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Occasional Paper 54: The Church Pennant

May 2019

The Church Pennant: A Naval Furphy

While researching naval history Society’s Senior Researcher, John Smith regularly encounters mythology which is perpetuated over time unless cation is taken to correct them.  This paper is intended to correct misunderstanding about the origin of the Church Pennant flown in many navies.

John Smith is a long-term member of the Society and former Committee member.  As a researcher he regularly responds to a broad spectrum of requests from around the World.

The Church Pennant is hoisted as a signal indicating that the ship’s company is engaged in divine service.  It may also be flown by a vessel or craft when carrying a body or ashes from shore to a ship for committal at sea or by a vessel or craft carrying out a funeral.  It is also flown by Shore Establishments when church services are being conducted.

It is accepted routine that when the Church Pennant is flown that;

  • other vessels should reduce speed and pass with caution.
  • other warships do not send signals except in an emergency. This applies to marks of respect and saluting other warships.

So, what is the origin of the Church Pennant?

There is an oft-repeated version that attributes it to the Dutch Wars of 1652 to 1674.  Both opposing Admirals, Tromp and Blake, were devoutly religious and agreed that, when it became necessary to carry out the burial of the dead or to conduct divine service, the ship concerned would hoist the national flags of both countries during which operation no action would take place.  This combined hoist was reputedly the red cross of St. George to which was attached the red, white and blue horizontal tricolour bands of the Netherlands flag.

Incidentally the earliest recorded use of the Church Pennant is to be found in article 10 of the RN Additional Instructions of 1778.

This is a naval furphy !!!

Well before the Dutch Wars there was a similar pennant in naval use called the Common or Union Pennant which had no meaning as a signal flag when flown by itself.  However, when flown in conjunction with other flags, it could be used to indicate;

  • working the cable.
  • man overboard.
  • Recall for ship’s boats.

The Common Pennant was also the masthead pennant worn by all British private war vessels until the middle 1800s, the three red, white and blue stripes representing the red, white and blue squadrons.

When these squadrons were abolished in 1864, the horizontal stripes were removed and the Common Pennant became what we now know as the Commissioning Pennant.

As it had no individual meaning during the Dutch Wars which it’s use definitely preceded, it was used as the Church Pennant.

In an unrelated epilogue, the Dutch Wars have a connection with the Royal Australian Navy.  In 1667, a Dutch force of marines sailed up the Medway, attacked the fort and occupied the small town of Queenborough after which HMS/HMAS Queenborough was named.  This was the first invasion and occupation of part of Britain since William the Conqueror in 1066.

Further Reading:

Encyclopedia Britannica, Anglo-Dutch Wars

Encyclopedia Britannica, Raid on the Medway

 

Occasional Paper 53: Petty Officer Fredrick Harold Harvey and Colombian Naval Service

May 2019

As told by his son CMDR Vic Harvey, RAN, Rtd

Fredrick Harold Harvey was a proud Geordie lad, born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s suburb of Benwell, on 13 August 1899. Benwell in the West End of Newcastle, with many streets of neat terraced houses, is dominated by its colliery. After leaving school at 14 Fred found work with the tramways and became a tram conductor.

Only known photo of
Frederick Harvey in naval uniform – Family

At the time of the Great War on 30 July 1917 he entered the Royal Navy as a Boy Seaman, a month later on his 18th birthday, he signed a 12 year engagement. On entry Fred was only 5 feet 3 inches tall, so he instantly earned the nickname ‘Shorty’, had brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion with a couple of well–earned scars, as Shorty was known for getting into scraps.

At this time there was little shore–side training and his first ship was the formidable looking four-funnel cruiser HMS Powerful, but she was from a past age, had most of her armament removed, and was used as an accommodation ship. He later joined the armoured cruiser HMS Shannon, she had been built pre-war and after Jutland became flagship of a cruiser squadron patrolling in the North Sea. Fred remained in her until she paid off in May 1919. There must have been some action concerning ship salvage as post-war Fred received £4/13/6 in prize money.

It was then off to warmer climes for service with the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean in HMS Centaur. On New Year’s Day 1921 Fred was promoted to Able Seaman. With vast post-war reductions to the fleet Fred had quite a few posting ashore to the training depot HMS Vividat Devonport, which later became better known as HMS Drake.Fred was promoted to Leading Seaman while still in Vividon 10 December 1925 and passed out for Petty Officer on 6 July 1926.

At the time his engagement expired on 12 August 1929 he was serving in the distinctive new battleship HMS Rodney. Her main armament comprised nine 16-inch guns in three turrets, all forward of the bridge. From Rodney Fred was issued with a ‘Gunnery History Sheet’ providing a record of his proficiency in gunnery examinations conducted in all his seagoing ships and a ‘Trade Certificate’ signed by Captain F.L. Tottenham, RN (later Admiral Sir Francis Tottenham). The latter document notes ‘a thoroughly reliable Leading Seaman displaying intelligence, energy, initiative and power of command’.

In 1926 Fred married childhood sweetheart Dorothy Elaine Rodgers and they set up house in Plymouth where the first of two boys, Frederick Harold, was born in 1927. But 1929 was not the best of times to be leaving the comfort and security of the Royal Navy with the Great Depression beginning to cast an ominous shadow over industrial England. With little prospect of work the family migrated to Windsor in Ontario where they had relatives. While some work was found conditions in Canada were not much better than England and the harsh winters did not suit Mum especially with young Victor Edward coming along in 1931. The next year they returned to Plymouth.

