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www.mcdoa.org.uk www.mcdoa.org.uk R.N. Diving Magazine Contents VOL. 15 SUMMER 1968, No. 2
EDITORIAL STAFF
PAGE Editor . . P.O. R. CHORLTON 1)11(11I', 3 Trea.yurer LT. E. W. J. SMITH, Q.D.D. NI VIII A 1)1111 N111,11111 4 NI ws ni Int iin I All 1 V,1 !IMO EDITOR'S NOTES Divirod Acciiii NI 7
ROYAL ALIEN NAVY ETTER late than never. The Blate issue of the Summer Maga- SELAB III .. 13 zine is regretted and is due to the lack of material sent in. NEWS FROM THE MED. 15 What is not received, does not go into print, and the response to the H.M.S. 'MINERVA' 17 Competition for Articles and Photo- graphs has been disappointing to say the least. It is now intended to give SAFETY AND MEDICAL ASPECTS OF DEEP DIVING 19 more time to intending contributors, and the Closing Date for the Second PROMOTIONS AND ADVANCEMENTS 25 Competition is now the 15th Feb- ruary, 1969. So how about it? You HISTORIC WRECKS IN THE SOLENT AREA—PART III .. 26 send it, and I'll print it. I will even send your photographs back. `LIGHT' FOCUSES ON `LUSITANIA' 33 If you didn't come to the Divers Dinner on the 17th, you missed a H.M.S. `DINGLEY' AND AFTER .. 38 good night out. This was the general verdict of over two hundred who TECHNIQUES AND EQUIPMENT OF DEEP DIVING .. 39 attended and heard the after dinner speeches of the well known speakers : BOOK REVIEWS 49 Capt. Joe Blake and Harry Wardle, were introduced by Cmdr. P. White, S.O.D. The bar organisation took the strain of 200 divers wanting, a pint all at once very well, but as usual someone had to be last. All I hope for next year is a few Earlier Bookings?
www.mcdoa.org.uk www.mcdoa.org.uk Never a Dull Minute News from the Far East Team
UR ING a 9 month deployment The idea was to rob a nearby wreck Royal Naval Armament Depot. with gas masks, tin helmets, bayonets, east of Sue,, H.M.S. Cambrian's of her 3 ton, 4 bladed phospor-bronze thousands of tail pistols and a large bDiving Team has enjoyed an in- propeller in order to acquire some petty N Singapore this year, the monsoon number of Japanese Minesweeping teresting and varied diet in places cash for their club. The wreck was that rains ended early and the month of I floats. ranging the length and breadth of the of the N.Z. Shipping Company's Papenui February was one of the driest on record. As a result, a large number of Far last Station, including such ports which caught fire and sank in 40ft. of Ships Husbandry. as Simonstown, Mombasa, Rodriguez water. bush fires, occurred. Firemen, trailing in the wake of one of these fires, dis- The team has not been neglecting its Is. (300 miles east or Mauritius), Gan, A preliminary survey showed, apart covered what they thought to be a own backyard. In the last six months, ( leraldlon, Aukland, I long Kong, from a gigantic looking propeller, which mortar bomb. The F.C.D.T. were we have carried out a variety of jobs in Singapore and the Isle or St. Helena. appeared to be very well secured on its called in to investigate the find and and around the dockyard area. The In addition to a number or day and 14 inch diameter shaft, a plethora of discovered among other things a large silent service frequently call on our 1119111 'Awkwards', the divers have minor loot For the taking. Conveniently services and for a couple of months the answered the usual miscellany or cries accessible was the ships store with many quantity of Japanese picric cartridges and detonators. This picric was still in `business' was a going concern. rot twit) (tool screws, blocked inlets, bottles or obviously well matured grog. excellent condition and we established dome checks and so on). Unfortunately,h the 57 years of immer- Hong Kong. sion had been too much for the corkage it was 'Ha Nai', explosive type 172 During an unscheduled (well, the which had been manufactured in Hong Kong has now quietened down, Captain's brother, twin at that, did and the stuff was quite undrinkable. and with very few home made bombs Also of interest was part of her cargo of September 1939, for the Third Japanese happen to live there!) 13 day visit to Navy. It certainly went with a healthy still being placed, the team has now Aukland, New Zealand, we were most coloured and embossed china tiles ceased to take an active part. All agree which have survived their ducking bang! impressed by the welcome shown to us, that the work up there was of immense extraordinarily well. The whole area of jungle which the and we believe, to all other visiting R.N. value. ships, by the diving section of H.M. The propeller looked atoug hish nut fire had laid waste was, in fact, strewn N.Z.S. Philomel. We were offered the to crack, but the Captain, who has a free use of their very efficient and up to little experience in the use of under- date equipment, including a trial of water explosives, thought it was worth their wet suits, which are in general use a try. To cut a long and interesting story in the R.N.Z.N., and which made us short, it took 3 'blows' to get the screw envious in view of the troubles we have off the shaft using 201bs., 251bs., and experienced with our anything-but-dry 2lbs. of assorted fireworks to do so. If suits in the Far East climate. Of course, not handed to the islanders on a plate, the siting of our diving store atop No. 2 we left them happily contemplating the Boiler Room may have something to do raising of the, by now, 4 separate but with the rapid and almost total de- complete blades of the propeller. terioration of these suits ... ! We return to the U.K. with jaundiced Exped-wise, we have made the most regard for the chill and gloom of a north of warm and clear waters, pursued cray- European winter season, after what has fish and indulged in some interesting been a memorable cruise. salvage. During another unscheduled stop, The Team (this time the Gulf tanker went 'crook' Commander Canning, Lt. Scanes, and had to limp back to Gib. instead of Lt. Inskip, Mid. Mc('lement, E.R.A.1 fuelling us on our way home) of six days Hughes, Mech.! Cook, L.S. Higginson, at the historic and picturesque Isle of L. I letiley, 1„ M .E. Thrower, A.B. St. Helena, our services were co-opted ('lit hero and A.B. Jones. by a small, but keen, local Sub-aqua Club led by the very genial Rhodesian Police Superintendent.
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during his service. service. his during
off Fernando Po., Spanish Spanish Po., Fernando off
Kingfisher Kingfisher
Diving Accident Accident Diving
death of 34 years old Ex-Shipwright Ex-Shipwright old years 34 of death
The body was discovered at 180ft. 180ft. at discovered was body The
He died while diving from the oil rig rig oil the from diving while died He
T is with regret that we announce the the announce we that regret with is T
Art Diver Trevor Taylor who was well well was who Taylor Trevor Diver Art
Four miles of paddling brought out out brought paddling of miles Four
Now that the blisters are healing and and healing are blisters the that Now
verdict. verdict.
belt. The coroner recorded an open open an recorded coroner The belt.
