Attempt To Clear Carrier’s Officers

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30471, 19 June 1964, Page 11

Attempt To Clear Carrier’s Officers

fN.Z.P.A.-Reuter--Copi/rtcht; SYDNEY, June 18. A claim that the failure of H.M.A.S. Melbourne’s navigating officer, Commander J. M. Kelly, to supervise the carrier’s officer of the watch, was one of the factors responsible for the Voyager disaster, was “reaching very close to the absurd,” Mr Norman Jenkyn, Q.C., said today.

Mr Jenkyn is appearing for the Navy Board before the Voyager Royal Commission. He is in the third day of his final address to the Royal Commissioner, Mr Justice Spicer. Mr Justice Spicer is inquiring into the cause of the collision between the Melbourne and the destroyer Voyager off Jervis Bay on the night of February 10 with the loss of 82 lives.

Mr Jenkyn said Commander Kelly, the fleet navigation officer, knew before the collision that Captain Robertson, “the most experienced seaman on the Melbourne,” was watching the Voyager. Commander Kelly was carrying out his own duties on the bridge as was the first officer of the watch, SubLieutenant Bate.

Mr Jenkyn said the suggestion that in these circumstances Commander Kelly’s failure to supervise SubLieutenant Bate for 1J minutes was a cause of the collision reached very close to the absurd.

Mr Jenkyn also argued a claim by Mr J. W. Smyth,

Q.C., counsel assisting the Commission, that Captain Robertson was inexperienced. He said Captain Robertson had been executive officer of H.M.A.S. Sydney for 18 months, when she carried out many such manoeuvres. He also was an experienced destroyer captain. To speak of him as being inexperienced as officer in tactical command of two ships was “absurd.” Mr Jenkyn said a naval safety committee had already recommended that lifebelts should, in future, be stowed in various parts of the ship.

Evidence at the inquiry revealed that all Voyager’s life belts were stowed in a locker w’ ich was destroyed in the collision.

It was beyond dispute that wheel spanners which should have been attached to escape hatches were not available on 11 of the hatches, he said.

Wool Finn.—Values were firm on last week's inter-state levels at the close today of the twelfth series of Adelaide wool sales. Competition was again keen and widespread.— Adelaide, June 18.