South America

In the 1920s the Admiralty authorised the establishment of British Naval Missions in various countries with the aim of providing training and support with increased cooperation through targeted ship visits. This in turn aimed to demonstrate British technical expertise and encourage foreign shipbuilding orders.

In 1932 a conflict erupted between Colombia1 and neighbouring Peru regarding a border dispute in the region of the Amazon River. This led to the re–establishment of a Colombian naval service, which had previously been disbanded. A Royal Naval Mission was quickly dispatched to assist the Colombians. This was mainly in response to a potential ‘Red Threat’ with Peru acquiring two older Russian destroyers, renamed Almirante Villar and Almirante Guise, from the politically unstable Republic of Estonia in 1933. Colombia is strategically placed between South and Central America with many neighbours and responsibility for its naval waters over both the Atlantic (Caribbean) and Pacific oceans. In this instance the Peruvians, with their naval forces based only on the Pacific coast, sailed a task force into the Atlantic – so the threat was real.

Post WWI the Admiralty invited requests from British shipyards for new destroyer designs. The winning designs were from Yarrow and Thorneycroft resulting in the construction of one ship from each yard, HM Ships Ambuscade and Amazon. A year after commissioning in 1928 these ships were sent on a cruise around South America, which included calls at Colombia and Peru, and home via Panama and the West Indies.

The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 called for significant reductions in naval tonnage resulting in the Royal Navy having no suitable ships to offer Colombia. However a class of six new destroyers based on the Ambuscade design was being built for the Portuguese Navy. The first quarter of the 20th century was tumultuous in Portuguese politics as Britain’s oldest ally transitioned from a catholic monarchy to a socialist republic, cumulating in a 1926 military coup. Despite this two ships were built in Britain (NRP Vouga and Lima) and the remainder in Portugal.

With British assistance two of the Portuguese built vessels were purchased off the stocks by the Armada Nacional Republica de Colombia (ANC) and renamed Antioquia and Caldas. The Portuguese then built two further replacement ships. Royal Naval support was provided in commissioning, storing, manning and working up these vessels.

Leading Seaman Frederick Harvey joins the Colombian Naval Service

A recruitment campaign was undertaken in England to help man the two new destroyers. No mean perk for those in the know, with a two year contract being offer on very similar conditions to service to those afforded under Kings Regulations & Admiralty Instructions (KRAI) which included medical cover, insurance and death benefits. The real incentive, in these times of grave unemployment, was 33⅓% additional pay in £stg for an equivalent RN rank. While this was a single man’s posting, at the completion of the contract a fully paid return passage to England was provided, plus an additional two months pay in lieu of leave.

NRP Lima constructed by Yarrow & Co., Glasgow

On 23 February 1934 a formal ‘Contract for Ratings’ (written in English) was entered into between the Chargé d’Affaires of Colombia representing the Government of Colombia and Frederick Harold Harvey. This was witnessed by a Royal Naval officer. On New Year’s Day 1935 another bonus was received with Fred promoted to Petty Officer.

There is an interesting aside in the report of a football (soccer) match between the two ships when working up. This notes that Antioquia’s goalkeeper ‘Shorty Harvey’ accidentally collided with an opposing player with the result that Shorty lost most of his teeth but with true British grit he continued playing with his ship winning 5 – 1. Shorty was not carted off to hospital until the end of the game.

Eventually both new destroyers reached their home port of Cartagena in Colombia on 14 May 1934. They were more of an insurance policy as the dispute with Peru had been settled before their arrival. We are not aware of Fred’s service in country but it does not appear to have been arduous and, strictly in accordance with his contract, he returned home on 22 February 1936. Upon return, with tales to tell and employment gradually improving, Fred became a postman in his native Newcastle. He also joined the RNR.

Had Fred remained in Antioquia he might have seen some unusual action. On 21 January 1936 on the occasion of the death of King George V the Bermuda Militia Artillery were instructed to fire a ceremonial salute from their 4.7-inch gun battery. This salute consisted of 70 blank rounds – one for every year of the sovereign’s life. Because of damp storage conditions there were insufficient blanks so the shortfall was substituted with life rounds fired at maximum elevation. As they opened fire the gunners were unaware that Antioquia was making for the Royal Naval Dockyard, where she was scheduled for refit. Although straddled the ship was not damaged.

Once more with the outbreak of war in 1939 Fred volunteered for naval service but was knocked back. This did not stop him from joining the Army as a private. Now over forty years of age he remained in the United Kingdom, mainly employed as a Batman/Driver to a senior officer based in Scotland.

After the war Fred was welcomed back into the Post Office where he worked as a driver until the time of his death in 1963. He is buried in Newcastle. His widow Dorothy came to Australia and lived with her son Victor and his wife Connie until her death in 1986. The eldest son Frederick Harold (junior) with his wife Violet migrated to Canada where they made successful business careers and raised two children. Finally younger son Vic continued the family tradition, joined the Andrew and, with many years of distinguished service in the RAN … but that is another story.

 

Notes:

  1. 1. In terms of population, present day Colombia, with a population in excess of 49 million, is the second largest country in South America.

Occasional Paper 52: The RAN and the 1918-19 Influenza Pandemic

May 2019

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Issue 6 of Semaphore, the publication produced by The Sea Power Centre Australia in March 2006. We are indebted to them for their permission to reproduce the article.