before it went dead. dead. went it before
There was no sign of the divers weight weight divers the of sign no was There
with the arms outstretched and the the and outstretched arms the with diving suit inflated 'like a balloon' balloon' a 'like inflated suit diving
metallic noises came from the phone phone the from came noises metallic
had become fouled and a scream and and scream a and fouled become had
the rig, the diver reported his air-line air-line his reported diver the rig, the
known in the diving world and served served and world diving the in known
Guinea in strange circumstances. Ac- circumstances. strange in Guinea
Glomar IV, IV, Glomar
cording to the Diving Superintendent of of Superintendent Diving the to cording
in H.M.S. H.M.S. in
I
Archimedes Principle! Principle! Archimedes
in 10 feet of water carrying same. A A same. carrying water of feet 10 in
slight miscalculation in depth—and depth—and in miscalculation slight
the sweat-and blisters! But all went well well went all But blisters! sweat-and the
40 pound sinker. He then discovered discovered then He sinker. pound 40 until No. 2 entered the water with a a with water the entered 2 No. until
just how fast you can run on the bottom bottom the on run can you fast how just
`Black and White Minstrels' the total total the Minstrels' White and `Black
effect was like `Steptoes Cart.' Cart.' `Steptoes like was effect
part looked like escapees from the the from escapees like looked part
canoeists, who, when dressed for the the for dressed when who, canoeists, that statement. With each canoe carry- canoe each With statement. that equipment, not to mention the reluctant reluctant the mention to not equipment,
ing a very full load of very miscellaneous miscellaneous very of load full very a ing
canoes that we outfitted lent truth to to truth lent outfitted we that canoes
divers can improvise with anything to to anything with improvise can divers
acquire the desired result, and the two two the and result, desired the acquire
I can hold a pen again, a few words on on words few a again, pen a hold can I
Beach Clearance—Canoe Style. Style. Clearance—Canoe Beach
a recent exercise. Someone said that that said Someone exercise. recent a
who helped helped who
found she had had she found
Relentless. Relentless.
Sheraton, Sheraton,
Relentless Relentless
Examine the cargo. cargo. the Examine
Ascertain why she sank. sank. she why Ascertain
Identify the ship. ship. the Identify
(c) (c)
(b) (b)
(a) (a)
We soon built up a clear picture of the the of picture clear a up built soon We
Our main objectives were:— were:— objectives main Our
In February, a few miles off Port Port off miles few a February, In
On arrival, arrival, On
were open! open! were
out if the main engine room sea cocks cocks sea room engine main the if out
very large grouper, we never did find find did never we grouper, large very
Captains cabin—a large saki bottle— saki large cabin—a Captains
empty! As the engine room housed one one housed room engine the As empty!
that it was a Japanese vessel, but we we but vessel, Japanese a was it that
found more evidence of this in the the in this of evidence more found
wireless operators log indicated to us us to indicated log operators wireless
crumple on the forward gunwhale. The The gunwhale. forward the on crumple
but regrettably we had to keep it, in case case in it, keep to had we regrettably but
ship. It was intact, except for a slight slight a for except intact, was It ship.
it was required as evidence. evidence. as required was it
locate the wreck, laid claim to the bell, bell, the to claim laid wreck, the locate
was now asking four million dollars dollars million four asking now was
for the Singapore Government. A A Government. Singapore the for
Wreck Alias Kien Kung. Kung. Kien Alias Wreck
nameless, had 'pulled the plug out' and and out' plug the 'pulled had nameless,
Chinese gentleman, who shall remain remain shall who gentleman, Chinese
compensation. compensation.
Swettenham, we investigated a wreck, wreck, a investigated we Swettenham,
pleased to say after slight adjustment by by adjustment slight after say to pleased
us, fitted, much to everybody else's else's everybody to much fitted, us,
to the dockyard. The new plates we are are we plates new The dockyard. the to
astonishment. astonishment.
correctly aligned, the template was sent sent was template the aligned, correctly
pletion, with the fairing plate angles angles plate fairing the with pletion,
position on the dome housing. On com- On housing. dome the on position
do this, a template was constructed of of constructed was template a this, do
sheet alloy and rivetted whilst still in in still whilst rivetted and alloy sheet
asked to make a pattern for a new set. set. new a for pattern a make to asked
(The blue-prints were not available.) To To available.) not were blue-prints (The
lost her dome fairing plates, so we were were we so plates, fairing dome her lost
Fairing Plates H.M.S. H.M.S. Plates Fairing
few—or perhaps we need more P.T. P.T. more need we perhaps few—or
been dredged up illegally. In all, the the all, In illegally. up dredged been
suddenly became very apparent to a a to apparent very became suddenly
and primers. The value of mud runs runs mud of value The primers. and team recovered nearly a thousand shells shells thousand a nearly recovered team
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ttrtOn ttrtOn
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