AIDS AT THREE KINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18657, 13 March 1924, Page 9

AIDS AT THREE KINGS.

' DIRECTION FINDING. TIRELESS SIGNAL IN FOGS. SATISFACTORY EXPERIMENTS. (TEMPORARY/ STATION # at TIRI. Arguments in favour of a direction-find-ing instrument in conjunction with a wircleS3 telegraph fog signal, for the Three Kings and Cape Maria van Diemen, were advanced yesterday by the Hon. GJ.' Anderson, Minister for Marine. Mr. Anderson said he had received the results of the last direction-finding experiments carried out by the Government steamer Tutanekai at Capo Maria. They supported the results of previous experiments at. the Three Kings, and proved that a direction-finding instrument, with a wireless telegraph fog signal, was one ©i "the most valuable aids to navigation in fog or weather of low visibility, that ,was in existence at the present time. The results also proved that, whereas ■with the ordinary typo of fog-signal the mariner could never be sine when nearing a fog signal, whether he was going to hear it 10 miles off, one mile off, or not at all, owing to capricious way in which sound was' conveyed through the atmosphere, he oould always rely upon hearing the wireless fog-signal. In addition, he could get a definite line on it at the, first observaton, and thereafter his approximate position by two or more bearings, and by the lead. " I have stated before," continued the Minister, " that the most efficient aid to navigation in fog would be erected, but ■mi til 'the results of these experiments have been received, I have been unable to reply to the criticism levelled at the Government by various bodies." Direction Finding Development. When the agitation was first , started for an aid to- navigation in fog to be established On the Three Kings, the only aids then considered efficient by the majority of mariners were high powered watched lights and sound fog signals. At that time and. for many years afterwards, direction-finding by wireless was in a purely experimental stage, but during the war necessity was the cause of rapid development ;in Ihis branch of navigation and it soon passed from the experimental stage. It < was now well known that many submarines were tracked and destroyed by the ' Navy from information supplied by special direction-finding stations, erected on shore, picking them up by wireless, ' and definitely locating them by crossbearings, • "Within the last few months they had read: of the experience of two ; vessels trading l ; between England and New Zealand - being navigated into Newport (Virgina), one in a blizzard, the other in a dense fog, simply by direction-finding stations. > In . both cases the directionfinding .'apparatus- served with absolute accuracy and efficiency. In both cases a lighthouse would have been useless, and a fog I signal, might or .might not have been heard, .and both vessels would, as soon as the-soundings indicated danger,have had; to .put to sea arid wait for the weather to .clear.

• The .Two ' Methods Compared. __ In describing the two methods of working direitiohifindersj * the Minister said ; the - first i system was for the: directidnlading, station to be erected on shore, arid - the Vessel to; transmit signals. The second | system was ' for the transmitting station; to' be ,on shore and the directionfinding, station to be on board. One of the disadvantages of the second" method was that ' each ship had _to install* its own direction-finding instrument; but again this % removed one of the chief objections raised by shipmasters. " that the master; is' ; in the hands of the v wireless ■ operator,' 1 by- enabling the master or his officers >to take the bearings themselves Again, »f if a bearing was required, no ■wait' was necessary when '• in crowded ■waters;: as with the . first system, and also 'V;? as. valuable as an aid for. preventing collisions;: •; .. ■■■■■■. ' ! Scheme Satisfies Shipmasters. ' !'J. spoken' to a number of captaws of ; large overseas passenger vessels, wpp have* actually, had experience with direction-finders, and each one : has been •?i?> satisfied as -to their utility, the Minister continued. , "Prejudice, and,' in many cases, lack of knowledge and understanding,; has been responsible for the antagonism ; shown to these experiments. In-order as far as possible to remove this prejudice, -'and,: to some extent, educate some of those who have not had the advantage t>r i dually experiencing . the benefit of this- modern aid, I have decided to erect a , temporary station on Tiri Tiri Island, to wdrk with the direction find- ; ing instrument on the Tutanekai. His : will be done on the occasion of the ; next trip- of that: vessel to Auckland , some time in, May, i when one day, or two -if neces- • sary, will be, devoted- to a* demonstration ,a£ ; which representative's of, the Chamber of * Merchant . Service Guild, shipping companies, the press, and masters of vessels in port will be able to ; take' part. The Marine Department, "trith the assistance of the marine engineer, the chief telegraph engineer, and Professor Marsden, has carried out the practical experiments and tests with the Government steamer Tutanekai, which is equipped with a direction-finding instrument, and land stations which have been set] up : temporarily, first at the. Three Kings, and later at Cape Maria Vsn Biemen. tests have been so thoroughly satisfactory as to establish confidence in the : minds of Captains Hooper, Bollons, and' Whiteford.' vlt must v however, be borne in mind that no situation for the

erection of a direction-finding station is considered suitable until it has been tried. The instrument is very sensitive, is extremely easy to use, and practically fool-proof. Any person .with ordinary Hearing, and without knowledge of navigation or wireless telegraphy, can perfectly understand and perceive its; method of operation. Tor this reason it will be perfectly competent for laymen to appreciate its usefulness. ~ 1• - - Heavy Cost of a Light. " The installation of a light at Three Kings, in conjunction with a fog signal, involves both heavy capital and maintenance costs, with these very great dis-' advantages:—'(l) By reason of heavy fogs, which persistently lie Over the top of tie Big —the only possible site for a lighthouse from which a light would not be obscured by other landthe light would as often as not be invisible; (2) tho light, when visible, would be of principal advantage only to vessels coming from the westward; (3) a fog signal,, as I have-said before, enables a vessel to keep clear of a danger only when it can be heard. If the • lighthouse were placed on. • a lower . level, to avoid the fog, its rays would be cut off by the land in various ' directions; further, the whole groiip "is frequently - enshrouded in fog, obscuring any lighthouse site-" - -'In conclusion,' the' Minister* said he had jqst received from the marine engineer a statement that the estimated cost, of establishing 1 ' ,a fully • equipped ' lighthouse station,' including fog • signal apparatus, on, Three Kings would be about £40.000, while the , annual - maintenance would be £2000 a year. ' If lights, without , fog signal, were installed, the cost would, ,about £23.000. and the annual maintenance about £410. ' " T —' " ,