Between April 1918 and May 1919, influenza, or its secondary complications, caused up to 50 million deaths, far more than had been killed in four years of war. Many died within the first few days of infection, and nearly half of these were young, healthy adults. The speed with which it spread has been described as ‘…perhaps the most extraordinary feature of this extraordinary pandemic…‘, for the easy transfer, from shore to ship and ship to shore, meant that even communities isolated by sea were vulnerable. A rigorous maritime quarantine policy reduced the immediate impact in Australia, but by the end of 1919 the nation had still suffered more than 11,500 deaths.

The ships of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), dispersed as they were around the world, were certainly not spared. The pandemic occurred in waves and the cruisers operating with the British Grand Fleet suffered several outbreaks in 1918, with up to 157 cases in a single ship. Outbreaks in the Mediterranean were even more severe with the cruiser HMAS Brisbane recording 183 cases between November and December 1918, of whom two died of pneumonia. In all, the RAN lost some 26 men to the disease. When the cramped mess decks and poorly ventilated living spaces of early 20th century warships are recalled, it is perhaps remarkable that the toll was not greater. The saving factor was largely the ready availability of professional medical treatment.

Pacific Islands

Some of the most virulent outbreaks occurred in the islands of the South Pacific, where few among the indigenous populations escaped infection. The disease arrived on the regular cargo vessel SS Talune, which had sailed from Auckland on 30 October 1918, knowingly carrying sick passengers. Successively calling at ports in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Nauru, the steamer’s visits were marked by the first cases of influenza appearing ashore a few days after her departure. With local authorities generally unprepared, the infection spread uncontrollably, a situation aggravated both by the shortage of suitable drugs and the fact that local health workers were among the first to fall.

Hardest hit was the former German territory of Samoa, where inept New Zealand administration resulted in no attempts at patient isolation and the rejection of medical assistance offered from nearby American Samoa. With the forced closure of government institutions and stores, few people being in a fit state to assist with the distribution of food and medicines, and a growing number of uninterred dead, the Samoan situation rapidly became critical. On 19 November the military governor in the capital of Apia telegraphed Wellington for help, but had his request turned down on the grounds that all doctors were needed in New Zealand. Australia offered the only alternative source of aid.

The Commonwealth Naval Board was already aware of the developing regional crisis. The sloop HMAS Fantome, stationed at Suva in Fiji for police duties, had reported her first cases of influenza on 11 November, and soon had more than half her ship’s company incapacitated. More importantly in terms of an effective Australian response, of all government departments only the RAN had suitable assets at immediate readiness. On 20 November, the Board began gathering a joint relief expedition from among the available naval and military medical personnel, placing it under the command of Surgeon Temple Grey, RAN. The commanding officer of HMAS Encounter, Captain Hugh Thring, RAN, was then ordered to embark the expedition at Sydney and proceed at the earliest possible date to Samoa.

HMAS Encounter

Even today the speed of Encounter’s response must be admired. Her sailing orders were telegraphed from Melbourne on Friday, 22 November, and throughout the next day and night the ship’s company worked tirelessly to get in relief stores. Without any information from Samoa as to specific requirements, Thring loaded almost 150 tons of cargo ranging from blankets and tents through to drugs and dry provisions, expecting that these would meet any emergency. The weekend created further difficulties as shops were shut and some items not in stock had to be purchased. Nevertheless, on Sunday forenoon the medical teams embarked, the last of the stores were in by 1550, and ten minutes later Encounter sailed from Sydney.

Double inoculations

Encounter was not a modern ship, but she had led an active service life, most recently involving convoy escort and patrol duties in the Malay Archipelago and Australian waters. Just the previous month she had suffered 74 cases of influenza while operating out of Fremantle, and now, as a precaution against further infection, all members of her crew (over 450) were doubly inoculated. Encounter’s normal passage speed was only 13 knots, but this had to be regulated by coal consumption and navigational requirements. Without modern navigational aids, it was sometimes necessary to arrive at certain points in daylight, while fuel replenishment, and hence range, relied on an efficient logistics system. A coaling stop in Suva would be necessary, but naval stocks there amounted to only 300 tons, so the Naval Board arranged for a rendezvous with a collier. This vessel could not, however, reach Fiji until at least 5 December.

Strict quarantine

Arriving in Suva on 30 November Encounter took on half the available coal and, almost more important, 39 tons of water. With influenza still prevalent, Thring implemented a strict quarantine enforced by guards placed on the wharf. The ship’s company completed all coaling, rather than the native labour normally employed. As no one could return from ashore, Thring communicated by letter with Britain’s resident High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, C.H. Rodwell. The news was not good. The Samoan epidemic showed no sign of abating, with deaths in Apia reaching 50 a day. Moreover, a message from Tonga indicated that conditions there were at least as bad while the facilities for coping with it were worse. On his own initiative, Thring extended Encounter’s mission to include Tonga, but to avoid further delay, landed a nine-man team under the senior Army surgeon, Major Alexander, to take immediate passage in SY Ranadi. Unfortunately, the yacht broke down soon after sailing and was forced to return to Suva.

Sailing from Suva on the evening of 30 November, Thring called for 80 volunteers from his own ship’s company should it prove necessary to provide greater assistance ashore. Despite the dangerous and unpleasant nature of the work, and the fact that any party landed would be left behind – missing their first peacetime Christmas at home – all the officers and most of the ratings volunteered. It would be difficult to find a more telling example of the Australian Navy’s tradition of ‘service before self’.

