WITH THE GRAND FLEET.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 68, 20 March 1915, Page 11

WITH THE GRAND FLEET.

i . ■ » ■ —— GALES, SUBMARINES, AND MUTES. A SAILOR'S PILEA FOR SECRECY. There k a good deal for the landlubber to ponder upon in a letter recently received from a member of the grew °f one ol our Grand Fleet cruisers. "WriSißg from " Somewhere in the North Sea." on no particular date, he informs. Jis friends thai the Fleet Is "still patrolling, blockading, or sweeping the North gea, or whatever term you like to give cur operations," and proceeds to tell of a great disappointment. " We were quite confident of having a scrap either on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. We fcnew from thp aviators who raided Cuxiaven 'that their ships were preparing for sea, little dreaming, doubtless, of the iorce that was supporting the ships and destroyers in attendance on the seaplanes. Out hopes ran high, but everything went wroDjr. Jn the late afternoon we began to experience bad weather, and by 7 p.m. we were in a jowling gale. We hung: on for a couple of days in case tbev came out. but it nrjte a matter of impossibility to have fought an action. Even the superDreadnoughts were simply -washing down fore and aft, and. as for us light cruisersy'well, it doesn't matter much." The writer, who has seen service in jnany quarters of the globe, declares that he-hag seen more weather in the North Sea-gales of the past few "weeks than he has in any kind of storm in any other part of the world. But what has tried the men of the Fleet most has been their inai>3ity to do anything TeaHy big. As he puts it, "T&ese long nights are terribly against ns. so are the fog and generally thick weather, and the wo*6t of it is, it is proportionately favourable to any operations the enemy may undertake. I often wonder they have not been, more dashing than they have. I think it would have paid them to, but I suppose the risk they ran in coming out is too great; but surely they will iave to come out before long." SUBatAEESES AND BUSSES. Our gossip proceeds to discuss the major perils the North Sea presents to car fleet -thus: —" The submarine is the only ■type, of vessel that has been to any extent employed against us. It was not β-pleasaatt feeling in the early days of Ohe war to know that you might be pdtted-ai-any moment, but we have got ssed to them now, and nave learnt by .experience how to dodge' them, and so make their well-directed attempts to torpedo us abortive. Still, dont think Shat we-can afford to relax in the very elightest. (We have to be constantly matching in case a periscope is seen, so that we can immediately manoeuvre "the chip-co as to drive him off or sink him. Then the mines. They are our greatest fianger, although we are not. panicky /about them. Yet everything we see afloat, such ac a—isfcing buoy, a plank, and even boxes that have been thrown overboard, must be carefully avoided. I lemember, in Oeto&er. wien they first iflrppped mines broadcast off the North Bf Ireland, in the track of the-Atlantic feidpe, we bad a most exciting and risky Sime in. warning all steamers to avoid She "dangerous area, and ±o-do 60 we had to .be *''cdntrnualrv - steaming over the minefields ourselves. "We never expected to have completed our mission, but we did, and without mishap; but it was the most exciting time il ever had. For six 3ays "we were expecting every moment of the day and night to strike a mine. Sou can, perhaps, imagine the situation." "MOM'S THE WORD." A good deal of .grumbling has been done in the Old Country 'because our Admiralty has obstinately refneed to tell ns about certain matters connected with the sfavy which we felt quite certain could be made known without giving any hint 3of use to the enemy. Our sailor-man, however, not only entire'y agrees with the Admiralty's policy of •Mum's the word!" but suggests that Our newspapers should exercise even more care than the censorship compels therj to do, and should deny us the pleasure of even knowing that some of out foes ammunition is not of the best qnaßty. He says:— **I see one thing which has been widely circulated in the papers, viz., that some 6f the shells fired in the recent laid on the East Coast failed to burst. I have even seen photographs of some of the shells that have been published in the picture papers! Of course it is very nice to let our own people know that some of their ammunition U faulty, but in giving the information to our own people we are also giving it to the enemy, and we are only giving them the opportunity of their rectifying these faults. lam only one. of coarse, but I nave quite sufficient evidence to convince mc that we give too much information away. The Xavv and Army are entrusted with the arduous task of bringing the war to as speedy a conclusion a= consistent with our national honour, and T don't, think it is fair to those who have the responsibility of directing this gigantic undertaking that such incidents should be allowed to be published. I doubt if you will fnr the future lipar that. German shells fail to burst. Tiny will see to that, thanks to our impolitic information. TRUST THE ADMIRALTY. "Some of the leading papers, ar-out three weeks ago. demanded more information, and bid the Admiralty and War Office to trust the people: but, enrely, for a >.uecessful prosecution of the war. it would be far better for the people to trust the A-.lrr.ir.altv an-! the Office. NeitliT of them has failed in the slighte.it vet to do what the country expe.ts of them. Their disposition of ships and our Army have been the-admiration nni wonder of the who'e and the chajirin and mortification of our foes. Then I. for one, say: Trust them, and don't hamper their plan?. Give them a free hanJ, don't abuse them if'they don't see eye to eye ""itu the arm-chair critic. We should never havp dealt Yon 5-ee such a crushing blow- if thp Admiralty had allowed to leik out the compo*iti~n of the squadron thry were -endng Jot that purpose. Let that isolated else Ptove to you how important it is, thid natter of secrecy."