FLEET HUNTS SUBMARINE

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26058, 10 March 1950, Page 8

FLEET HUNTS SUBMARINE

SWEEP OFF BANKS PENINSULA SUCCESS CLAIMED BY COMBINED FORCE From Our Own Reporter [Aboard H.M.N.Z.S. Pukaki] AKAROA, March 9. To locate and destroy a submarine was the task to-day for five frigates and two destroyers of the combined Australian and New Zealand naval units. Their efforts were believed to be successful. The exercise began as soon as, the ships left harbour, the submarine ’ Telemachus having put out two hours earlier to act as the enemy. Early in the sweep outside the Akaroa heads covering ah area six or seven miles square, the destroyer Bataan and a frigate signalled contact but it was not definite. Knowing that the harbour entrance had been cleared, the aircraft carrier Sydney and two cruisers came out and the destroyers and frigates moved round to form a screen. Shortly afterwards the Warramunga reported a definite contact by flying a black fl§g and went into attack. The Pukaki was too far away to assist, but another frigate, the Murchison, went over and the Pukaki filled her gap in the screen. As the Murchison and the Warramunga tried to pinpoint the submarine they showed lights so that the submarine’s commander could see through his periscope that an attack was imminent and could dive to a safe depth. The subjnarihe signalled that she had seen the lights by fifing a yellow smoke candle. Aboard the Pukaki officers considered that the submarine was sunk, although tttte submarine’s commander might claim to have avoided destruction. On the bridge of the Pukaki was the commanding officer, LieutenantCommander L. E. Herrick, whose job is now to hunt submarines, but who during the war was one of the hunted as he commanded a submarine. Report by “Asdic” There was another but different anti-submarine exercise this afternoon. It was known that a patrol submarine was lying somewhere near the harbqur entrance to report the comings and goings of ships, so the frigates and destroyers swept the whole area After travelling about 14 miles the Tutira reported "asdic” contact with the submarine and went into attack.

Increasing her speed to 18 knots the Pukaki swung, round ••nd went to give support, but the Tutira lost touch and the normal sweep was resumed. After the Rotoiti had investigated a contact, the Pukaki got a definite contact about five miles from the original and dropped four “depth charges/’ Hand grenades were used and though the explosions were quite loud they sounded like a hammer tap on an iron roof in the submarine. The submarine then sent up a smoke candle dead ahead of the Pukaki. The Warramunga was on her way to assist when the submarine got away again.

The Rotoiti got on to the enemy later and the Pukaki was standing bv to make an attack after the Rotoiti’s when the exercise ended.

To clear a way for the submarine to surface the ships formed a large circle, stopped their engines, and hammered on hulls to warn the submarine where they were. After firing two smoke candles to show her course and investigating the area by periscope, the submarine surfaced.

The Telemachus left for Pegasus Bay, where she will find an anchorage until to-morrow morning when she will be in an exercise before going with the Australian aircraft-carrier Sydney and the Bataan to Lyttelton.

Other ships of the fleet to-day held a height-finding exercise, planes from the Sydney being used. The Warramunga and the Australia left this afternoon for Dunedin.