Encounter anchored off Apia on the morning of 3 December. The harbour was small for a ship of her size and, when combined with a considerable swell and strong winds, made unloading extremely hazardous. Although the ship rolled through more than 20 degrees, within six hours `                                                                                                                                  the landing party (six surgeons, eighteen medical orderlies and three naval sick berth ratings) and their stores were safely disembarked.

Ashore Surgeon Grey and his teams immediately set to work, yet the scale of the disaster remained daunting, and for many of those afflicted help came too late. A Sydney newspaper reported that the Australians ‘…with their motor trucks are doing wonderful service day after day gathering up the dead, who are simply lifted out of their houses as they lie on their sleeping-mats. The mats are wrapped around them, and they are deposited in one great pit.‘

Economic and social collapse

Made worse by the deaths caused by exhaustion and starvation, the two-month epidemic eventually killed 25 per cent of the total Samoan population, and often more than half the male adults in individual communities. Economic and social collapse followed.

Meanwhile Encounter had proceeded direct to Tonga reaching the capital, Nuku’alofa, on 5 December. Here the British Consul advised that, although subsiding, the epidemic had struck down 95 per cent of the indigenous population and left 10 per cent dead. The situation in the outlying islands was just as bad. Thring attempted to get Fantome to bring out Major Alexander’s party, which had been doing good work in Fiji, but the sloop had experienced a fresh outbreak of influenza and remained unable to go to sea. Rodwell had no other craft available for the task.

Thring landed his last surgeon together with five orderlies and the remaining drugs and stores, but there was little more he could do. Yet even this small contribution was of great relief to the European and indigenous community. In thanking Thring for Encounter’s ‘timely aid’, the Consul remarked:

‘Though conditions had greatly improved before the party arrived there was still a good deal of work to be done of a nature that required professional skill and knowledge‘.

The party, he added, ‘…has been indefatigable… in efforts to eradicate the disease‘.

Effective measures

With Encounter running short of coal, Thring sailed for Suva on 7 December. Arriving two days later he received orders to return directly to Sydney. Encounter reached Sydney on 17 December and was immediately placed in quarantine. Only one member of her crew had shown any signs of illness during the voyage, and as testament to the effectiveness of the prophylactic and quarantine measures employed, none developed influenza.

Humanitarian assistance

Thus ended Australia’s first overseas relief expedition. This was one which, although unusual for the times, foreshadowed the now regular employment of the RAN’s assets to provide humanitarian assistance and demonstrate national interest in regional affairs. Indeed, in the context of the maritime doctrinal concepts of flexibility and adaptability, it should be noted that Thring’s orders were not restricted to providing medical aid. Preserving order in the Pacific was among the many subsidiary duties undertaken by the early RAN, and warnings of trouble brewing among the inhabitants of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands (now Kiribati and Tuvalu) had been received by the Naval Board in the weeks before the expedition.

While in Suva, Thring took care to discuss with Rodwell how best a warship might support his authority. On this occasion, no immediate assistance was necessary, but Encounter’s mission might easily have been extended to provide presence elsewhere, and back this up with a large landing force if necessary. It remains a poignant reminder that, by their nature, seaborne forces possess a variety of characteristics and attributes which are not necessarily present in other tools of government foreign policy.

Occasional Paper 51: The Attack Class Patrol Boat

April 2019

By Dennis J Weatherall JP TM AFAITT(L) LSM

Volunteer Researcher, Naval Historical Society of Australia

Patrol boats have proven to be the most flexible and versatile elements of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) since World War 2.  Every day they are at sea patrolling Australian waters and protecting our national interests.  They play an active role in the enforcement of Australian legislation pertaining to; illegal immigration, fishing, quarantine and smuggling.

Between World War 2 and 2019 the Royal Australian Navy has operated five classes of patrol boats commencing with the Bathurst class built between 1940 and 1942.  Then followed the Ton class, Attack class, Fremantle class and in current service, the Armidale class.

Experience during the period of Indonesian Confrontation (1963-6) with the Ton class demonstrated the value of small vessels for patrol and interdiction tasks.  However, the Ton class propulsion system was not suited to loitering and they were expensive to maintain.  This experience led the RAN to introduce the Attack class to conduct patrol work in Australian territorial waters.

This paper examines the design, construction and operations of the Attack class and provides some insight into their habitability.

HMAS ADVANCE launched 16th August 1967,
commissioned 6 February 1968. ANMM image

User Requirement

The requirement for a new Royal Australian Navy Patrol Boat design commenced in May 1963 with an official request from Navy for a preliminary feasibility study for a boat of simple characteristics, around 70-80 feet in length with a speed of approximately 12 knots, and accommodation for a minimum of 2 Officers, 2 Petty Officers and 10 Junior Sailors.

From these initial and additional requirements, the final design developed by Department of Navy naval architects resulted in a vessel that could carry out; general duties, harbour defence, pursuit and interception tasks.

The final design required the following;

Capabilities:

•           Search & rescue

•           Seaward defence

•           Coast Watching

•           Target towing

•           Boarding operations

 

 Navigation:

·       Radar, transistorised light weight commercial unit

·       Gyro compass, similar to Arma Brown commercial units

·       Magnetic compass,

·       Echo sounder of a type similar to Ferrograph, a Trident Log with a bridge repeater

·       Training:  for Junior Officers and sailors (PNF and Reserve) in ship handling
Training

for Junior Officers and sailors (PNF and Reserve) in ship handling

 Communications

A package for both external and internal use for control and navigation.

