of the war against Japan. Their work is of vital importance, but, in the main, monotonous and unspectacular. The constant prayer of their ships’ companies is to come to grips with the enemy, and on one memorable occasion when it was answered two of them showed that they could fight to the same purpose as their big cruiser sisters.

During the night of January 29, 1943, two little ships of a New Zealand minesweeping flotilla were patrolling off the northernmost tip of Guadalcanal when they contacted a large Japanese submarine. A depth-charge attack forced it to surface, and it opened fire with its 5*5 in. gun. A hot action ensued. The submarine was considerably larger and faster than either of its opponents, but the New Zealand ships were r well handled and poured in a ■ rapid fire with their 4 in. guns. * One of them thrice rammed the | ; submarine, to such good effect on the third occasion that she rode up on the submarine’s deck, listing heavily and firing ; > . - every gun that could be brought g « to bear until she was able to clear ■ herself. Firing was continuous for ll&’U about an hour, the action ending only after the submarine, attempting to escape in the darkness inshore, struck a reef and wrecked F' ■

herself.

Notable in this action was the conduct of Acting Leading Signalman C. Buchanan, of Port Chalmers. He was mortally wounded by machine-gun fire, but remained at his post operating a searchlight until relieved. He died next day. The successful

action of the two ships earned the congratulations of United States Navy Commanders-in-Chief, the Admiralty, and the New Zealand and Australian Naval Boards. Decorations awarded included the United States Navy Cross to the Commanding Officers of the ships and posthumously to Signalman Buchanan, as well as five United States Silver Star medals and twenty-three letters of commendation to others of the ships’ companies. Both Commanding Officers, it should be noted, had gained the Distinguished Service Cross while serving earlier in the war in small craft of the Royal Navy in the English Channel.

The outbreak of hostilities with Japan in December, 1941, found the “ Achilles ” and “ Leander ” operating in New Zealand waters mainly on escort and patrol duties. It is not possible yet to tell the full story of their subsequent activities while serving with United States Navy Task Forces in the strenuous operations which checked the enemy’s offensive in the South Pacific and ultimately threw him on the defensive in the Solomon Islands and elsewhere. It must suffice to record here that “ Achilles,” “ Leander,” and “ Monowai,” as well as the smaller vessels of the Royal New Zealand Navy, per-

formed invaluable service under trying conditions for months on end in escorting important convoys of troop-transports and supply ships. In January, 1942, H.M.N.Z.S. “ Monowai ” engaged an enemy submarine in Fijian waters. The former opened fire, which was returned by the enemy. No hits were made by either side, and six minutes later the submarine broke off the action and submerged. This was the first and only occasion on which the “ Monowai ” was in action. Her ratings included many young hands, all of whom showed great steadiness under fire.

During the operations which resulted in the capture of New Georgia and adjacent islands in the Solomon Islands, “ Leander,” operating 111 a United States Task Group, took part in several highly successful night actions against Japanese destroyers. The work of the New Zealand ships in the South Pacific area was highly praised by the United States Navy authorities. Admiral C. W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief United States Pacific Forces, expressed to “ Leander ” and “ Achilles ” his appreciation of the “ splendid manner in which every task assigned has been carried through to a successful conclusion. Well done ! ”

Notable in the recent major expansion of the Royal New Zealand Navy was the commissioning of H.M.N.Z.S. “ Gambia,” a modern light cruiser, which is at present operating under the control of Admiralty. A number of New-Zealand-built antisubmarine minesweepers have been added to the flotillas in recent months. Since September, 1939, there has been a sevenfold increase in the personnel of the R.N.Z.N. But whereas, at the beginning of the war, officers and ratings lent from the Royal Navy made up 40 per cent, of the total number, their proportion at the end of March 1944 had declined to 6 per cent. Of the total personnel at the latter

date approximately 28 per cent, were serving with the Royal Navy.

This narrative is necessarily, but a restricted and wholly inadequate survey of the outstanding performances of the ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy. As has been shown, their services have ranged from the South Pacific to the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean and across the wide expanses of the South Atlantic. The “ Achilles ” circumnavigated the Continent of South America during her first memorable war cruise.

It remains only to mention briefly the world - wide service of those NewZealandersnumbering to-day not far short of 3,000 —doing duty in ships of the Royal Navy. They are serving in battleships, aircraft-carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarinesin fact, in warships of every type and in every sea throughout the world where the enemy is likely to be found. There are nearly 700 New-Zealanders in the Fleet Air Arm and, as was recently revealed, a number of them took a considerable part in the successful bombing of the German battleship “ Tirpitz.” New-Zealanders, too, were serving in several ships which played a prominent part in the hunting-down and destruction of the German battleship “ Bismarck ” in the North Atlantic in May, 1941, and the “ Scharnhorst ” in the far north Barentz Sea on December 26, 1943. New Zealand officers and ratings have served and are still serving in ships that have taken part in numerous other actions and in escorting Atlantic, Mediterranean, and North Russia convoys. The naval forces of Great Britain and the Dominion have been the main support and safeguard of the nation’s prodigious war effort since December, 1939, and to that end the Royal New Zealand Navy has contributed in full measure.