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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

The Battle of the Coral Sea

 MIDN Lachlan Montgomery joined the RAN in February 2014 coming from a family of five in Ringwood Victoria. His father is a serving member of the Victorian Police Force and his mother an office manager at the Ringwood High School. He enjoys running, computers and flying with the career goal to become an Aviation Warfare Officer.

 Introduction

The Battle of the Coral Sea was a series of naval engagements off the north-east coast of Australia between the 4th and 8th May 1942. It is considered by many to be the turning point of the war against the Japanese. The Japanese advance on Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea was the precursor to the first aircraft carrier battle, in which the Japanese Fleet was badly damaged and forced to withdraw.The Battle of the Coral Sea resulted in Australia being released from the immediate threat of invasion by the Japanese, and prevented Australia from being isolated from its American allies. It also resulted in the Americans maintaining naval superiority of the Pacific region. The battle paved the way for a decisive Allied victory at the Battle of Midway just one month later, and hence is an extremely important event not only in regards to the survival of Australia, but to the downfall of the Japanese war machine. The aim of this essay is to discuss the lessons learnt from the Battle of the Coral Sea by examining the following points in addition to the involvement of the RANand the significance of the battle to Australia. These are divided into the following aspects:

  1. The influence of carrier air power upon the battle,
  2. The influence of intelligence upon the conduct of the battle,
  3. Claims of tactical defeat and strategic victory,
  4. The strategic impacts upon events ashore in New Guinea, and
  5. The involvement of the RAN and the significance of the battle to Australia.

Precursors to the Battle of the Coral Sea

The great war between the US and Japan opened in a totally unexpected manner. The destruction of much of the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbour was a huge blow to their tactical capability. However, as a result of all its Pacific aircraft carriers not being present at Pearl Harbour during the attack, the United States considered how to use these ships to reverse the Japanese expansion across the Pacific. (Stille).

Stillestates that as a result of the Japanese success at Pearl Harbor, air power was now considered a dominant factor in naval warfare. In order to avoid being totally defensive in the face of an unstoppable Japanese carrier force, the United States began a series of carrier strikes in the Central and South Pacific. These proved somewhat ineffective, but forced the Japanese to postpone their proposed Port Moresby operation. When the Japanese were ready to move on New Guinea in the South Pacific, two of the US Pacific Fleet Carriers had been deployed to conduct a raid on Tokyo, meaning the US could only send two carriers to the South Pacific to counter thepredicted Japanese offensive. With part of the Japanese Carrier Force committed to join theSouth Pacific operation, history’s first aircraft carrier battle seemed imminent.

The influence of carrier air power upon the battle

Millot (1974) contends that the war in the Pacific led to a new kind of warfare – one which relied on the use of air power. In fact, the Battle of the Coral Sea was based around a type of warfare where the opposing carrier groups never sighted nor fired upon each other.

The Carrier Air Groups of both sides were primarily made up of three types of aircraft. These consisted of fighters, dive bombers and torpedo aircraft, forming a ‘Combat Trio’ with the goal to project overwhelming force upon the enemy ships. As a primarily carrier only battle, these aircraft would prove vital to the attack of enemy forces – a new kind of ‘Over the Horizon warfare’ emerged.

The Japanese and Americans had very different aircraft design philosophies as seen below in figure 1.

Japanese Mitsubishi A6M.2 Type 0 Fighter American Grumman F4F Wildcat Fighter
Unloaded weight 1680kg Unloaded weight 2425kg
Loaded weight 2410kg Loaded weight 3179kg
Power/weight ratio 0.39hp/kg Power/weight ratio 0.32hp/kg
Cruising speed 207mph Cruising speed 147mph
Rate of climb 2571ft/min Rate of climb 2000ft/min

As shown above, the Japanese utilised lightweight, manoeuvrable and fast aircraft with high rates of climb. This came at the cost of reduced pilot protection, armour and special features such as self-sealing fuel tanks. The Americans however, had the slower, heavier Wildcat, inferior in almost every way to the Japanese Zeros apart from its stout construction. This interesting comparison proves the uniqueness of each carrier force and a few of the strengths/weaknesses of each.

Overall, the Battle of the Coral Sea had the strategic effect of ‘promoting’ the aircraft carriers’ importance to naval warfare, and thus resulted in a dramatic increase in numbers of these ships produced. It also essentially removed the battleship from the elevated position it held as the ‘flagship’ of navies worldwide and presented air power with utmost importance for future naval engagements. The Battle of Midway which occurred in early June 1942 is proof of this.

The influence of intelligence upon the conduct of the battle

Intelligence proved vital to the outcome of the Battle of the Coral Sea. As an over the horizon carrier battle, seaplanes were the primary method of predicting the next moves of the enemy forces. Australia played an important role with intelligence. Coastwatchers were on the job, spotting Japanese seaplanes as they departed their forward bases at Lae and Salamaua on the north eastern coast of New Guinea. The Australians observed the routines of the Japanese and hence discovered they had begun to mass air and sea power in the area – pointing to an attack on Port Moresby. This knowledge was a contributing factor to the American deployment of sea power to the area in anticipation of a clash (Hoyt).

Signal interception was also a means of intelligence prior to the battle. A joint USN/RAN Unit known as Fleet Radio Unit Melbourne (FRUMEL) played an important role in the Battle of the Coral Sea. US Naval Intelligence was able to decode Japanese naval communications and as such was almost as well informed as to what was being planned as Japanese commanders were (Straczek). On 13 April, the British intercepted a Japanese message stating that the ‘Fifth Carrier Division’ was en-route to the area. Upon receipt of this intelligence from the British and confirming its authenticity, the US deployed all four of the Pacific Fleet’s available carriers to the area. Only two of these carriers, USS Lexingtonand USS Yorktownwere able to make it to the area of operations in time due to USS Hornetand USS Enterpriseconducting a raid on Tokyo. Interestingly, the Japanese believed only one American carrier was in the area of their planned operation, and did not expect such a strong carrier response to their invasion until it was well underway. This perhaps had a serious effect on Japanese performance during the battle, as they hadn’t expected the large American force present during their operation.

Therefore it can be said that intelligence had a significant impact upon the conduct of the battle, primarily involving American predictions of Japanese movements, and the subsequent deployment of carrier groups to the area. We must also not forget that the Japanese intelligence in this situation was inferior to that of the United States, demonstrated by their underestimation of US carrier power in the region. This is a vital lesson in the importance of intelligence in this kind of ‘blind’ warfare.  (Straczek & Hoyt).

Claims of tactical defeat and strategic victory

There is no doubt the Battle of the Coral Sea had a heavy impact on both the Americans and the Japanese, but who really won? There are claims of a tactical defeat along with strategic victory from the American point of view. Stille states that the battle has correctly been described as a strategic American victory. The Americans had, for the first time, repelled a Japanese attack and subsequently prevented the Japanese sea-borne invasion of Port Moresby. This attack was Japan’s best chance at taking the port and airfield, and hence posing a major threat to Australia’s security. The failure of the sea approach resulted in the later failed attempt to take the port by land over extremely rough terrain. So in the sense of a wide viewed approach, the United States had a strategic victory during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Some possess the view that whilst a strategic victory, the battle was a tactical defeat for the US Navy. This can be attributed to the fact that whilst sinking only a light Japanese carrier Shohoand damaging a fleet carrier Shokaku, the US Navy lost Lexington, one of its four operational fleet carriers. Observing from an isolated perspective, this ‘tactical defeat’ could be considered true, however looking back to the broad strategic overview, this is not accurate, as the primary Japanese goal of achieving carrier dominance over the Americans had failed. Therefore it is apparent that whilst some considered the battle an American tactical defeat, the disabling of a large portion of the Japanese Carrier Force paid rich dividends for the American position in the Pacific.

Strategic impact upon events ashore in Papua New Guinea

As previously mentioned, the halt of Japanese naval advances on Port Moresby resulted in a land campaign over increasingly difficult terrain. This Japanese attempt proved to be unsuccessful, meaning that Port Moresby remained under Allied control. Resultantly, Australia was protected from the threat of invasion. It can be said that the Battle of the Coral Sea had a huge impact upon events ashore in Papua New Guinea, not the least of which was the survival of Port Moresby. Had this important port been taken in a Japanese naval assault, the enemy would have aimed to cut off Australia and its important contribution to the war effort. The consequences of this occurring would have been disastrous to Australia.

The involvement of the RAN and the significance of the battle to Australia.

