NEARLY A MUTINY

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 October 1928, Page 2

NEARLY A MUTINY

ON BOARD H.M.A.S. BRISBANE. *

SYDNEY,, September 20

Conditions on the Australian cruiser Brisbane, during her voyage to Suva and Haw'aii for the Cook Centenary celebrations recently, were brought before the public eye when the ship reached Sydney on Tuesday last. It was announced then that a stoker named Molineaux had been tried during the voyage for writing verses relative to life on board and had been sentenced to three months’ gaol at Long Bay Penitentiary.

Members of the crew of the Brisbane state that the voyage to Honolulu will long be remembered by the stokehold gang as being the worst voyage they could ever recall. The crew said that when the Brisbane arrived at Suva, a newspaper there stated that the vessel looked dreadful compared with the spick and span appearance of the New Zealand warship, Dunedin.

'i’he captain took the criticism to heart, for during the voyage to Honolulu, paint was “slapped” on the ship and the crew were forced to work many hours a day on the arduous task. When the vessel reached Honolulu, none of the crew was allowed to leave the ship ami obtained only a porthole view of the town.

Complaints regarding the food were made io the captain of the ship wit limit success and the crew were becoming incensed. Petty punishments for small offences were given by the officers and many members of the crew were put. on fatigue duties for many hours at a stretch. So serious did matters become at

one stage that the men were seriously talking of mutinying and leaving the ship at Honolulu or Suva. The few members of the crew who were allowed ashore at Honolulu were treated roughly by the American police, who, it is alleged, used their heavy batons freely and two Australians had to be carried on to the ship after being dealt with by the American police. Both these men were hit on the head and body with the batons, and had bruises and bumps on them for days afterwards. Finally the stokehold men asked one of their ‘'members, who was known to have a bent, tor writing verse, to compose something to express their sentiments. The sailor-poet did so and officers found the following verse pinned to a loaf of stale bread which was decorated with a piece of red bunting: Rock of Ages, Cleft for me, This is some poor stoker’s tea. This was placed in a prominent place on the ship and was found by an officer who reported it to the captain. Five days out from Newcastle, the. author of the verse, who had been discovered, was sentenced to thiee months’ imprisonment, in Long Bay gaol. His pay was stopped, as were his allowances to his wife and two children. , , , 'l’he cruiser Brisbane has been always a ship of dissatisfaction since her commission in 1919.