MERCANTILE MARINE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20962, 27 February 1930, Page 4

MERCANTILE MARINE.

TRAINING OF OFFICERS. PLANS FOR A SAILING SHIP. (Fecit Opr Own Correspondent.) LONDON, January 16. In November last the. sailing ship Garthpool was lost off Bonavista Island, Cape r Verde. This was the last Britishowned sailing vessel that was available for training young, officers of the mercantile marine in this form of seamanship. A meeting was held in the City last week to consider a proposal for the building of a square-rigged ship in place of the Garthpool. - Sir William Garthwaite, who was the owner of the Garthpool, said that ship was the last of the glorious fleet ol sailing-ships which had sailed under the British flag for many centuries, and the sea-loving public should have an opportunity of saying whether or not that vessel was to have a successor. It was not, perhaps, essential, but is was desirable that the young" officers of the mercantile marine should have a training afloat under working conditions. It was impossible at the present time to trade a sailing ship and make a profit on it. and, therefore, it would be necessary to find money to provide for the running of a sailing ship that would give the necessary facilities. While Germans, Belgians, Norwegians, Danes, and other continental peoples were able to run several sailing ships, there was something wrong if the British Empire was not able to run one. He submitted two schemes, one for a sailing ship which would cost about £50,000, involving an annual loss of something over £4000• the other for a smaller ship, the loss on which would not be so great. Liner companies which had been approached had refused to take part in the scheme, most of these companies having their own arrangements for the training of apprentices for'their vessels. The owners of tramp steamers were interested out rather lukewarm; and the Board of Trade, which had been approached, could not give any assistance. THE CLASSIC OP THE SEA.

Critics of .the scheme had said that teaching men to handle sailing ships to-day could be compared to the teaching of Greek and Latin, which were of no practical use. He did not think there would be general agreement with that. Ihey had all received benefit, from the Greek and Latin classics, and the sailing ship was the classic of the sea. He ®!' ®°f agree with those who said that the officer trained in the sailing vessel was not likely to be of more use than the .officer trained on the steamer. The former was likely to be of more use m an emergency. It was one thing to be on the deck of a big steamer 40ft or 60ft above the water-line, and another thing to be an officer on the deck of a sailing ship sft or 10ft above the water-line. In one case, little attention had to be paid to weather; in the other the greatest attention had to be paid to it and paid quickly. If it happened that in an emergency It was necessary to put the boats of a liner into the water, the sail-trained officer was in his element, but the steamer-trained officer was not. It would be a great pity if the British Empire were to neglect the opportunity of keeping up its ancient traditions of the sea, even if it were only for the sake of sentiment. Before the meeting broke uji the following resolution was adopted: That in the opinion of this meeting a sailing ship provides the best training for young seamen; that this is the view held by other maritime countries, which provide saling ship training; that, if Great Britain is to maintain her maritime position, it is essentia] that she should have the best seamen; and that it is a matter of urgent national importance that the project put forward by Sii William Garthwnite should be earnestly considered.” It was also agreed that a committee should be formed for the purpose of advancing the scheme.