The Royal Australian Navy had a significant involvement during the Battle of the Coral Sea. A Support Group attached to Task Force 17, the American Carrier group, consisted of HMAS Australia and HMAS Hobart as well as several USN ships. This group was headed by Rear Admiral J.G Crace of the Royal Navy. After being split from the carrier force to cover the Jomard Passage and intercept the Japanese invasion force as it exited, the support group became the target of heavy bombing and strafing attacks. After repelling these attacks, the group was free to intercept the Japanese invasion force. However Admiral Inouye, in charge of this invasion force, reversed his ships whilst they clarified the sightings of ‘battleships’ in the area. Had Crace’s ships not been detached from Task Force 17, the Japanese force would have been able to enter Port Moresby, resulting in grave consequences for the Allies.

As mentioned previously, Australia was a vulnerable target which relied greatly on Port Moresby for its security. The Battle of the Coral Sea resulted in Australia being protected from the threat of imminent invasion and supply lines between the United States and Australia remained open. It was also the first time Australian ships had been involved with a major US carrier group, a proud moment in history indeed. (Jacobsen).

Conclusion

Many lessons were learnt from the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first of which being the immense importance of air power in future naval engagements. As a new kind of ‘over the horizon’ warfare had emerged, it became apparent that aircraft would be vital to the success of any kind of naval warfare from that point onwards. Intelligence also proved to be an extremely important factor in deciding the victor in naval engagements. The Americans having effective intelligence prior to the Coral Sea battle meant they were able to deploy their carriers to the area, possibly changing the tide of the war in the Pacific. Despite losing a quarter of its carrier strength, the US had a strategic victory during this battle, one that assisted their position for later conflicts in the Pacific region, particularly the Battle of Midway. The Coral Sea battle held significant strategic importance insofar as control of Port Moresby being maintained by the Allies and in regard to the security of the Australian mainland. The Royal Australian Navy’s contribution, although small in the scheme of things, was significant and contributed to the final result not just during this battle but throughout the Pacific War.

 

Bibliography

Frame, T., The Battes that Shaped Australia. St Leonards: Allen & Unwin, 1994.

Hoyt, E.P., Blue Skies And Blood – The Battle of the Coral Sea. New York: iBooks, inc., 1975.

Jacobsen, M., The Battle of the Coral Sea 1942– Conference Proceedings 1992. Sydney: Australian National Maritime Museum, 1993.

Macdougall, A., Australia’s Navy. Waverton: Waverton Press, 2005.

Millot, B., The Battle of the Coral Sea. United States of America: Naval Institute Press, 1974.

Stille, M., The Coral Sea 1942 – The First Carrier Battle. Great Britain: Osprey Publishing, 2009.

Straczek, J., Battle of the Coral Sea. [Online]  Available at: https://www.navy.gov.au/history/feature-histories/battle-coral-sea[Accessed 7 October 2014].

 

 

Our First Fleet Commander – Admiral Sir George Patey

By Walter Burroughs

 A summary of this paper was presented at a conference held from 30 September to 01 October 2014 at the Universidad Andres Bello, Chile on the maritime history of South America throughout WWI.

 Important men mostly leave behind them a written trail of evidence of their passing. Admiral Sir George Patey is an exception with no voluminous book or memoirs following in his wake. However there are plentiful references to his time as commander of the Australian Fleet and from these and other sources we are able to find out something about this remarkable man and his importance to Australian naval history.

Appointment as Rear Admiral Commanding the Australian Fleet

On 4 March 1913 the Admiralty announced that Rear Admiral Patey had been appointed to the command of the Australian Fleet. The Times of that date commenting upon the appointment says: Rear Admiral Patey is an officer of wide experience and high attainment, and he is well qualified by his tact and temperament for the new post. And new post it was, as Rear Admiral commanding the Australian Fleet replacing the Royal Naval Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Station. That change however was a little way off as the new Australian Fleet was at this time being assembled in England and would not sail from Portsmouth for their new homeland until July 2013.

Admiral Sir George Patey c1918                                               – National Portrait Gallery, London

Early Life

George Edwin Patey was born at Montpellier near Plymouth on 24 February 1859 to a naval family, his father a Captain in the Royal Navy having the same name set and his mother Lucinda the daughter of Vice Admiral Thomas Russell. He entered the Royal Naval College as a cadet on 15 January 1872, just shy of his thirteenth birthday.

Action in South America and South Africa

Young Midshipman Patey’s first sea posting was to HMS Shah. Shahwas commissioned in Portsmouth on 14 August 1876 by Captain F.G.D. Bedford, RN carrying the flag of Rear Admiral Algernon Frederick Rous de Horsey, Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Squadron. She was a large composite (sail and steam) frigate of over 6,000 tons, built with iron frames but wooden clad and armed with 26 guns and 4 torpedo launchers.

Patey’s first taste of action was off the Peruvian coast on 29 May 1877 during an engagement (later known as the Battle of Pacocha) between Shah and HMS Amethyst and the Peruvian rebel turret ship Huascar. The armoured Huascar proved virtually impenetrable to British guns and Shah fired the first British torpedo used in anger, but it missed the target and Huascar escaped. On Shah’s return voyage she was diverted to South Africa to assist in the Anglo-Zulu War. Sub-Lieutenant Patey was sent ashore to fight with a naval brigade and received the Zulu Medal.

Gunnery Specialisation and Naval Intelligence

Upon return to England with promotion to Lieutenant in August 1881 he joined the gunnery school HMS Excellent and after completing his course remained on the staff. In May 1885 came a posting to the gunnery training ship HMS Cambridge then based at Plymouth. The following year he moved to more distant shores in the corvette HMS Sapphire for squadron gunnery duties on the China Station. He then returned to Cambridge as Senior Staff Officer in 1889 and was later lent for staff duties in the Mediterranean Fleet. Promoted to Commander in 1894 he served as Executive Officer of the battleship HMS Barfleur during the Allied occupation of Crete in 1897 following the Greco-Turkish uprising on this island. Patey was appointed to the Naval Intelligence Division in 1899 and on promotion to Captain on 1 January 1900 became Assistant Director of Naval Intelligence. This was an important time in the future development of naval ships and armament giving rise to the Dreadnought era and the impending arms race with Germany.

Marriage and Command

On 12 March 1902 Captain Patey married Mary (Mollie) Augusta Yorke-Davies, the only daughter of the eminent Harley Street physician Dr Nathaniel Yorke-Davies. They were later to have two children, Rodney and Lorna. Lady Mary is remembered as an elegant chatelaine of Sydney’s picturesque Admiralty House with a Sydney newspaper columnist referring to her as ‘gay, natural and full of enthusiasm’.

Somewhat unusually Patey, who had never held command, was in November 1902 appointed Captain of the newly commissioned battleship HMS Venerable,flagship of Rear Admiral Mediterranean Fleet. In 1905 a second command beckoned in the same fleet as captain of another battleship HMS Implacable.For a big ship man in a hurry there was a quiet period when in November 1907 he became Inspecting Captain of Boys’ Training Ships. At this time the Royal Navy received most of its recruits from these training ships who were well grounded in naval routines and proved excellent seamen. This sinecure was not to last long with promotion to Rear Admiral on 2 January 1909 and later the plum posting in the Home Fleet as commander Second Division of the Second Battle Squadron.

 An Australian Command

Since federation of the Australian colonies in 1901 and formation of a Commonwealth Government a greater degree of independence was sought from the Imperial authority which extended to local command of defence forces. Amalgamation of colonial forces took time and replacement ships were sought to meet the needs of the newly formed Pacific nation. A small but well balanced force of new ships was built and Britain and by 1913 these were being readied for their voyage to the far end of the world.

Rear Admiral Patey’s appointment as the first commander of an Australian Fleet may have been influenced by the following. Firstly Sir George Reid, an advocate of Federation and former Prime Minister, who in 1910 became High Commissioner in London with a responsibility for overseeing construction of the Australian fleet – Lady Florence Reid launched HMAS Australia.Second was the influential retired naval captain Robert Muirhead Collins (later Sir Robert) who was the initial Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Defence before his appointment as Official Secretary to the High Commission. The final member of this interest group was Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson1who was instrumental in designing the structure for an Australian Fleet.

Admiral Patey’s Australian Service Record shows little of interest other than that he was appointed as a Rear Admiral in the Permanent Naval Force (PNF) on 23 June 1913 for a period of at least two years at a salary of £1,095.00 pa with Table Money of £1,642.10. On 14 September 1914 he was appointed a Vice Admiral in the PNF at a salary of £1,460 pa with the same Table Money plus War Service pay of £409 pa.