 
Speed

Maximum, 23 knots

Cruising, 15 knots

 Weapons

A power-operated single Bofor gun on forecastle immediately forward of superstructure with similar mount aft.  Provision for small arms and ammunition
Endurance

At maximum continuous speed: 500 miles

At cruising speed: at least 1500 miles

Water & victuals: 14 days

 Accommodation

to approved standards, fitted with air-conditioning for tropical area operation
Dimensions

length 100-120 ft and

draught of 5-8 ft

 Life-saving equipment

RAN standard

 
Propulsion

Twin screw, simple and reliable in operation

 Ships Boat

14 ft dingy (approximately)

Delivered Capabilities and Specifications

The boat ‘as delivered’ generally met the required specifications, e.g. length 107.5 feet (32.76M), draught 6.2 feet (1.9M) and a speed of 24 knots.  Full details of the boat as delivered are at Annex A.

Service Life and Disposal

The original plan was to build twenty boats, although the class type was designated the Attack, the boat bearing the class name was the tenth pennant number allocated, fifth launched and second commissioned four days after Aitape # P84.  Pennant numbers ran from 81-95 and 97-101, (20 numbers) but Pennant number 96 was never allocated, nor could I find a reason for skipping this specific number.

HMAS Archer in Jervis bay showing her original thin style pennant number

The Attack class (A) Boats were built at two Queensland engineering works; Evans Deakin (Brisbane) built 13 and Walkers Ltd (Maryborough) built 7.

Five Patrol Boats were purpose built for New Guinea service and named accordingly.  They were used for patrol and general duties in Australian and surrounding waters before transfer to the PNG Defence Force.  The boats destined for New Guinea service were HMAS Aitape, Samarai, Ladua, Lae and Madang.  These vessels, after Independence, were retitled HMPNG Ships.  The table provided in Annex B lists all twenty vessels built; by whom, pennant numbers, dates laid down and dates launched and commissioned.

The Attack class gave good service over more than two decades.  HMAS Bayonet, built by Walkers Ltd was the last boat launched (6 November 68) and commissioned on 22 February 69.  The last boat to decommission was HMAS Aware on 17 July 1993.

Five boats were gifted to the PNG Government;  Aitape, Samarai, Ladava, Lae and Madang.  Nine were either gifted or purchased by Indonesia.  These were:

RAN Name TNI Name
Acute P81 KRI Sikuda # 863
Archer P86 KRI Siliman # 848
Ardent P87 sold privately, then bought by Indonesia. KRI Tenggin # 865
Assail P89 KRI Sigurot # 864
Attack P90 KRI Sikuda # 863
Bandolier P95 KRI Sibarau # 847
Barbette P97 KRI Siada # 862
Barricade P98 KRI Sigalu # 857
Bombard P99 KRI Siribura # 859

 

Two boats were sunk as targets, Adroit on 8 August 1994 and Buccaneer on 8 October 1988.

Loss of HMAS Arrow

HMAS Arrow floundered alongside Stokes Hill Wharf during Cyclone Tracy on 25 December 1974 with the loss of two lives, Petty Officer Leslie Catton and Able Seaman Ian Rennie.  Arrow and Attack had attempted to sail Port Darwin and ride out the cyclone at sea, but neither vessel made it out of the port.  Arrow was unlucky and was blown under Stokes Hill Wharf and wrecked.  Attack was driven ashore at Doctor’s Gully without sustaining any casualties.  Arrow was re-floated by DT1 on 13 January 1975 by attaching pontoons to her hull and, with the assistance of tugs, the wreck was towed underwater to the shallows of Frances Bay, where she was surveyed, written off as a wreck and put up for sale.

HMAS Arrow, lost in Darwin during Cyclone Tracy, 1974 RAN images

A local businessman purchased what was once a proud patrol boat, his idea was to restore her, but it proved far too expensive, therefore a decision was made to break her up where she lay.

HMAS Advance was the third boat in Darwin at the time.  She escaped damage at sea.  One of HMAS Arrow’s name boards is proudly displayed in the Mess at HMAS Waterhen, once her home base.

HMAS Advance at sea. RAN image

HMAS Advance is the last remaining Attack class patrol boat maintained as an operating exhibit by the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney.  Advance is a proud reminder of the twenty boats built between 6 July 1967 and 6 November 1968 to protect Australia’s 200nm economic zone, fishing rights and just about any other task directed.  They welcomed fleeing South Vietnamese after the Fall of Saigon in April 1975, and towed many a craft safely to our shores.  They were work-horses with more sea time than many major fleet units.  Once a “boat-man”, you always wished to stay in what was often referred to as “McHale’s Navy”.  There wasn’t much of our extensive coastline that we didn’t pass or “drop the pick” in some secluded bay or river entrance, from Cooktown into the Gulf and down the West Australian coast.

Life in an ‘A’ Boat

The combination of a small, relatively junior crew, remote area operations and cycle of 6 weeks on patrol and 2 weeks in home port resulted in close-knit self-reliant ships companies very proud of their boat.  Dress standards in the tropics were relaxed with the ships ‘T’ shirt, shorts and sandals frequently dress of the day.  Multi-tasking was essential for the conduct of evolutions such as boarding operations and during leave periods.  Young and inexperienced hands quickly learnt under guidance from the CO and senior sailors.  Training in an ‘A’ boat occurred naturally.

