CONVOY PATROLS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 40, 17 February 1943, Page 2

CONVOY PATROLS

SPOTTING U-BOATS

HOW AIRCRAFT OPERATE

An outline of the type of work carried out by men of the Coastal Command of the Royal Air Force, was given by Wing-Commander G. G. Stead, D.F.C., to over 600 cadets of the Auckland wing of the Air Training Corps, in the assembly hall at the Seddon Memorial Technical College last night. The main task of the Coastal Command, he said, was to patrol sealanes, protect coastal shipping, and escort convoys coming from America. He gave a detailed account of the work of the crew of a Sunderland flying-boat which was to meet a convoy 500 or 600 miles from their base at dawn, and explained the numerous duties of each man before they took off. He then told how they made a systematic search for the convoy, which was invariably some distance from the appointed meeting place. When the convoy was picked up, said Wing-Commander Stead, the flying-boat started an anti-submarine patrol, which was usually dull. Only in rare cases was a submarine sighted, and the job of the escorting flying-boat was not to attack it. The presence of the flying-boat kept the U-boats submerged, and if they were forced to remain under water for an appreciable time, the batteries driving the motors became weaker. With the approach of night submarines had not the power to move ahead of the convoy and attack. The Sunderland flying-boats carried depth charges, which they dropped from about 50ft. During these operational flights, said Wing-Commander Stead, the kettle was always kept boiling by the junior member of the crew, ana when the others called for tea it appeared immediately. Breakfast generally consisted of porridge, bacon and eggs, tea and toast and marmalade. Wing-Commander Stead, who was born in Hastings, was a former civil pilot in New Zealand, Britain and India, and prior to the war was on a short service commission with the R.A.F. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in May of last year, when he had completed 6000 hours of flying, of which 800 had been on operational flights. It was also stated that he was the most brilliant and reliable pilot-navigator in his squadron. He will return to i England shortly.