 

HMAS Australia

The famous Admiral Sir John (Jacky) Fisher is credited with modernising the Royal Navy and will forever be associated with the new type of battleship HMS Dreadnought which made other capital ships obsolete. Following this success Fisher envisioned another slightly smaller ship with similar offensive power but greater speed. To achieve this, armour protection was sacrificed for greater speed in a new type of vessel called a battle-cruiser. In 1905 the first of a new Invincible class was laid down. After lessons learned from their service three more improved Invincibles commenced, HM Ships Indefatigable and New Zealand and HMAS Australia.Each was of 18,800 displacement tons, with a length of 590 feet (179.8 m), 80 feet (24.4 m) beam and 30 feet (9.2 m) deep draught. Their armament comprised 8 x 12-inch, 14 x 4-inch guns and 2 x 18-inch torpedo tubes. They had a maximum speed of 25 knots, an economic endurance of 6,700 nautical miles and complement (as flagship) of 850 men. Later experience at the Battle of Jutland demonstrated shortcomings in their design when three battle-cruisers were sunk. Interestingly at this time the battle-cruiser Kongo was also being built in England for the Imperial Japanese Navy and she sailed from Portsmouth a month after Australia.With the latest 14-inch guns Kongo was one of the most heavily armed ships in the world.

HMAS Australia – from early postcard

Following successful gun, torpedo and machinery trials Australia commissioned at Portsmouth on 21 June 2013, under the command of Captain Stephen H. Radcliffe, RN. The battle-cruiser was inspected by HM King George V on 30 June 2013 and on that occasion Rear Admiral Patey received the singular honour of being knighted by his sovereign on the quarterdeck of Australia,an honour first bestowed by Queen Elizabeth on that legendary English hero and bane of the Spanish Main, Sir Francis Drake, some three centuries before.

On 21 July 1913 Australia sailed from Portsmouth and proceeded via Cape Verde (taking on 2,000 tons of coal) to Cape Town. Here she met with the new light cruiser HMAS Sydney which had departed from England before her. The locals turned out in force to welcome the visiting ships and were keen to compare the battle-cruiser with her sister ship New Zealand which had visited a few weeks earlier on her homeward voyage. The two ships then proceeded to Jervis Bay where they were joined by the cruisers HMAS Melbourne and HMS Encounter(on loan from the RN) and the destroyers HMA Ships Parramatta, Warrego and Yarra and readied themselves for an official fleet entry into Sydney Harbour.

A Personal Interview

The arrival of the first Australian Fleet in Sydney on 4 October 1913 was a platform for celebration and rejoicing – the nation had come of age. In those times public figures were often remote and courting media attention was unusual. It was therefore something of a coup when two days later on 6 October that the then Vice Admiral Sir George Patey granted an interview to a correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald. A few weeks previously he had a similar dialogue with a newspaper correspondent in Cape Town. In keeping with the traditions of ‘The Silent Service’ these interviews were restricted to precisely five minutes. A summary taken from these newspapers provides a personal glimpse of the man.

He is 54 years of age, of medium height, with aquiline features and iron grey hair. There is an engaging smile beneath sternly set features, which underlies a genial personality. Like the majority of sailors he is a modest public speaker but demonstrates a degree of eloquence. He is an admirer of the Henderson Scheme for naval defence. The Admiral noted that half of the men under his command were Australian and they came with good physique. The other half were from the Royal Navy or the Reserves. It would take some time to train all of these into a cohesive unit but they were all the same to him, he said, and they would all be officers and men of the Royal Australian Navy. He noted the opportunities in the Royal Australian Navy were greater than in Britain for promotion and that the pay was much better.

To those on the lower deck, often with discerning powers of observation, their Fleet Commander was known as ‘Gentle Annie’. A popular song of this period had lyrics which included: Fair and lovely Annie, Your gentle ways have won me. Their observation is possibly a parody on stern looks but a gentle demeanour.

War comes to the Pacific

Having worked in naval intelligence and attending war college before his flag appointment Patey had witnessed the great arms race between Britain and Germany and would have known better than most that a war was imminent. He therefore wasted no time in ensuring his new fleet was well trained and prepared. At the commencement of hostilities between Britain and Germany on 4 August 1914 the RAN was on a war footing and ready for action. At this time his Fleet comprised:

Battle cruiser Australia

Light cruisers Melbourne& Sydney and Brisbane (building)

Light cruiser Encounter(lent by Admiralty)

Torpedo boats Parramatta, Yarra and Warrego (and three others building)

Submarines A.E.Iand A.E.2

Ex-colonial and Admiralty ships Pioneer,Protector, Gayundah, Childers and Countess of Hopetoun (mostly obsolete)

The French cruiser Montcalm served with the Australian Fleet during 1914

The Japanese cruisers Chikuma and Ibukialso supported the Australian Fleet early in WWI.

At the start of the war there were 3,800 men in the PNF and 1,646 (mainly Reservists) in the Naval Brigade. At its peak, before large scale demobilisation in 1919, these numbers had increased to 5,250 PNF and 2,817 in the Naval Brigade. In addition there were 3,092 cadets under compulsory training schemes at the start of hostilities which had increased to 3,834 by 1919. Of the PNF figures, about twenty per cent were on loan from the Royal Navy.

On 2 August 1914 the Australian Naval Board established an Examination Service to check arrivals and departures of shipping at defended ports. Two days later on declaration of war this led to the capture of a number of German merchant ships that were in port or within Australian waters. On 3 August the RAN was placed under Admiralty control; on the evening of the same day the German passenger liner Seydlitz managed to slip quietly out of Sydney Harbour and make passage to Chile where she joined von Spee’s squadron.

While the Great War, afterwards known as WW I, was mainly a European conflict, it extended into the Indian and Pacific theatres as the Allies pursued the conquest of German colonies, closed German merchant trade and eliminated the threat from German naval forces. The most significant military action was the Japanese siege of Tsingtao, in what is now China, but smaller actions were also fought in German New Guinea and German East Africa. The German Navy also skilfully used commerce raiders and mined Australian and New Zealand waters with significant effect. Patey’s ships were also responsible for protecting convoys carrying troops and provisions to the Middle East in support of the Mother Country.

In August 1914 the only direct threat posed to both Australia and New Zealand was from the German East Asiatic Squadron, principally comprising the armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and light cruisers Nurnberg, Leipzig, and Emden, under the command of Vice Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee. The light cruiser Dresden, at this time in the West Indies, made haste south to join von Spee, just managing to elude a British squadron under command of Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock making its way down the east coast of South America and she was able to transmit to von Spee details of Cradock’s squadron. Dresden joined her sisters off Easter Island on 12 September. Another ancient light cruiser Geier, operating off German East Africa, also attempted to join von Spee but was hampered by being low on fuel and with mechanical problems, forcing her to make to the neutral port of Honolulu. Here she was hemmed in by Japanese cruisers and was eventually interned by the United States.

The only Allied naval ship in southern waters that could outclass the enemy was Australia, as by this time New Zealand had returned to the First Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet. New Zealand commenced her return journey leaving Auckland in June 1913 making a leisurely passage across the Pacific as far north as Vancouver before proceeding south, two years before the opening of the Panama Canal2, with calls at Callao and Valparaiso before rounding Cape Horn and making her way to Britain where she arrived in November 1913. During this period the New Zealand Station remained dependent upon naval support from the Royal Naval China Station with an allocation of four older light cruisers and one sloop.

Relative Naval Strengths in the Pacific Theatre

While the Royal Navy outnumbered all other nations in the size and strength of its fighting ships it had allowed its China Station to decline in favour of building its forces in the Home Fleet to combat an increasing German presence. In August 1914 the China Fleet under command of Vice Admiral Sir Martyn Jerram had the cruisers HM Ships Monitor, Hampshire and Yarmouth and five destroyers at his disposal at his main base of Weihaiwei. The battleship HMS Triumph3, the light cruiser HMS Newcastle and the French cruiser Duplix were further south at Hong Kong.

The East Indies Station based at Colombo had been reduced to the obsolete battleship HMS Swiftsure4and the light cruiser HMS Dartmouth. The Imperial Russian Fleet at Vladivostok was depleted by the Russo-Japanese War with new tonnage going to the Baltic Fleet. The flagship Zhemchug when visiting Penang was to meet Emden with devastating results.

Although not required by the 1902 Anglo-Japanese Alliance, Japan pledged support to Britain and formally declared war against Germany on 23 August 1914. While the European navies might not yet consider Japan an equal and doubted its capabilities, Japan had a vast fleet of 14 battleships and battle-cruisers, 13 armoured cruisers, 10 light cruisers and 50 destroyers and other vessels. As time would tell its standards of training were of the highest order and its ships highly efficient.