Habitability was adequate but some design shortcomings created frustrations.  ‘A’ boats were not designed for crew comfort in heavy sea states!  Operations in conditions above sea states 4 and 5 (moderate to rough seas) curtailed many activities particularly boarding operations.  They rolled uncomfortably in moderate conditions often creating havoc due to design issues.  As an example, the galley range door which was oriented longitudinally would fly open in heavy seas.  Local modifications such as attaching a gate bolt to keep what was cooking in the oven were necessary.  As an aside, one day before the modification was carried out, I found our LSCK chasing half-baked chickens across the deck after we hit some rather heavy seas!  You can imagine the mess of oil (from the chickens), the baking tray and one rather irate cook chasing scran across the deck!

The senior sailor’s bathroom located in the peak of the bow presented another challenge.  It was some real fun sitting on the heads when underway heading into a forceful sea state, and an impossibility to shower without a very wet deck when the shower curtain swung to starboard at 40-plus degrees.  Laundry facilities were ‘Heath Robinson’ with a washing machine lashed to the mast for use alongside when adequate fresh water was available.  The engine room doubled as a drying room.

Throughout their service Attack class boats developed a proud and respected reputation so much so that the Australian Broadcasting Commission produced a television series based on actual events with which they dealt.  They certainly lived up to their short sharp mottos which are listed in Annex C.

Attack Class Successor: The Fremantle Class

Planning for the new Fremantle class patrol boats commenced in 1970.  Experience gained from operating twenty Attack class boats identified numerous areas for improvement in the new design.  By September 1970 the Navy proposed construction of ten additional new patrol boats to commence entering service between 1976 and 1980.  These additional vessels would augment the Attack class and also replace the two General Purpose Vessels HMAS Bass and Banks.

HMAS Fremantle RAN image

The acquisition of replacement patrol craft was announced in April 1975 with eleven shipbuilders invited to tender.  On 22 September 1977 the Minister of Defence (James Killen) announced the PCF450 design had been selected and fifteen boats would be built at a cost of AUD 115 million.

The lead vessel HMAS Fremantle was built in the UK by Brooke Marine of Lowestoft.  The remainder were built in Australia by North Queensland Engineers and Agents.  Fremantle was allocated pennant number 203 and following commissioning, 17 March 1980 made one of the longest duration delivery voyages in RAN history taking 82 days.  Fremantle arrived at her home base, HMAS Waterhen on 27 August 1980.  She had sailed 14,509 nautical miles, probably the longest voyage undertaken by a single RAN patrol boat.

With HMAS Fremantle came the new class of patrol boats and additional duties as they were integrated into the Fleet.  Attack class boats progressively handed over the reins to the Fremantles until they were all decommissioned.  In turn, the Fremantles were superseded by the Armidale Class, but that is another story!

Annexes

  1. Attack Class Patrol Boat: Delivered Capabilities and Specifications
  2. Attack Class Patrol Boat: Key Dates
  3. Attack Class Patrol Boat: Mottos

References:

  • Personal experience from boats on which I served (Dennis Weatherall)
  • Design of Patrol Boats for RAN – J.J. Follan M.R.I.N.A. (Royal Institution of Naval Architects Australia)
  • Australian Ships of War – John Bastock Published 1975 Pages 372-382
  • Welcome to the Armidale Class, Semaphore February 2006, Issue 4
  • Australian Patrol Combatants, April 2010, Semaphore 2010 Issue 3,
  • HMAS Arrow, Sea Power Centre Australia Website, accessed 30 March 2019

Annex A

Attack Class Patrol Boat: Delivered Capabilities and Specifications

The following describes the Attack class as delivered to the RAN

Displacement:  100 tons standard, 146 tons fully loaded, length 107.5 ft (32.8m), beam 20 ft (6.1m), draught 7.3 ft (2.2m) at full load, propulsion 2×16 cylinder Paxman YJCM diesel engines 2 shafts, speed 24 knots (44 km or 28 mph), complement 3 Officers/4 Senior Sailors/12 Junior Sailors, armament 1×40 mm Mk 7 Bofor gun, 2 x .50 calibre machine guns, sufficient SLR and AR mix of rifles and hand guns.

Hull:  The Attack class main hull was constructed of steel frame, bulkheads, deck beams were designed in mild steel of all-welded construction.  The superstructure, funnel and masts were constructed of aluminium alloy of all-welded construction and “huck-bolted[1]” to the main hull structure.

Accommodation was located forward in the bow for 4 Senior Sailors.  Senior Sailors’ bunks were two up port and starboard.  Officers were accommodated in 2 cabins; Executive officer and Navigator, in a 2-off cabin forward opposite the radio office before entering the Senior Sailors’ Mess, starboard-side.  The CO had a single cabin aft of the forward ladder to the lower deck and adjacent the magazine.  All three officers shared a bathroom and heads directly opposite the forward ladder, accessible from the wardroom flat.  These spaces were lined, with a white laminate and insulated, joins were neatly covered with natural timber trim.  The Junior Sailors’ Mess was located aft immediately behind the engine room and forward of the tiller flat.  Bunks were steel constructed, 3 up on the port side and 3 on the starboard side, split 6 forward and 6 aft, with a coat locker dividing sleeping area from the general mess.

Fuel Tank Capacity:  Diesel, 6 main tanks of 20 tons capacity; 2 ferrying tanks of 2.5 tons;

Fresh Water Tank Capacity:  normal capacity 4 tanks of 6.5 tons.  Fresh water maximum capacity was 7.5 tons.  These fresh water tanks were built into the hull.  In order to conserve fresh water, an alternative salt water supply (if needed) could be operated in all three bathroom shower heads.  When fresh water was scarce and top-up was impossible due to location, passing rain squalls were a welcome shower alternative on the quarter deck.

Steering Gear was fitted as a “Mathway” light weight power-assisted unit.  It could be operated from either the Bridge, Wheelhouse or the emergency steering position in the Tiller flat, also known as the Bosun’s Store aft, directly over the ship’s rudder area.  In the event of any hydraulic failure, this equipment could function without any power assistance but extremely hard on the arms.

Deck Machinery on the forecastle consisted of an anchor windlass of one cable lifter and two warpends driven by a 4.5 hp electric motor through an enclosed worm reduction gearbox.  The windlass was also arranged for emergency hand operations.

Anchor was a 180 pound (81.8 kg) “Danforth” type fitted with 11/16 inch chain cable.

Galley was located immediately aft of the Wheelhouse on the main deck before exiting the forward superstructure.  All equipment was electric and consisted of one single oven range with four hot plates and a grill plate.  A 15 cubic feet upright refrigerator, one 7.5 gallon hot water urn for brews (always ready for use 24 hrs/day) and one use-all mixer/mincer.

Provisions Room – located at the bottom of the aft ladder into the Junior Sailors’ Mess directly opposite their bathroom, it took up the entire compartment, 21 cubic ft capacity in which we stored all meats, frozen milk, bread and the beautiful, pre-packed “guinea pig” vegetables such as broccoli, sweet corn and peas.  Each Mess (x 3) also had a 5 cubic ft ready-use refrigerator – they also suffered from the same fore & aft placement onboard ship as our galley stove/range and often the fridge lock would spring open and whatever was inside quickly deposited itself on the deck!

Annex B

Attack Class Patrol Boat: Key Dates

The following table provides key dates (builder, pennant number, date laid down, launch and commission) for all twenty boats.

Name Pennant

Number

 Builder Launch

Date

 Commissioning Date Decommissioning Date History Post RAN Service
Acute P81 Evans Deakin 26/8/67 26/4/68 6/5/83 Indo KRI Sikuda # 863
Adroit P82 Evans Deakin 3/2/68 17/8/68 28/3/92 Sunk as target, August 1994
Advance P83 Walkers Ltd 16/8/67 24/1/68 6/2/88 Museum, ANMM Sydney
Aitape P84 Walkers Ltd 6/7/67 13/11/67 14/11/74 Transferred to HMPNGS, scuttled 1995
Samarai P85 Evans Deakin 14/7/67 1/3/68 14/11/74 Transferred to HMPNGS
Archer P86 Walkers Ltd 2/12/67 15/5/68 21/5/74 Indo KRI Siliman # 848
Ardent P87 Evans Deakin 27/4/68 26/10/68 6/1/94 and Reclassified as TRNG NAV # A243.  Paid off Dec. 1998 Sold to Pvte Indo 2002 KRI Tenngeri #865
Arrow P88 Walkers Ltd 17/2/68 3/7/68 Lost in Darwin, 25/12/74 Cyclone Tracy
Assail P89 Evans Deakin 18/11/67 21/7/68 18/10/85 Indo KRI Sigurot

# 864
Attack P90 Evans Deakin 8/4/67 17/11/67 21/2/85 Indo KRI Sikuda # 863
Aware P91 Evans Deakin 7/10/67 21/6/68 17/7/93 Sold Pvte, scrapped 2011
Ladava P92 Walkers Ltd 11/5/68 13/11/67 14/11/74 T/fs to HMPNGS
Lae P93 Walkers Ltd 5/10/67 3/4/68 14/11/74 Transferred to HMPNGS
Madang P94 Evans Deakin 10/10/68 28/11/68 14/11/74 Transferred to HMPNGS
Bandolier P95 Walkers Ltd 2/10/68 14/12/68 16/11/73 Indo KRI Sibarau # 847
Barbette P97 Walkers Ltd 10/4/68 16/8/68 15/6/84 Indo KRI Siada

# 862
Barricade P98 Evans Deakin 29/6/68 26/10/68 20/5/82 Indo KRI Sigalu  #857
Bombard P99 Walkers Ltd 6/7/68 5/11/68 12/9/83 Indo KRI Siribura # 859
Buccaneer P100 Evans Deakin 14/9/68 11/11/69 27/7/84 Sunk as target 8/10/88
Bayonet P101 Walkers Ltd 6/11/68 22/2/69 26/6/88 Scuttled 21/9/99 in Victoria

Annex C

Attack Class Patrol Boat Mottos

The following is a list of mottos allocated to each boat.

 

P81 Acute                   “Swift to the Point”

P82 Adroit                   “Quick and Secure”

P83 Advance              “Never Look Back”

P84 Aitape                   “Tread Warily”

P85 Samarai               “United We Stand”

P86 Archer                  “Swiftly Sure”

P87 Ardent                  “Flame and Fury”

P88 Arrow                   “Straight as an Arrow”

P89 Assail                   “Cut Deep”

P90 Attack                  “Never Waver”

P91 Aware                  “Forever Alert”

P92 Ladava                 “Fight the Good Fight”

P93 Lae                       “Dare All”

P94 Madang                “Our Ship Your Shield”

P95 Bandolier              “Dressed to Kill”

# 96 not allocated.       Reason unknown

P97 Barbette               “Taut and Trim”

P98 Barricade             “They Shall Not Pass”

P99 Bombard              “Hit Hard”

P100 Buccaneer         “Seek and Find”

P101 Bayonet             “We Fix”

 

[1]   Huck-bolting is a patterned fastening, similar to a rivet, used frequently to fasten unlike metals together such as mild steel and aluminium.  It’s a screwed thread with a clamp nut.

