H.M.N.Z.S. ACHILLES

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 February 1945, Page 6

H.M.N.Z.S. ACHILLES

RETURN TO AUCKLAND! READY FOR PACIFIC ACTIONS AUCKLAND, February 20. Quietly and unannounced, H.MN.Z.S. Achilles glided into Waitemata Harbour recently and back to her old home berth at the Devonpprt Na\*al Base from which she had been nearly two years away. Girded afresh for the Pacific war, the cruiser which played such a gallant part in the defeat of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee in the early days of . the war, is now a much better equipped ship than when she last left here.. In relation to her size the Achilles is as well equipped as any ship in any Pacific fleet, and more modern in equipment than most. Fundamentally, the Japanese have only themselves to blame for any damage they may suffer as a result, for it was a force of Zeros which caused it, away bacjc on January 5, 1943, in the Solomons. One 5001 b bomb connected with’ the cruiser and the Achilles twin 6in. gun turret aft disappeared. A large-scale refit was indicated, and a visit to a British dockyard ordered. An unfortunate accident there prolonged the process, a gas explosion forward killing it and injuring nearly 100 dockyard workers. This mishap turned a repair and refit 30b into what amounted to nearly a rebuilding of the cruiser. Into the shell 01 the old Achilles was built all the lessons learned m all theatres, of: naval activity in this wai and they have been plenty, rhe reborn ship is built to order for the type of fighting the Pacific theatre has decrew is in a large measure the same as earlier manned the Leander, 85 per cent. New Zealanders and the remainder largely Imperial men with wives and families in the Dominion. She has a new commander, Captain F. J. Butler, M.8.E., R.N., whose last sea-going command was HJyi.s. Danae. On leaving the Danae, Captain Butler was appointed Captain 01 the gunnery Scllool at Devonport, England, and served there till ne tooover the. Achilles. Captain Bullet u enthusiastic about his ship and erouBoth have settled down well, he said in an interview, and he was sure they would give a good account ol themselves in action. Speaking of. nery in general, Captain Butler said a complete change-over to the most modern equipment was taking P/f/; and it was ■(bus the Achilles had bv Among the officers manning the Achilles are men of the widest battle experience, men who were with hei at the battle of the Plate and subsequent Pacific actions; other men who were with Royal Navy ships on Russian convoys and in the NriM-1-anean and Atlantic actions. Also two have served in submannes. Hei cAcond in command is Commandei B. C. Holmes, 8.N., who was born in Masterton, though he has served in the Navy since 1917. Her crew ha has tour’ unusual types—one is a native ol Niue, and three others aie Fijians, the first natives .from that British possession to circumiiavMte the "lobe as members of the wavy. Since her refit, the Achilles has not seen action as the work was not completed in time for the cruiser to have n share 'in the first landing on the French coast on D Day, bitt sire was cent to the'Mediterranean- to assist m the coverage of the second landing in the MSftes' area, That landing W unopposed' and assistance um A chilies’ glvn's was not require cl -<t^F c patrol' and"convoy /work, escort, cf tne snip wnwn orousm./m Duke and Duoness of Gloucester tfipir family to Sydney.made.up . f h<rest of her activities prior turn to Auckland. other takes ‘.m ordinary paitipi und. other duties, as a unit.of.the Koyai Vealond Nai'y, taking pari, n ..l e . quiro'd, in the activities of th? British Pacific Fleet.

“HOWE” VISITS AUCKLAND.