Immediately upon entry into the war Japanese forces were concentrated as the major partner in an Anglo-Japanese assault on the German fortress and naval base of Tsingtao (modern Qingdao) which was known as the Gibraltar of the East. The German garrison was stoutly defended and did not surrender until 7 November 1914. Admiral von Spee had left behind an antiquated Austro-Hungarian cruiser Kaiserin Elizabeth and some small craft which were lost in battle. In turn German torpedo boats sank a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer. It was a vicious siege with over 2,000 Allied (mostly Japanese) casualties and 700 German casualties.

While the Japanese Second Fleet was involved at Tsingtao, ships of the First Fleet joined with British, French and Australian ships in searching for von Spee’s cruisers. The Japanese also took the opportunity to increase their footprint in the Pacific through the capture of German colonies in the Caroline Islands, Marshall Islands and most of the Mariana Islands.

Belatedly another British naval squadron under Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock was dispatched around Cape Horn to plug the remaining escape route open to the Germans. The Fourth Cruiser Squadron which also doubled as a training squadron was renamed the South Atlantic Squadron. It mainly comprised obsolete ships and was not a front line unit suitable to take action against a determined and superior enemy.

Australian and New Zealand Pacific Campaigns

Pre-empting further Japanese expansion south of the equator, both Australia and New Zealand quickly formed expeditionary forces leading to the capture of German colonies. The first land offensive was the occupation of German Samoa by New Zealand forces. The campaign to take Samoa ended without bloodshed after over 1,000 New Zealanders landed on the German colony, supported by an Australian and New Zealand squadron led by Australia and the French cruiser Montcalm.

In August 1914 the Australian Government raised an Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force of 1,500 Army volunteers and 500 men from the Naval Brigades to secure German colonial possessions to the north of Australia. These troops were transported in the P&O liner Berrima which had been commissioned into the RAN. After a sweep of New Guinea waters by Patey’s squadron with no sight of von Spee’s ships a detachment from the Naval Brigade landed to silence a radio station at Bita Paka. They were repulsed by German led native troops but with reinforcements the radio station was captured with minimum casualties. It took several more days to reach the headquarters of the German Governor at Tooma and he proved obstructive. But following a bombardment by Encounter the German territories were surrendered on 17 September. Tragically the submarine AE1which was on patrol off Rabaul on 15 September was lost without trace with her crew of 34 officers and men. With the capture of two small German ships most of the squadron was dispersed with Encounter sent to patrol between Fiji and Samoa on the lookout for enemy ships.

 The German East Asia Squadron – We seek him here – We seek him there.

The elusive Scarlet Pimpernel who frustrated French authorities in their search for him gave rise to that famous parody ‘We seek him here – We seek him there’. Maximilian Graf von Spee became such a character frustrating a huge Allied naval force seeking him throughout the vast expanse of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It was inevitable that he would eventually be discovered and defeated but he gave a great account of himself and the officers and men under his command.

                Map showing voyage of von Spee’s squadron across the Pacific

At the declaration of war the German squadron was more than capable of defying the British China Fleet with the only potential threat coming from the Australian Fleet then many thousand miles to the south. Von Spee was particularly wary of the Australian flagship describing her as superior to his entire force. When Japan entered the war with her huge fleet it was inevitable that the German East Asia Squadron withdraw from Tsingtao and attempt to make its way back to the Fatherland.

Von Spee first brought his forces to Pagan Island in the Marianas where they reprovisioned and readied themselves to fight their way out of the Pacific. To retain the initiative von Spee devised a strategy designed to confuse and split the superior forces opposed to him. In this way his concentrated cruiser squadron would have a chance of clearing the Pacific or at least finding shelter in a neutral South American country. Emden was despatched from the main squadron to create as much noise as possible in the east of the Indian Ocean and disrupt shipping lanes. The armed merchant cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich was dispatched into the west of the Indian Ocean. This would divert Allied forces and permit the remainder of the squadron to move southeast away from potential Australian and Japanese forces towards the west coast of South America.

For a time Allied forces were unable to locate von Spee’s squadron, but in early September 1914, it attacked the British outpost on Fanning Island and destroyed the wireless station there. On 14 September, Emden appeared in the Bay of Bengal, where she sank five merchant ships and captured a sixth. Furthermore, on 22 September she bombarded Madras and on 27 September attacked Penang and sank the Russian cruiser Zhemchug and a French destroyer Mousquet. While in the Pacific, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau bombarded Tahiti on 22 September.

Emden’s luck ran out on 9 November 1914; when attempting to destroy radio installations on the Cocos Islands to the south of Java she was intercepted by the light cruiser Sydney.In the RAN’s first major engagement Emden was driven ashore and destroyed by gunfire with the loss of 136 men killed, plus 70 injured. The Australian losses were 4 killed and 16 injured.

Patey’s Dilemma

Admiral Patey considered the German’s could adopt one of four options:

  1.  Break out into the Indian Ocean via Malaysia
  2.  Reach the Indian Ocean by proceeding south of Australia
  3.  Continue operations in Australasian waters
  4.  Make for the coast of South America and thence reach the South Atlantic

Patey believed they would take the fourth course but felt unable to act until he had definite evidence of their intentions. On 17 September 1914 Patey received a telegram from the Admiralty advising of a changing situation with the appearance of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at Samoa and Emden in the Bay of Bengal. He was ordered to take Australia and Montcalm and cover Encounter from potential attack in New Guinea and then search for the enemy cruisers. Melbourne was to be used at the Admiral’s discretion and Sydney for convoying Australian troops to Aden in company with a Royal Navy and Japanese cruisers. Hampshire and Yarmouth from the China Fleet would search for Emden.

Patey, after conferring with his French counterpart Rear Admiral Albert Huguet, left Rabaul on 1 October taking his squadron east hoping to make radio contact with the Japanese ships operating to the north. While they were able to hear the Japanese they failed to respond to messages transmitted from the Australian flagship. Meanwhile the Australian Naval Board informed Patey that the German heavy cruisers had again been located when they raided
Tahiti and their light cruisers were operating off the South American coast. The Admiralty, which had received conflicting advice from British merchant ships, thought the heavy cruisers might return towards Samoa, Fiji or New Zealand. Accordingly they ordered Patey to make his headquarters at Suva.

Chile and the Falklands

The next engagement was fought off the coast of Chile, this was the decisive Battle of Coronel on 1 November 1914. A British squadron under Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock was sent to destroy the German ships. Craddock’s squadron was possibly more reliant on tradition of a naval service which had not suffered defeat in more than a century than the standard of its ships and training. The outcome was a devastating defeat with two British cruisers sunk and the remainder being forced to flee. Over 1,500 Royal Naval sailors died including the admiral while only three Germans were wounded.

The euphoria did not last long as the Admiralty, stung by the defeat at Coronel, despatched a powerful squadron from the Grand Fleet to intercept the Germans. This squadron was under the command of Vice Admiral Sir Frederick Doveton Sturdee, who wore his flag in the battle-cruiser Invincible. Included in his squadron was another battle-cruiser and six cruisers. Sturdee had previously served on the Australia Station and had been the first captain of New Zealand. The two forces met off the Falkland Islands on 7 December. The German ships were now low on coal and with most of their ammunition expended were no match for the superior RN ships and were soon defeated. Admiral Von Spee went down with his flagship and perished with about 2,000 of his countrymen.

                            German squadron at Valparaiso after Coronel                      – USN Historical Centre

The only German vessels to escape the Falklands engagement were the light cruiser Dresden and the auxiliary Seydlitz. Seydlitz fled into the Atlantic before being interned by neutral Argentina, while Dresden turned about and steamed back into the Pacific. She then took to commerce raiding without much success, until March 1915 when her engines began to fail. Without means of getting repairs, the German light cruiser sailed into neutral Chilean waters at the island of Mas a Tierra and here on 14 March she was cornered by British naval forces. After a short engagement in which four of her crew were killed Dresden was forced to scuttle with her crew interned by Chilean authorities.

The war ends in the Indian and Pacific Oceans

The AMC Prinz Eitel Friedrich had made her way from the Indian Ocean via Cape Horn into the Atlantic where she was unsuccessfully hunted by Royal Naval ships. On 10 March 1915 she sought sanctuary at the United States port of Newport, News where she was interned.

