TRAINING SHIPS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 17, 21 January 1938, Page 6

TRAINING SHIPS

CONTRAST IN METHODS

MOTOR-SHIP AND BARQUE

| (By I'olegiupli—i'resß as&ociauon.) AUCKLAND, January 20. When the Finnish four-masted bai'cjue Pamir, now approaching port, reaches Auckland at the end of a 100----rlwy voyage from the Seychelles Group ii the fncljan Ocean, a striking contrust will bo offered in methods of sea training. While most European countries still believe in the value of sail training for Hie merchant service officers, Great Hritain has severed her connection from the practice, and one of the three seagoing I/ilish merchant training ships, (he Federal motor-ship Durham, will be aI. Auckland at the same time as the Finnish barque.

The Uiii'hnin, with the British India Conuiany'a training ships Nardana and Devon, plays an important part in preparing iirilain'ti merchant service officers, At present the Durham, which is discharging cargo from Liverpool at Queen's Wharf, is manned by 40 i.'udel.s, who do all the deck work. Among the cadela are four New Zealanclers und four Australians. In most eases the boys have first had a training period of two years in one of the British home-training ships, the Worcester or Conway, or at the Pangbourno Nautical College. At the end of this stage they undertake a threeyear course on board the Durham. Others enter the Durham immediately and take a four-year course. The results, it is stated, have proved excellent, and there is proof of thisin the fact thnt the chief, second, and third officer, and the director of navigational studies in the Durham at present are men who were trained in this mannei".

Previous ships of the Federal Line which have carried cadqts have been converted merchantmen, but when the Durham was built more than three years ago, she was specially designed and fitted as a training ship, and a staff was selected to train the boys in the various departments of their activities.

The sailing ships to which European countries adhere for training are among the most famous in the world. Many Finnish ships now carry entirely native-born crews and few vessels under the Finnish flag offer a sounder training ground the... those of Captain Erikson's famous fleet, of which the Pamir is a member. The Swedish

Board of Trade and the Swedish Naval authorities recently decided to abandon sail training, which means that. the famous ship Abraham Rydberg may be sold, but the German authorities have definitely refused to accede to requests thnt sail training should be abolished. Two ships taking part in this year's grain race from South Australia to the United Kingdom, the Admiral Karpfanger and the Kommodore Johnsen, are vessels recently purchased by German shipping companies to train future officers.