'' A MIGHTY BATTLESHIP

AUCKLAND, February 20. The lifting of a veil of secrecy allows, 'to-day the announcement that inc 25,000-ton battleship H.M.S. Howe, flagship of Admiral Fraser, Commander-in-Chief of the Bpiish Pacific Fleet, visited Auckland ree<=ntly The Howe, which brought the Admiral to the Dominion for discussions with the War Cabinet and naval authorities, was accompanied by an escort, of destroyers, the Queenborough, Quality and Quadrant. The battleship, with 10 up-co-date 14-inch guns, and other heavy armament. was the most powerful ship that ever visited these waters ana was a symbol of the strength of the British Fleet now released from service in other theatres for action against the Japanese. Nothing seen in this war close to the shores of New Zealand has held a greater thrill xor New Zealanders than the sight ol this massive battleship and her escorts as they ploughed their way through the sunlit waters of Hauraki GniL Here was materialisation ol a ibneer-for hope—the day when Britain.'io long besieged by powerful enemies at her own door, would be able to give again of her strength to th? defence of the most far-flung units of the British Commonwealth. Here was materialisation, too. of the good news' that recently provided cable headlines, namely, the changeover from defence to attack, and an I extension of the assault programme in Europe to an aggressive campaign on all fronts throughout the world. Ships of the Royal Navy will always be welcome in New Zealand, the island Dominion whose first line of defence, like that of Britain herself. is still the sea, and a battleship of the Howe class is sufficiently novel •io thrill seagirt people in her symbolization and battle-ready trimness. The Howe is specially inspiring in that five years ago neither the battleship nor any of her" escorts existed. The Howe was laid down in 1939 and completed in 1942. To see the battleship and the escort, now a comparatively small unit of a powerful fleet, was a revelation of the production might of Britain and of her great spirit. All the ships were built' while Britain took blow after blow from the German war machine. They are symbols not only of her present power, but also of the courage and tenacity of their builders. "For the newsmen who saw (ho Howe and the escort arrive there was a disappointment in that the news of their presence here could not be flashed to the world immediately—but Auckland needed little advice if judgment could be based on the crowds that gathered at various > vantage points to see the entrance of ' the battleship and the escort to the ' harbour, and to give silent salute to the members of the crews who lined the rails as the ships came up the Waitemata. During the days which followed Auckland saw much of these seamen. On the first evening, 8000 men who had been given leave walked but of the dock i gates into a strange land. Some looked lonely that night, but only for that night. After that they were among friends and when they left after a week’s stay they left warm memories. There was only one public function during the stav. that being a parade down'Queen Street. Appraised of tnat. but not of the real significance of the gesture, the public gathered in large numbers to look on and applaud in bulk. They were applauding the British Navy, but there was an individual tribute in it, too. Here was Auckland’s tribute to the men who maintained the convoy lifeline

herdss the Atlantic and' up through the’Arctic waters to’ Murlriarisk; to others’ wh.Q hhd 'served ’under Admiral Cunningham in the Mediterranean, df'itfdihtafhed open waters in the vital English Channel. There were men 'in ‘the parade who had been shelled, bombed and tinfished; men who nad faced and endured every hardship and danger the sea can offer. The Howe came as a symbol of Britain’s power; she left with kin farewelling kin. CAPTAIN’S VARIED CAREER. AUCKLAND, February 20. As a naval attache in South America he had seen the Graf Spee driven into Montevideo, said Captain H. W. U. McCall, D'.S.O.,’R.N., of H.M.S. Howe, at a Press conference given dui’ing the ship’s visit to Auckland. That particular action, he said, was unique, not only because three small cruisers put to flight a very powerful battleship, but also because Admiral Harwood conducted the action with fewer signals than any previous action demanded. “I saw’ a considerable amount of action in tne Mediterranean Sea during the worst period of the war,” said Captain McCall. “In the ship I then had, the Didi. I had the sad’task of carrying’ out the fourth evacuation of .the war—Dunkirk, Norway, Greece, and then Crete. The Australian and New Zealand troops we took bff Crete were men who had fought to the end of their strength. They had been fighting continuously for days on end, and when they embarked in the middle of the night they slumped down on the decks where they stood. The steadiness and discipline of those exhausted men was an inspiration. My ship was severely hit by a large bomb, making it necessary for her to go America for repairs.” In America Captain McCall made his first real contact with those wlw are now our great allies, and he obtained his first experience of what' American efficiency and skill really meant. In a remarkably short space of time his ship was repaired and was able to return to the Mediterranean by the end of 1941. For the next eight months he was engaged in keeping the Malta garrison supplied. Later he served as Chief of Staff to Admiral Sir Percy Noble, then head of the British Admiralty delegation in Washington. At the beginning of last year he left America to take command of the Howe. Four months were, spent in the Indian Ocean, during which the ship participated in .several raids on Sumatra. The Howe was then detailed as the flagship of Admiral Fraser.

Captain McCall added that he now had visited South Africa, Ceylon, Australia and New Zealand, and the welcome given him and the ship’s coinpanies was remarkable.