EXACTING WORK

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 216, 10 August 1940, Page 7

EXACTING WORK

BRITISH MINESWEEPERS. IMPORTANCE STRESSED. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (British. Official Wireless.) Received August 10, 11.40 a.m. RUGBY, Aug. 9. One of the most important, certainly amongst the most exacting, of the multifarious duties carried out by the Navy is that of minesweeping. The force dealing with this problem is controlled by men who are putting - to practical and extended use the lessons in the last war, at the beginning of which .counter-mining operations were in their infancy.

The ships used consist of trawlers, drifters, paddle-steamers and a certain number of specially-built Navy sweepers. This force is continually growing and is continually busy. The German activity in minelaving may be described as intense, and the occupation by the Nazis of the coastline from Norway to tho Spanish irontier makes their task easier and that of the British minesweepers more difficult. It is expected that German minelaying will increase as the nights become longer. The life of a crew engaged in anti-mine work is apt to be exciting, and exposure to air attack has added one element of risk which was not present in the last war. Tho vessels are frequently attacked by aeroplanes, and some of them have been sunk, as lias appeared from time to time in Admiralty announcements. UNSUNG' VICTORIES.

But for every attack resulting in the sinking of one of these little ships there are many in which the Nazi machine is beaten off by the accurate lire of the trawler’s anti-aircraft guns —victories which ar :«J part of tne’ day’s work and go unpublished and unsung. The casualties among minesweeper craft so far have not been very heavy, well under 30 having fallen victims while engaged in tins duty, although several ot these vessels which were used as transports during tho Dunkirk evacuation were sunk by bombs. Most of the force is engaged searching for and sweeping up moored mines, and occasionally a newly-sown field is discovered in the path of an oncoming convoy. When tiiis happens there is usually not time to sweep “according to the book,” and tho system adopted is for the sweepers to go ahead of the convoy, which follows through the swept channels. On one such an occasion there was only one sweeper—; small trawler—available for this du< and the impressive sight was witnesses of a convoy of about sixty ships ft lowing the little vessel in line ahead. RESULTS OF DE-GAUSSING. Exciting and straining to the nerves though this service is, there is never any lack of recruits, neither is the work of these men unappreciated nor unsuccessful.

The trust reposed in them by the convoy captains shows the first, and the fact that no major British port has been closed for longer than 24 houry shows the second. The effect of enemy minelaying on the ports subjected to this form of attack was described to-day by an officer immediately concerned with the sweeping service as having the same effect as a “certain amount of fog each day.” THE MAGNETIC MENACE. The efficiency of the method of dealing with magnetic mines known as “de-gaussing” can only ordinarily he tested by negative results. As was explained in London to-day, a ship passing safely over one of these “secret weapons” does not “ring a bell.” There is, however, one positive case on record of a neutral ship which had taken the precaution to fix de-gaussing apparatus, safely accomplishing the journey to a British port, but because the quays were full with loading and unloading vessels the ship had to anchor outside. Her captain, being of an economical turn of mind, ordered the chief engineer to switch off tho current circulating in the de-gausser because the voyage had ended and the ship was safe. The engineer obeyed the order, but immediately the contact was broken the ship blew up. 11l this case it was clear that the de-gausscr was an effective protection.