In 1915 the aged light cruiser Pioneer joined the East African campaign and on 6 July in an indecisive action engaged the cruiser SMS Konigsberg and later was involved in shore bombardments. A disguised armed German raider Wolf remained at large and sank 12 Allied merchant ships and laid minefields in shipping lanes off the north of New Zealand and the south east of Australia. Wolf was never captured and her mines were not finally swept until 1918. The sailing ship Seeadler also used as a raider was more of a romantic nuisance than a threat, she eventually foundered on an atoll in the Society Islands but her crew and prisoners escaped ashore. Her captain von Luckner took an open boat to Fiji with a small party where they were captured and interned in New Zealand. The remainder escaped by capturing a passing schooner which reached Easter Island with her crew interned by the Chileans in October 1917. The United States was involved in at least one hostile encounter with Germans in the Pacific during WWI when on 7 August 1917 SMS Kormoran was scuttled at Guamto prevent her capture by the auxiliary cruiser USS Supply.

Australia continues into the Atlantic

It was not until early December that Australia was ordered to proceed to England for service with the Home Fleet. She arrived at Valparaiso on 26 December where she took on coal and
then transited the Magellan Strait where a propeller was scraped on a rocky outcrop. She however continued and intercepted the German auxiliary Eleonore Woermann which was
captured and her crew taken off before being sunk by gunfire, Australia firing her only shots in anger during the whole of her service. Australia called at the Falklands to assess any
potential damage before proceeding to England, arriving at Plymouth on 28 January 1915.

On reaching England Australia was made flagship of the Second Battle-Cruiser Squadron in company with New Zealand and Indefatigable. Admiral Patey being senior to the upcoming star Sir David Beatty, was persuaded to accept a new posting as Commander-in-Chief of the North American and West Indies Station which included Melbourne and Sydney. Vice Admiral Patey’s flag was hauled down in Australia on 7 March 1915 although command of the Australian Fleet was not handed over to his successor Rear Admiral William Pakenham until 23 September 1916. On 1 January 1918 Sir George Patey was promoted Admiral.

 Reflections

The British strategy of concentrating its capital ships in Home waters at the expense of its China Fleet was sound providing it gave the Japanese authority to assume Allied responsibilities in this region. Not surprisingly it was reluctant to do this and as a result a smaller German force was able to exploit a poorly implemented command structure of a much superior Allied force.

The naval strategy adopted by the Allies appears disjointed and was hampered by the promotion of local enterprises for territorial gains of ex-German colonial possessions. Delays were also encountered by the reluctance of the Australian and New Zealand Governments to allow their troop transports to proceed without superior convoy protection – possibly unknown, their only potential enemy was the lone cruiser Emden.Had Patey taken Australia directly across the Pacific and joined Cradock’s squadron the disaster off Coronel might have been avoided.

After the Battle of Coronel, on 15 November, the Australian Governor-General was prompted, possibly urged by Patey, to transmit a message to the British Government complaining of bungled naval strategy and time wasted over Samoa and New Guinea rather than first seeking to destroy the enemy’s ships. He reaches the conclusion that ships of the Australian and China Fleets have been ineffective owing to remote and poor Admiralty control and that this has allowed the concentration of German forces off the coast of Chile with lamentable results. These comments would not have endeared Patey to the Admiralty and have adversely affected his future career.

George Patey had but one opportunity for greatness in bringing von Spee to action but this was never within his grasp. There were too many distractions, some planted by the enemy’s clever ruse which divided the Allies and had them chasing shadows. The greatest offenders were those seeking territorial gains at the expense of perusing the German squadron with all speed leading to its destruction. Patey must have been frustrated with a difficult command structure which left the Australian Naval Board virtually ineffective and, in dealing with a remote Admiralty. By the time Patey reached England he may have been past his prime and others such as Beatty, possibly with lesser talents, had found favour in seeking prized commands.

Admiral Sir George Patey should be remembered as a highly proficient officer who took a fledging Australian Fleet to its new homeland and ensured it was prepared and ready to take its place as a fighting unit amongst the world’s leading naval powers. This was achieved and as our first Fleet Commander he provided a sound platform for others to follow. Not leaving a great trail of personal documents there is difficultly in judging his character, suffice to say he was intelligent, energetic and resourceful man who maintained dignity and was held in high regard by those who served with him. In January 1919, at his own request, Admiral Patey was placed on the retired list; he lived in Plymouth and died there on 5 February 1935 aged 76. His wife Lady Mary predeceased him, having died at Plymouth on 27 May 1930.

 

1 In May 1910 retired Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson was invited by the Australian Government to provide advice on future naval infrastructure. His somewhat optimistic report provided the blueprint for future planning of ships, depots and manpower.

2 Although officially opened in August 1915 the Panama Canal was not available to belligerent nations in the Great War until after United States participation in the war in April 1917.

3 & 4 Ironically both Triumphand Swiftsure were laid down as the Chilean battleships Constitucion and Libertad but owing to financial difficulties were bought off the stocks by the Admiralty.

 

Bibliography

Bromby, Robert, German Raiders of the South Seas, Sydney: Doubleday, 1985.

Carlton, Mike, First Victory 1914, Sydney: William Heinemann, 2013.

Delano, Anthony, They Sang Like Kangaroos – Australia’s Tinpot Navy in the Great War,Melbourne: Arcadia, 2012.

Department of Defence (Navy), An Outline of Australian Naval History, Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1976.

Etherton, P.T. & Hessell Tilman, H., Japan: Mistress of the Pacific, London: Jarrolds, 1933.

Fazio, Vince,Monograph– The Battlecruiser HMAS Australia – First Flagship of the Royal AustralianNavy, Sydney: Naval Historical Society of Australia, 2000.

Gillett, Ross,Australian & New Zealand Warships 1914-1945, Sydney: Doubleday,1983.

Grove, Eric (Ed), Great Battles of the Royal Navy, London: Bramley Books, 1994.

Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I, London, 1919.

Jose, A.W.,Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18, Vol. IX, The Royal Australian Navy,Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1928.

Newspapers – various reports from newspapers published between 1913 and 1916 in Australia, Britain, New Zealand and South Africa.

Roberts, John A., Warship Monographs – Invincible Class,London: Conway, 1972.

Saxon, Timothy D., Anglo-Japanese Naval Cooperation, 1914-1918,Faculty Publications and Presentations, Paper 5, 2000. ˂http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/history_fac_pubs/5˃. Accessed 03 March 2014.

Service Record George Edwin Patey – The National Archives (UK) ADM/196/39

Service Record George Edwin Patey – Australian National Archives

Tromben-Corbalan, Carlos, The Chilean Navy: Two Centuries of Service, Sydney: Naval Historical Review, December 2013.

 

 

 

SMS Komet, the RAN’s first captured warship: a valuable prize and our first aircraft carrier

By Leyland Wilkinson

In the latter part of the 19th century, Germany had been actively developing her Pacific island colonies and by 1900 had large holdings to the north of Australia. Berlin saw these as forward bases in a possible conflict with the Australian forces being a likely opposition.

In 1911 KGS Komet (Kaiserliches Governments Schiff – His Majesty’s Government Ship), arrived in Rabaul, on the island of New Britain, which was the administrative centre for the Protectorate of German New Guinea, and headquarters of the Colonial Governor.

Komet had been built on traditional steam yacht lines as a graceful vessel, with a clipper bow and well raked funnel and masts, by Bremer Vulkan at Vegesack, a major shipyard and engineering works. Her keel was laid on 2 August 1910 and she was launched on 4 April 1911. Her length was 64.0 metres with a beam of 9.5 metres, giving 977 gross tonnage. She was powered by two triple expansion engines, delivering an IHP of 1350 for a designed speed of 13 knots. Armament comprised one 37 mm Hotchkiss rapid fire gun mounted on her forecastle, and a single 8 mm machine gun.

With an elaborate radio network being constructed throughout the German possessions, Komet was to be an important link throughout German New Guinea. Instructions from Berlin could thus be rapidly communicated to the Protectorate. Komet had extensions on both masts to raise her radio aerial to a height of 24 metres, thereby improving reception and transmission.

With the declaration of war on 4 August 1914 the Australian Naval Squadron was intent on destroying any enemy ships in its vicinity. A further Imperial objective was for Australian forces to send an expedition to attack the islands of Yap and German New Guinea in order to seize radio-telegraph stations and if possible reuse them for our own purposes. On 5 August HMAS Sydney, in company with the destroyers HMA Ships Yarra and Warrego, left Townsville making for Simpson Harbour (Rabaul); a few days later HMAS Parramatta joined the squadron. They arrived off Rabaul on 11 August only to find the harbour deserted of ships. Komet had departed the day before, making her way to Friedrich Wilhelm Harbour (Madang) to embark the Acting Governor of New Guinea Dr Eduard Haber.