Occasional Paper 49: The Good Times and The Bad Times

April 2019

The following paper describes the experiences of a young Royal Navy conscript, Gordon Cansdale who served in the Fleet Air Arm from 1945 to 1947.  Gordon describes the highs and tragic lows of service in the carrier HMS Theseus which visited Australia in 1947 to demonstrate naval air power and the capabilities of an aircraft carrier.

Gordon later settled in Australia where he has lived for more than 63 years.

The old saying that one only remembers the good times can be quite true, but in my case there was one bad time in particular that I will never forget.

As a teenager I learned a song that went something like this:

“Memories are treasures locked in my heart I mean to keep evermore.  Of all the treasures one stands apart, saved from the dear days of ‘Yore’.“

Years ago, (1945) I received notice that I was to be conscripted into the armed forces.  I was hoping that it would be the Navy as my father had served in the Navy in the 1914-18 war.

YES!! I was selected for the Royal Navy, better still, the Fleet Air Arm, a dream come true. Fighter aircraft, Rolls Royce engines, a chance to see the world, and of course a navy uniform.

Gordon Cansdale Air Mechanic (Engines) LFX786429

So, my adventure began by first learning how to march, handle firearms, and not forgetting plenty of naval discipline. Next step was the Rolls Royce School of Technical Training. THIS WAS IT!! learning about the mighty Merlin engine.

On completing this course, I was posted to a shore establishment HMS Blackcap inhibiting engines for storage.  This didn’t last long, as I soon learned that I had been given a sea-going draft. I was to become a member of 812 Squadron (Fireflies) and join HMS Theseus in Ireland.

After a short training period ashore in N. Ireland it was off to see the world.  Those faraway places with strange sounding names.  Gibraltar, Suez, Aden, Trincomalee, Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea.

The reception we received in Australia and New Zealand was just great.  The street marches with the whole ship’s company through the streets of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland and Wellington.  The people were just fantastic, with dances and sight-seeing trips.  They also organized home visits, and food parcels for our families back home.

BUT! it wasn’t all plain sailing, whilst flying and demonstrating for the Royal Australian Navy there were several disasters.  Two Fireflies collided in midair over Port Phillip Bay and crashed into the sea killing both air crews.  One of the engines was pulled up out of the sea some fifty years later, and is now in the Australian F.A.A. Museum in Nowra which I often visit with an old ‘oppo’ Totty Allman.  The same day a Seafire crash landed on deck, the arrester hook striking a seaman in the walkway and killing him.

For me the worst was yet to come (my disaster day).  It was the job of the ground crew to assist the pilot out of the cockpit on landing. I was the fitter of the Squadron CO’s aircraft (Lt Cdr Wynne-Roberts) and would compete with my rigger mate ‘Spiv’ Daly to be first up on to the plane to do the job.  The winner would then have pole position sitting on top of the cockpit to watch the remainder of the aircraft land.

It was 6th August 1947 and Spiv had won the race, sitting on top of the cockpit, I had to settle for a seat on the wing.  The next aircraft landed OK, the crash barriers were lowered and it taxied forward. THEN ALL HELL LET LOOSE.  The third aircraft missed the arrestor wires and bounced over the crash barriers. To my horror I realised it was heading straight for us, so I dropped off the wing and ran for the ship’s side. It then clipped the second aircraft and dropped on top of ours.  On impact, debris was showered everywhere, and as I was dropping into the safety net, the batteries burst and I was splattered with acid.  Minutes later I was lifted out of the safety net and rushed below to sick bay, washed down, and treated for acid bums.  My clothes had to be replaced as they were covered in holes, burnt by the acid.

I asked about Spiv and was told that he was missing, presumed killed.  I couldn’t believe that I was with him just a short time before, and the last person to see him alive.  Could easily have been me.

The things I will always remember are the noise of the plane bouncing, the terrific noise of the impact, and someone shouting “There’s somebody down in the net” ME!!!  As they lifted me out there was a wheel, and Oleo leg nearby. All that remained of two aircraft.

When the deck was finally cleaned up, the last aircraft carne in to land, also bouncing over the crash barriers.  It clipped the Island before crashing into the starboard gun sponson, then tipped over nose first into the sea.  Luckily the aircrew were recovered safely.

From Australia, our next port of call was the Solomon Islands which was very interesting as there were ships and a submarine on the beach, Jap relics of the war a couple of years previous.

Port Moresby in New Guinea was also interesting, with a trip out to. Jackson airstrip which still had the odd Zero fighter, and a Betty bomber smashed up.  Also, a wine bar.

Back to Singapore where I learnt I was to leave Theseus and return home for demob with others who had the same demob number as me (72).

The rest of my service was spent at HMS Nuthatch, doing maintenance, cutting grass, painting fences etc.  Finally, my demob and the end of a great adventure with many good times, and a few bad.  Plus, many great friends, and a lot of MEMORlES.

HMS THESEUS – Colossus-class Light Fleet aircraft aarrier ordered under an Emergency War Programme and built by Fairfield at Govan Glasgow. Laid down 6 Jan 1943. Launched 6 July 1944. Commissioned 1946 and decommissioned in 1958. Roy Cragg image
A Fairey Firefly about to land on the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney (III) during the Korean conflict RAN image

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