ROYAL N.Z. NAVY

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24270, 30 May 1944, Page 3

ROYAL N.Z. NAVY

FINE PERFORMANCE IN PACIFIC A NOTABLE RECORD (Official War Correspondent N.Z.JE.F.) SOLOMON ISLANDS. May 12. Carrying out very fine service, which includes a remarkable variety of tasks, a Royal New Zealand Navy flotilla of small ships under the command of Commander A. D. Holden. R.N.Z.N.R., in the Pacific is earning great credit for itself and for New Zealand. This is the flotilla which, since late in 1942, has bagged two submarines, lost one of its ships through bombing,, and this week was accorded the highest praise for its 18 months of work here by Captain O. O. Kessing, U.S.N., Commanding Officer of Advanced Naval Base. “Their work, has been absolutely splendid,” Captain Kessing told the writer. “For the work they have been doing, Holden has developed a fine team, and the main feature of their work is teamwork. They all know what to do and how to do it.” His praise covers a period of service which has earned a proud place in naval history for His Majesty’s New Zealand ships, Matai, Moa, Tui, Kiwi, Gale, and Breeze. Graduating through months of fighting service, they have added lately to their record by months of arduous, monotonous, protective work in operational areas, and the flotilla has never once failed to carry out a task. While fighting ’was going on in Guadalcanar the little ships performed with the most admirable aggression. They were never used rashly—but they dealt the Jap vicious punches far harder than could be expected from anything of their size and hitting power. They steamed boldly about the then dangerous Guadalcanar coast, at a time when the Jap planes were striking hard and often, and they carried out daring bombardments of enemy shore positions. They had one job which would have delighted Drake’s daredevils of the seventeenth century. At that time, Jap destroyers, desperately trying to aid hard-pressed land forces, would approach Guadalcanar and toss overboard stores and munitions for the tide to float ashore. The destroyers would retire and before the big drums of floating materials could reach the beach the little New Zealand ships would nip out and sink them or take them aboard. A notable action was that fought when the Kiwi and the Moa engaged a large Japanese submarine. Forced by depth charges to surface, the enemy was engaged by gunfire by both ships, and thrice rammed by the Kiwi. The badly-damaged submarine, attemptiing to escape in the darkness, struck a reef and wrecked herself, the sole survivor of her crew being captured. Three months later, the Moa was lost during a heavy enemy air attack in the Solomon Islands. The Tui had her turn when she contacted a large Japanese submarine, which was attacked with depth charges. Later, the submarine Which had been forced to surface, was destroyed by American aircraft. Six Japanese survivors were recued by the Tui. It was desperate warfare in the Pacific in those days, when the Allied seapower counted more on . courage than on tonnage. There were times when our little ships took over destroyer work, releasing the faster, more heavily-armed ships for other tasks. There was one occasion when one of the flotilla made such a remarkable tow of a badly damaged big supply ship through dangerous waters that the arrival in Noumea harbour resulted in a sensational scene, as wild-ly-tooting ships’ whistles and streams of signal flags honoured' a notable achievement. Recently, too, there was a search for a reported submarine, and from this everyone in the two ships taking part had the highest hopes. But though the area was searched with the most meticulous' care, there was no submarine to be found. One ship had a narrow escape when a large bomb landed 50ft away, showering the forepart of the ship with shrapnel. Nobody was hit.’