On August 12 Komet received a radio message warning of the whereabouts of the Australian ships; she therefore increased speed to reach the shelter of Matupi, on the southeast coast of New Britain, where Dr Haber, together with a small number of troops, disembarked. After bunkering Komet then slipped through the St. George Channel, between New Britain and New Ireland, evading the Australians.

Komet at Peterhaven, Witu Islands 1913 – AWM

At noon on 15 August she reached a small uncharted harbour the crew called Komethafen, (Komet Bay) 180 miles from Rabaul. She again bunkered, this time from Siar, a 450 ton steamer of the New Guinea Company, and for the next few days dodged about the coast hiding in quiet anchorages. Meanwhile the Australian ships searched unsuccessfully for the radio station and, running short of fuel, retired to Rossel Islands (to the southeast of Papua) where they rendezvoused with replenishment ships.

Colonel Holmes, the Commander of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Forces, (ANMEF) now headquartered at Rabaul, demanded of Dr Haber that Komet be handed over. He replied that Komet had become a ship of the German East Asiatic Squadron on 1 September and was therefore no longer under his control, and stated that he did not know her whereabouts. Komet was at Peterhaven in the Witu Islands with the crew gainfully employed painting their previously white ship grey. Komet had now become SMS – Seiner Majestät Schiff – His Majesty’s Ship.

SMS Prinz Eitel Friedrich, an armed merchant cruiser, was coaled by Komet at Angaur in the Pelew Islands on 15 September. This ship was an ex-German NDL passenger liner which had been converted to an armed cruiser at the German Naval Base at Tsingtao. As part of Vice Admiral von Spee’s East Asiatic Squadron she became a very successful commerce raider, remaining at large for seven months between August 1914 and March 1915. She sank 11 ships totalling 33,423 tons, including William P Frye which on 27 January 1915 became the first US flagged vessel sunk in WW I.

On 26 September Captain Moller took Komet back to Peterhaven, taking on provisions and water there before returning to Komethafen on 4 October. On the same day just before the departure of the RAN Squadron and the troop transport HMAS Berrima from Rabaul, the radio station at Namanula (near Rabaul) intercepted a mysterious message from an unknown station, containing elaborate details as to the disposition of the Australian ships, and the number of troops in New Britain. It was surmised that this information was transmitted from Komet.

The following day, Colonel Holmes received information from Mr Stephen Whiteman, a local trader, that Komet was concealed at Talasea, about 170 miles from Rabaul, and that he (Whiteman) would be prepared to take an expedition there. Lieutenant Colonel Paton was then ordered to proceed in Nusa, a small 60 ton Government steamer that had been captured by Warrego some weeks earlier, accompanied by Lieutenant Commander Jackson with a party of naval and military personnel. Nusa arrived at Talasea, a small plantation along the north coast, and anchored at dusk on 10 October, close up on a small island. Komet’s location was now confirmed, hidden in a small bay, and well screened from the sea by coconut trees. A plan of attack was then prepared for the next morning.

Lieutenant Colonel Paton reported later:

As we steamed along at half speed in the haze at dawn on the 11th, the masts of the Komet were observed through the trees at a range of 1,500 yards. The Nusa went full speed ahead and rounded the point behind which the Komet was sheltering, and stopped broadside on at a distance of 400 yards. I proceeded in a boat with Mr Whiteman as interpreter, under a white flag. The Captain was not dressed, and shaving, when I reached the Komet, and surrendered the ship in response to my demand. The necessary steps were at once taken for the protection of the wireless room, engine room, and all on board disarmed. The Komet has been captured undamaged, and the wireless plant is aboard and in working order.

Arrangements were then made for both vessels to leave for Rabaul and on 13 October LCDR Jackson, aboard the diminutive Nusa, led his prize into the harbour. Komet remained for four days, coaling and provisioning before sailing to Sydney and arriving alongside at Garden Island on 29 October. This was not the first time Komet had been in Sydney; 12 months prior to her capture she attended the celebrations for the First Fleet entry of the new Australian Navy, as the representative of the colonial administration of German New Guinea. A photograph taken at the time shows Komet dressed overall for the occasion in the company of ships she would meet again under different circumstances.

Komet’s arrival in Sydney and the story of her capture were well reported by the press. On board were ex-Governor Haber and 11 other German prisoners of war who were interned at Holsworthy. A headlined reads: “Australia’s First Capture – A valuable Prize”.

Lying alongside Garden Island is a long grey, cleanly built steamer, with two tall raking masts, and a quick firing gun mounted in the bows. She flies the white ensign at the main, where less than a month ago the big black eagle of Germany flapped his wings in the breeze. Such is the Komet, formerly the German Government Steam Yacht, based at Rabaul, which arrived in Sydney about 8 o’clock yesterday morning.

A visit to the Komet affords sufficient evidence that she is a valuable acquisition. From the fore-deck one enters a luxurious and heavily carpeted music room, a round table of oak, well-nigh large enough to accommodate Arthur and all his Knights, and big leather armchairs admirably suited for the seats of the mighty. For this together with the equally elaborate cabins, bathroom and other offices, composes the Governor’s private suite. Above on the bridge deck a companion suite is set apart for the Captain, and amidships a large and comfortable saloon displays walls panelled in dark woods alternated with dark green tiles and a picture, finely executed, of a schooner in a rough sea. On each side of the ship run a series of comfortably appointed two berth cabins, and there are separate quarters for the crew and for natives. Her engine room is particularly well found, and when one adds a complete wireless outfit, one is not surprised to learn that her cost was in the close neighbourhood of £45,000, or 900,000 marks.

The German officers, who were aboard the Komet when she was captured, are fine types of men, similar to those usually met within the German Merchant Service, and spoke English fairly well. On the arrival of the Komet they were all granted parole, and during the afternoon they visited the offices of the North German Lloyd Shipping Company to arrange accommodation while in Sydney.

Komet at Cockatoo Dockyard. RAN

On 4 November Komet entered Fitzroy Graving Dock at Cockatoo Island where general maintenance and minor modifications were undertaken. She was also fitted with 3 x 4-inch (102 mm) guns, and 2 x 12 pounder guns, and emerged on 17 November, ready for commissioning as HMAS Una. Then just seven weeks after her capture, she set sail again for New Guinea on 30 November, this time as part of the ANMEF. Amongst her cargo were two aeroplanes, their pilots and mechanics, thus becoming Australia’s first military operational aviation deployment. The emerging technology afforded by these aircraft would, it was believed, prove invaluable in reporting the position of enemy ships.

The first aircraft was a De Havilland BE 2A (British Experimental) two seater biplane, one of two shipped from the Royal Aircraft Factory, Farnborough, which had been used as a training aircraft at the CFS since February 1914. The second was a Maurice Farman MF11 Shorthorn two seat float plane, also referred to as a water plane, hydro-aeroplane, or seaplane, similar to the type then being used by the Royal Naval Air Service, but unique to Australia at that time.

Lebbeus Hordern Float Plane with German ship Margretha in background. State Library NSW

This float plane had been purchased by Mr Lebbeus Hordern a member of the wealthy Sydney retailing family and aviation enthusiast. He had not long taken delivery of the aircraft when war broke out. Mr Horden graciously presented it to the Australian Government and it was taken on strength at Point Cook for war service. Mr Hordern had purchased his plane for £1,600 and it was shipped from France in four crates, to be assembled near his house at Darling Point on the shores of Sydney Harbour. It was 30 ft long (9.3 m), with a 53 ft wingspan (16.2 m), powered by an 8 cylinder 70 HP Renault engine, giving a speed of 60 mph (80.4 km/hr). The services of Maurice Guilleaux, a renowned French aviator who was touring Australia at the time, had been engaged to undertake the assembly and test fly the aircraft.

Thus on 8 May1914, the test flight took place in front of hundreds of spectators, some of whom held the plane until it was ready to take off. The Sydney Morning Herald tells of excited people with their hats blown off as the engine gained power, and the hydro aeroplane skimmed across the water, took off and circled the harbour, returning to splash-land in front of the cheering crowd. This became the first flight of a seaplane in Australia, which was later to become Aircraft No CFS7 at Point Cook. Shortly after the pilot Maurice Guilleaux flew his own Bleriot X1 from Melbourne to Sydney in July 1914, carrying the first air mail in Australia. A postage stamp was struck to mark to occasion, and his plane is now housed in the PowerHouse Museum, Sydney.

