HUMAN TORPEDOES

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 May 1944, Page 6

HUMAN TORPEDOES

| NAVY’S NEW WEAPON INTERESTING DETAILS . . . RUGBY, May 14. During a visit to a northern base, correspondents were able to see for themselves the training of intrepid naval volunteers, who man Britain’s two latest naval' arms, midget submarines and human torpedoes. They also inspected the craft. Human torpedoes are exactly like 'the ordinary torpedo except for three humps on the back. The first two are are a water shield to prevent the riders being washed off by underwater pressure, and the third is a gear locker. Number one of the crew .sits in the first saddle, and steers with a rubber-handled joystick, below which is the dashboard of the dails of the pressure and depth gauges. The dials are luminous and can be easily read under water. The torpedo, electrically operated from the batteries’ warhead, contains a (weight of explosive equal to that of the ordinary torpedo. It can be detached easily by means of a handle by number one. Number two slides off into the sea .to fix it to the bottom of the hull of the victim ship. Not all the men who have carried out attacks with this weapon failed to return. Provided they have sufficient electricity left, [they can get back and all that can be done to arrange pick-ups for them is done. By means of a clockwork arranger ment in the warhead, a charge can be set to go off. It is quick and easy to fix to the ship. The torpedo has four ahead speeds and one astern, but is very slow, speed being of no importance as it is designed purely for attacks on anchored harbour shipping. Correspondents watched a crew being strapped and laced into Sladen suits, similar to divers’ suits, except in place of the cumbersome cricular helmet, the men wear a hood with thick glass. The visor is screwed down with steel bolts. Across the backs are two large iron cylinders, which contain enough pure oxygen for many hours. They breathe through a mouthpiece and wear a clamp which tightly closes the nostrils. The men BREATHE OXYGEN the whole time they are astride the craft. Even on the surface they sit low in the water. It is inadvisable to unscrew the visor. The whole outfit has a weight of forty pounds. When the men were astride of the . torpedo, the correspondents could see only their heads .and shoulders, then they slipped below the surface. No air bubbles rose to betray the posi- : tion. The carbon dioxide they breathe out is purified and re-breathed. The training takes four and a-half months and includes a course on the mechan- , ics of the torpedo. Only minor adjustments are possible once the men are afloat. If the engines cease to ; function below the surface, the crew can easily rise. By increasing the flow of oxygen, and allowing it to escape through the mouthpiece,. the helmet becomes inflated, and brings .them avove the water. The men are issued with a specially thick white woollen sweater and pants for extra warmth. A correspondent described the midi got submarine as an exact replica of the norm's! submarine, except it has no conning tower. The only superstructure is a guardrail for two peri- . scope tubes, and a mastlike air vent. ; To this is attached a steel arm with a strong leather belt to which the cap- . tain straps himself when on deck for observation purposes. With the ! deck bare two feet above the surface ’lhe needs a special waterproof suit. A normal-siezd man can sta id up with comfort once placed insß e tne > hull. One volunteer said, “It is rather ’ a Spartan life. We live on tinned food, owing to lack of space.” The midgets are not two-men i affairs; they carry a crew of four, i three officers and one rating. The . captain handles the controls and periscopes. Another officer looks after ' the steering and the third operates - the motor switches. The rating looks ; after the engines. Although the men • know the dangers attendant on this work, there is no dearth of volunl teers. channelYactions ' LONDON, May 13. ; The Admiralty states: “While en- ’ gaged on an offensive sweep off the French coast, early on Friday, light - coastal forces of the Royal Navy en- . countered and attacked a small en- . emy convoy. One medium sized ship , was hit by a torpedo and left cn- ; veloped in flames, and a medium sup- ■ ply ship was damaged by gun fire. In [ addition one armed trawler was set > on fire and another heavily dami aged. Our ships suffered a small number of casualties and superficial ctam- ; age. [ While on an offensive patrol in the . English Channel, early on Saturday : morning the French destroyer “La ’ Combattante” encountered and en- ; gaged a strong force of E-boats about r twenty-five miles south-east of the ■ Isle of Wight, states an Admiralty • communique. During a brisk action, ; one E-boat was sunk and a second i damaged. The remainder escaped at high speed, under the cover of smoke. A number of survivors from the destroyed E-boat were picked up by the destroyer which returned to harbour , without suffering casualties or dam- ; age. ! . PRAYERS FOR NAVY : ’ LONDON, May 14. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of Westminster and the ! Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council have jointly issued a state- ■ ment requesting that Sunday, July 9, be observed by the whole nation as a day of prayer for the members of the 1 Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy. KING’S INSPECTION LONDON, May 14. The King visited the Home Fleet ■ to take leave of the captains, and to bid them and their ships and their , ships’ companies Godspeed. before ; battle, says the Press Association s . correspondent with the Home Fleet. ■ The King, in four crowded days, i boarded fourteen ships, and inspected representative detachments from nearly every ship in the great fleet assembled in these cold lonely northern waters.

As a compliment to the Fleet Air.Arrrt, the King put to sea in an air-craft-carrier and saw planes re-enact their attack against the Tirpitz in the Alten Fiord. It was the first time the King had been on an aircraft-carrier at sea. He was also on the bridge ot a famous destroyer and participated in a mock U-boat hunt, and then on a midget submarine parentship, he inspected the tiny craft which attacked the Tirpitz, and saw human torpedoes dive under a ship.