NAVY'S WEAPONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24894, 16 May 1944, Page 6

NAVY'S WEAPONS

MIDGET SUBMARINES "HUMAN TORPEDOES" ... J INTREPID VOLUNTEERS (Reed. 6.35 p.m.) LONDON, May 14 The training of naval volunteers who man Britain's two latest naval arms, midget submarines and "human torpedoes," was seen by correspondents who visited a northern base. The human torpedo is exactly like an ordinary torpedo except for three humps on its back. The first two are water shields to prevent the riders being washed off- by water pressure, and the third is a gear looker. The No. 1 of the crew sits in the first saddle and steers with a rubber-handled joystick, below which is a dashboard with pressure dials and depth gauges. The dials are luminous and can be read easily under water.

Fixing to Ship The torpedo is electrically operated from batteries. The warhead contains a weight of explosive equal to that of an ordinary torpedo. It can be detached easily by means of a' handle by the No. 1. No. 2 slides off into the sea to fix it to the bottom of the hull of the victim ship. Not all the men who hare attacked with this weapon have failed to return. Provided they have sufficient electricity left they can get back. All that can be done to arrange pick-ups for them is done. By means of a clockwork arrangement in the warhead the 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 it is very slow, the speed being of no importance as it is designed purely for attacks on anchored shipping. Special Suits Worn

The correspondents watched a crew being strapped and laced Into suits similar to divers' suits, except that in place of the cumbersome circular helmet the men wear a hood with a thick glass visor screwed down with steel bolts.

Across their backs are two large iron cylinders which contain enough pure exygen for many hours. They h;*eathe 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, and it is inadvisable to unscrew the visor. The whole outfit has a weight of 401b. When the men were astride the torpedo the correspondents could see only their heads and shoulders, Then they slipped below the surface. No air bubbles rose to betray their positions. The carbon dioxide they breathe out is purified and rebrenthed. The training takci four and a-half months. Only minor adjustments are possible once the men are afloat. Inflating the Helmet If the engines cease to function below the surface the crew can easily rise. By .increasing the flow of oxygen, allowing it to escape through the mouthpiece, the helmet becomes inflated and brings tliem above the water. The men wear specially thick white woollen sweaters and trousers for extra warmth. One correspondent described the midget submarine as_ the exact replica of a normal submarine except that it has no conning tower. The only superstructure is a guardrail for two periscope tubes and a mast-like air vent. To this is attached. a steel arm with a strong leather belt, to which the captain straps himself when _on deck for observation purposes. With the deck a bare two feet above the surface, he wears a special waterproof suit. Stand Up in Comfort

A normal-sized man cap stand up with comfort once he is in his place inside the hull. One volunteer said: "It is rather a spartan life. We live on tinned food owing to the lack of space." The midgets are not two-men affairs. They carry a crew of four —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 volunteers.

VISIT TO EDINBURGH FREEDOM FOR MR. FRASER (Official News Service) LONDON, May 14 After a visit of only a few hours to Edinburgh, where he received the freedom of the city, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, flew back to the south of England by special plane, piloted by a New Zealander in»the R.A.F., Flight-Lien tenant Jordan, of Palmerston North. At the ceremony in Edinburgh the Lord Provost, Sir William Darling, presided, and Mrs. Fraser and the New Zealand High Commissioner, Mr. W. J. Jordan, were present. In introducing Mr. Fraser, the Provost described New Zealand as a second Scotland, "Scottish in its foundation, Scottish in its heart and its head " Mr Fraser recalled old associations between New Zealand and Scotland, and thanked the people for the hospitality so generously extended to the servicemen from New Zealand. "Nowhere on earth," he added, "are our men received with greater friendship nor do they feel more at home than in Scotland."

Mrs. Fraser inspected three service clubs in Edinburgh, where many New Zealand servicemen have been made welcome. KILLED IN CRASH DESIGNER OF AIRCRAFT LONDON, May 14 Mr. A. L. Wykes, head of the company which produces the Auster plane, which is the "maid of all work" plans of the British Army, was killed at Leicester in view of thousands of spectators when he was piloting one of his own machines at a military demonstration. He was completing an aerobatics display when the plane crashed and burst into flames. His body was recovered from the charred wreckage. Mr. Wykes, who was aged 45, was a pilot in the last war and originator of the plane which became known as the "flying jeep." The Auster plane was unarmed and unarmoured, with a maximum speed of only 225 miles an hour. It depended for survival on its amazing manoeuvrability. It had been known to circle a tree with a baffled enemy sweeping _ above unable to train its guns against a "sitting bird."

DAY OF PRAYER LONDON, May 14 The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. William Temple, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Dr. Bernard Griffin, and the Moderator of the Federal Council of Free Churches, Dr. H. Townsend, jointly made a statement requesting Sunday, July 9, to be observed throughout the nation as a day of prayer for members of the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy.