THE NAVAL BASE
MANY IMPROVEMENTS NEW TRAINING JETTY EXTENSION OF WHARF FACILITIES FOR CRUISERS A great deal of work continues to be done at the Devonport Naval Base to extend and improve the accommodation for the warships attached to the New Zealand Division of the Boyal Navy and to extend the facilities ashore. It is expected that in a year's time an almost complete transformation will have been effected. Plans for modernising the naval base have been pursued for several years and have been actively advanced by Rear-Admiral the Hon. E. li. Drummond, commodore commanding the division, since he succeeded Bear-Ad-miral F. Burges Watson, who was in command of the station when the work was started. Much of the credit for putting the plans into operation rests with the last two naval officers in charge of the base, Commander B. C. B. Brooke and Commander C. B. Tinley, whoso first year of service in New Zealand was completed last month. During Commander Tinley's term the old wooden training jetty has been replaced by a larger reinforced concrete structure, a start has been made with the extension of Calliope Wharf into Stanley Bay, part of the hillside-at the back of the base has been excavated, and several changes have been made in the disposition of workshops or in the erection of new facilities. The excavation Avork is still proceeding, and a portion of Stanley Bay is to be reclaimed to provide additional muchneeded space.
The approaching arrival at Auckland of H.M.S Leander, a sister ship of H.M.S. Achilles, for service on the station has made enlargements to the Calliope Wharf urgently necessary. The work was started some time ago, and is proceeding very satisfactorily, in spite of wot weather. Concrete piles for the extension are being made at the base to save transportation across the harbour. A new boilermakers' shop is being built, and improvements to the workshops are planned. The new jetty has been set at a different angle from that of the old w.ooden structure, in order to assist with the docking of the Achilles and the Leander, since the size of these ships does not allow much spare room Other work to be done at the base includes the installation of further repair equipment for the refitting of the ships.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22741, 29 May 1937, Page 15
Word Count
382
THE NAVAL BASE
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22741, 29 May 1937, Page 15
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