The shipment of these aircraft and their associated equipment to Sydney and delivery to Una was completed in only two days. A report of this rapid mobility makes interesting reading:

On 27 November a decision was made to send two pilots and four mechanics to New Guinea by HMAS Una. Lieutenant Harrison who was in Sydney, and just leaving for Melbourne, was ordered to take charge of the party, and Lt. Merz1 to be second pilot, Sergeant Shorland and Privates McIntosh, Mason and Pivot, to be mechanics. At 12 noon instructions were forwarded to the Flying School to dismantle and pack the M F Hydroplane and a BE 2A biplane (the latter could also be reconfigured as a float plane) ready for shipment, the whole to be on the railway trucks at Werribee at 3 am next morning, and then to be attached to the Sydney mail train leaving at 6.15 am 28 November. Some oil and other stores were forwarded by the express leaving Melbourne at 5 pm on the 28th. In addition to the complete machines, a set of duplicate parts for each machine was taken. The Commander of HMAS Una telegraphed at 2.30 pm 29 November that all the machines and personnel had arrived safely.

On this voyage north, Una was also tasked with escorting the newly chartered troop transport Eastern, carrying 249 troops of all ranks, and a vast cargo of frozen meats and other provisions, bound for Rabaul. On her arrival in New Guinea waters, Una found that the campaign against the German forces had proceeded satisfactorily, and the services of her aircraft were no longer required. Surprisingly, given the opportunity to test this new technology they remained on board until eventually returned to Point Cook in February 1915, still uncrated and unscathed.

The story of Una’s continued extensive war service has been well documented and recorded. After decommissioning in 1924 she was acquired by Port Phillip Sea Pilots Association and was renamed Akuna, and then served for the next 30 years as the pilot tender for the Port of Melbourne. During this period Akuna was requisitioned during WW II for use as an examination vessel, operating in the approaches to Port Phillip Bay. After the war Akuna continued to serve the Pilots Association until her replacement in 1953. After 44 years of remarkable service she was sold the next year for scrap, and towed up the Maribyrnong River to Footscray for breaking up.

Many collectable items from the ship remain in museums and private collections. Her ship’s wheel and anchor are both housed in the Old Pilot Station Museum at Queenscliff, Melbourne. The 37 mm Hotchkiss gun mounting, originally fitted to Komet, was removed by Cockatoo Dockyard during the refit/conversion to Una in 1914, and is now on display in the Naval Heritage Centre at Garden Island, Sydney.

Summary

The first vessel captured by the ANMEF was the small German government steamer Nusa and she was instrumental in carrying an armed party which in turn captured SMS Komet. As an armed vessel Komet was the first ship of war captured by Australian forces. Later as HMAS Una she was to carry two military aircraft to a war zone and as these could be used as float planes directly from the ship, surely Una has the distinction of being our first aircraft carrier.

 

Note:

  • The gallant Lieutenant George Pinnock Merz, who before enlisting had also completed his studies to qualify as a medical doctor, was tragically killed in action on 30 July 1915 in Mesopotamia (Iraq). Lt Merz was one of the first four pilots to graduate from the Central Flying School at Point Cook and the first Australian Flying Corps pilot to die in action on overseas service.

 

Insert Photo: Komet at Peterhaven   – AWM

Insert Photo: Komet at Cockatoo Dockyard – RAN

Insert photo: Lebbeus Hordern Float Plane with German sailing ship Margretha in background – State Library of NSW

 

 

 

 

 

Those Amazing Young Men and their Flying Machines

…brought to life with memorabilia from an Australian air ace found on Queensland rubbish tip

By Jim Craigie

The Great Find

A World War I pilot’s helmet worn by Australia’s greatest air ace is at last on public display, in the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Nowra, NSW, along with other memorabilia belonging to Captain Robert Alexander Little. All of this material belonging to Little, who served with the Royal Naval Air Service during the Great War, was discovered early in 2012 on a rubbish tip in the curiously named small town of Texas in Queensland, close to the NSW border.

While fossicking through the tip a collector, who wishes to remain anonymous, came across a leather Gladstone-style bag. It was taken home and put aside. Some 18 months later the collector, at last checking the contents, found a leather helmet, a silk shirt, camel-hair vest, two pairs of long-johns, a cravat, some pressed flowers and a pair of goggles.

In the lining of the helmet was a piece of metal which on closer inspection was found to be a ‘lucky’ gold sovereign wrapped in a photograph of a baby boy. The helmet was marked R.A. Little, Windsor, Victoria, Australia, and with the Latin logo ‘Deo Patriae Litteris’ (For God, for Country and Learning). This is the motto of Scotch College, Melbourne.

Thankfully, the potential importance of the material was recognised. The finder contacted Gareth Morgan, president of the Australian Society of World War One Aero Historians, who in turn sought advice from Mike Rosel, author of Unknown Warrior (the story of Australia’s greatest fighter ace Captain Robert Alexander Little). He confirmed the likelihood of the Gladstone bag contents being genuine. Next, Mr Terry Hetherington, manager of the Fleet Air Arm Museum, travelled to meet the finder, who agreed that the FAA Museum was the best place to display this remarkable memorabilia.

Flight Commander Robert A. Little DSC*, DSO** , RNAS personal items.

The chance finding in a far corner of Queensland awakened interest in two remarkable shooting stars that lit up the sky over Europe during WW I. Their war was short – from November 1916 to May 1918 – but spectacular. The two stars were Captain Little from Melbourne, and his naval fighting scout, the Sopwith Triplane. Although only about 140 were built, the Triplane was one of the most successful aircraft of the 1914-18 war. Its qualities undoubtedly helped Captain Little become Australia’s top-scoring fighter pilot, albeit serving with the Royal Naval Air Service and later the Royal Air Force. Captain Little was easily our top-scoring air ace with an official tally of 47 victories. He was awarded DSO & Bar, DSC & Bar and the Croix de Guerre.

Early Life: Not good enough for the Central Flying School

Little, born on 19 July 1895 at Hawthorn in Melbourne, felt compelled to sail to England in 1915 to learn to fly at his own expense, as the Central Flying School at Point Cook at that time would accept applications only from serving army officers. Little had been educated at Scotch College before entering his father’s medical and surgical books business as a salesman.

Entry into the Royal Naval Air Service

The determined 20-year-old earned his pilot’s certificate from the Royal Aero Club at Hendon on 27 October 1915, and entered the Royal Naval Air Service as a Flight Sub-Lieutenant in January 1916. After training at Eastchurch and service at Dunkirk on bombing raids he was transferred to No 8 Naval Air Squadron in October 1916 for scout pilot duties on the Western Front. On a more personal note, he’d had time to woo and marry Vera Gertrude Field at Dover in England. The squadron at that time flew Sopwith Pups. Little joined ‘B’ Flight which was commanded by another Australian, Flight Commander S.J. Goble. On 11 November Little, flying a Pup, shot down his first enemy aircraft, an Aviatik CI, over Beaumont-Hamel.

Robert Little – theaerdome (at time of award of piolt’s licence)
Robert Little licence

When the squadron re-equipped with the spectacular three-wing Sopwith Triplanes in February/March 1917, Little’s score stood at nine. He’d been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for ‘conspicuous bravery in successfully attacking and bringing down hostile machines’. In retrospect it would seem that Little, who acquired the nickname ‘Ricki’ (after Rudyard Kipling’s cobra-killing mongoose ‘Riki Tiki Tavi’) and the Sopwith Triplane nicknamed ‘Tripe’ were made for each other. His keen judgment, quick thinking, expert marksmanship and indomitable courage were admirably complemented by the Triplane’s manoeuvrability and speed.

Little preferred ‘infighting’ and would fire only at point blank range. Once he flew so close to an Albatros biplane that he collided with the enemy’s tailplane and had to land with a cracked undercarriage. At another time, after his guns jammed, Little purposely ran his wheels over the top wing of a DFW two-seater in an attempt to force it down.

‘Naval Eight’, as the squadron was known, was in the thick of the fighting and was opposed by the German Jagdstaffel 11 commanded by Manfred von Richthofen. But Little was not one to be deterred by reputation. On 7 April 1917 he single-handedly engaged 11 Albatros scouts which he outflew and outfought for almost 30 minutes. Watchers on the ground, including von Richthofen himself, later testified to the superb tactics of Little and his control of the situation. To Little, an enemy aircraft was something that should not be in the sky. Scouts and two-seaters of many makes – Halberstadts, DFWs, Aviatiks, LVGs, Fokkers and Albatros aircraft – all fell to his guns. In most cases the impact of his close-in firing caused wings, tails and even fuselages to break up in the air.

On 24 April 1917, Little engaged a DFW CV, forcing it to land. He then followed the German aircraft down to claim it as captured and personally take its crew prisoner at gunpoint. The Australian flipped his own plane in a ditch after touching down, however, prompting the surrendering enemy pilot to suggest: It looks as if I have brought you down, not you me.

Naval Eight’s conversion to the Sopwith Triplane in April saw Little begin to score heavily, eventually registering 24 victories in the Triplane to bring his total up to 28, including twin victories four times in a single day. He was the squadron’s top scorer with the Triplane, mostly in one particular airframe, N5493, that he christened ‘Blymp’, after the nickname of his baby son. He personalised this aeroplane by having the pilot’s seat moved forward to improve manoeuvrability and with that speed, and by adding streamers from the wing struts in the cardinal (red), gold and blue of his old school Scotch College.

Sopwith Camel Triplane

The Unit then began flying Sopwith Camels, in which he scored a further 10 kills in July to make 14 all-up for the month. When he rotated back to England for rest, he was promoted Flight Lieutenant and credited with a total of 38 victories, including 15 destroyed or captured. A bar to his DSC had been gazetted on 29 June, for ‘exceptional daring and skill in aerial fighting on many occasions’, and he received the French Croix de Guerre on 11 July, becoming – along with fellow Australian RNAS ace Roderic (Stan) Dallas – one of the first three British Empire pilots to be so decorated. In August he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for ‘exceptional skill and daring’, followed by a bar to the decoration in September for ‘remarkable courage and boldness in attacking enemy machines’. He was mentioned in despatches on 11 December, and promoted to Flight Commander the following month.

Eyewitness Accounts

The book Fighting Triplanes by Evan Sadingham contained several vivid descriptions and eyewitness accounts of Little’s extraordinary ability as a fighter pilot, including an interesting study written by Sir Geoffrey Bromet: Little’s tactics were unorthodox and startling in their audacity:…on 10th May Little again found himself outnumbered when he engaged five Albatros scouts…meanwhile Little was at it again, this time attacking three two-seaters…during July, Little was in good form; he was awarded the DSO immediately followed by a bar to it!

Despite Little’s prowess in combat, as an aviator he was said to be ordinary at best, enduring a number of crash-landings. What gave him his edge as a fighter pilot were his keen eyes, excellent marksmanship, and willingness to single-handedly take on entire enemy formations and close in on his prey before opening fire. Fellow No 8 Squadron member Reggie Soar recalled: Although not a polished pilot, he was one of the most aggressive… an outstanding shot with both revolver and rifle… while ace Robert Comptson described Little as: not so much a leader as a brilliant lone hand… small in stature, with face set grimly, he seemed the epitome of deadliness.

Many who knew him saw a sensitive side, however, Soar noting that Little was also a collector of wildflowers, and his wife contending that his appearance in photographs belied his sense of humour. Squadron Commander Raymond Collishaw, who would finish the war as the ‘top-scoring ace of the RNAS’, summed up Little as: an outstanding character, bold, aggressive and courageous, yet he was gentle and kindly. A resolute and brave man.

Following a period of rest in England, Little turned down a desk assignment and volunteered to return to action on the Western Front, joining Lieutenant Colonel Collishaw’s No 3 Squadron RNAS in March 1918. The unit evolved into No 203 Squadron of the new Royal Air Force on 1 April, formed after the merger of the RNAS and the Royal Flying Corps. Now promoted Captain and again flying Sopwith Camels, Little gained a further nine successes, beginning with a Fokker Triplane on 1 April , and concluding with two kills in one day on 22 May, an Albatros and a DFW

In one narrow escape his logbook records: … I was attacked by six other E.A. (enemy aircraft) which drove me down through the formation below me. I spun but had my controls shot away and my machine dived. At 100 ft from the ground it flattened out with a jerk, breaking the fuselage just behind my seat. I undid the belt and when the machine struck the ground I was thrown clear. The E.A. still fired at me while I was on the ground. I fired my revolver at one which came down to about 30 ft. They were driven off by rifle and machinegun fire from our troops. 

One fateful flight

On 27 May, Little received reports of German Gotha bombers in the vicinity and took off on a moonlit evening to intercept the raiders. Little’s commander the Canadian Collishaw launched an investigation but it was never established whether the single bullet that hit Little came from a gunner in the Gotha or from the ground. In 1971 Air Vice Marshal Collishaw wrote an appreciation of Little which read in part: The German bombers were making a nuisance of themselves by night and Little was very keen to bring down a German Gotha. He and I often went up in the moonlight periods without seeing anything…I went on leave leaving Little in command…Little decided to resume his search for a Gotha…he left the ground at about 9 PM on 27 May 1918 in his Bentley-engined Camel. Early the next morning a message was received from the army that Little had been shot down dead near Norviz. I conducted a thorough investigation but nothing could be learned beyond the fact that Little’s aircraft had crashed after he was fatally wounded in the groin. Air historians have searched the German records fruitlessly to try to identify who fired the fatal shot. Little’s air fighting career was an inspiration to his contemporaries and a tribute to the high standards of Australian manhood.

There is no doubt that Little was one of the greatest Triplane exponents of the war. The London Times of 24 July 1918 revealed in an obituary that: Captain Alexander Little … held the record among pilots of the late RNAS for enemy machines destroyed. Little was buried in the village cemetery at Nœux, before his body was moved to Wavans British Cemetery in the Pas de Calais. Aged 22, he left a widow, Vera, and a son, Alec. In accordance with her husband’s wishes, Vera travelled to Australia to raise their son, who was born in March 1917. The propeller of Robert’s aeroplane was fitted with a clock and presented to Vera. She remarried in the 1920s, living until 1978 and surviving Alec by a year. The propeller blade from Little’s Sopwith Triplane presented to his widow eventually went on display at the Australian War Memorial, along with his awards and the wooden cross of his original burial place at Nœux.

The Sopwith Pup he flew with No 8 Squadron RNAS, N5182, was rebuilt to flying standard and in October 1976 led a flypast to commemorate the squadron’s Diamond Jubilee, before going on permanent display at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon. One of the buildings of the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in Canberra, opened in 1986, was named in Little’s honour.

How the Gladstone bag with its important contents came to be on a rubbish tip in a remote corner of Queensland remains a mystery. We are much in debt to the finder for his generosity in handing over the memorabilia to the Nowra Museum. And we hope any reader or museum visitor who can throw any more light on the memorabilia will let us know. By the way Texas, Queensland, got its name when landowners the McDougall brothers in 1840 engaged in a land dispute they thought similar to that earlier between Mexico and America over Texas USA.

Sopwith Shiners

In 1914 the Royal Naval Air Service had 91 heavier-than-air aircraft and eight lighter-than-air aircraft. By 31 March 1918 these figures had increased to 2,815 and 246 respectively. On 2 August 1917 Squadron Commander Dunning made the first deck landing on a British ship – the first ever to be made on a ship under way – when he flew a Sopwith Pup on to a foc’sle flight deck fitted to the battle cruiser HMS Furious, before it was fully converted to an aircraft carrier.

Several Australians served with the Royal Naval Air Service and enjoyed flying the Sopwith Triplane. The unorthodox arrangement of three staggered main-planes not only led to the nickname of ‘Tripehound’ or ‘Tripe’, it bestowed on the aircraft some excellent flying characteristics. In spite of its medium-powered Clerget rotary engine of 110 horsepower, the aircraft could out-climb its contemporaries and had a remarkable rate of roll. Later modifications introduced the 130 horsepower Clerget, and a smaller-type tailplane which improved the aircraft’s diving capability.

The Germans were very impressed, and surprised when they tested a Triplane which had been captured intact. Partly as a result, several different types of German and Austrian triplanes were produced, including the famous Fokker Dr I.

When the Sopwith Triplane was first wheeled out, with its simple interwing bracing, there was speculation that the design might be structurally weak. But Sopwith’s chief test pilot Harry Hawker had no such doubts and he confidently looped the prototype N.500 within minutes of taking off on the first test flight in May 1916. Fellow Australian Harry Busteed, as a squadron commander in the Royal Naval Air Service, also took part in the testing. On 22 September he flew the 130 horsepower second prototype N.504 over Hendon. The Triplane served with the Royal Naval Air Service until about February 1917, until they were replaced by the Sopwith Camel later in the year.

One Sopwith Triplane, N.5912, has been preserved and is on display in the RAF Museum, Henlow; another is in Russia. On the list of British aces of the 1914-18 War, two Australians – Little and Major Roderic Stanley Dallas from Mt Stanley in Queensland – occupy 8th and 16th positions. Both men achieved many of their victories with the Sopwith Triplane.

 

 

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