Readers' Opinions

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19376, 14 July 1937, Page 13

Readers' Opinions

Letter* to the E«Si4®R.

lettcra intsndcd for publication uliould be brief and couflned to subjects of general public Interest. Tbo name and address of correspondents should be enclosed, not necessarily for publication, but as evidence of good faith.

Seamanship Sir, —Re the photograph of the British India Steam Navigation Company's Nardana, fitted out for the purpose of training cadets to become officers in the large fleet of. vessels owned by the combine of which the 8.1.N.A. 'is a subsidiary unit, as an ex-officer of that company, which has the largest fleet "East of Suez,” I feel that a step in the right direction has been taken. The old argument, sail v. steam training does not enter into my-suggestions. No one wants the days of the old windjammer with its attendant hardships and misery—although the sailing ship man made the Empire—to return. We are content, as “Conrad” said, with our successors, not our descendants, and sail is a thing of the past—gone w ith tlie hardy breed of men who manned the ships.

These young scions of good families paying a premium to learn the duties of an officer, not the “business of a seaman,” are being taught the rudiments of their modern profession, wireless telegraphy, radio direction finding, time signals, shore-to-ship chronometer rating, meterological reports from shore stations and other vessels, echo-sounding machines, gyro compass, electric log, and all the thousand and one scientific aids to navigation. The bridge they are privileged to pace in the course of their duties is a sheltered nest of multicoloured lights, electric buttons, and gadgets—very useful in these modern times —and no doubt essential to the safe conduct of the modern mechanically propelled vessel. In the old days we had a sextant chronometer and barometer with one Azimuth mirror. We found our way from port to port, and though I am all in favour of anything that makes for safer navigation. I feel that in a short while if anything happens to the electric equipment of the big liners through the act of God, stress of weather, enemy action or other causes, without the foundation of a seamanlike training these young men would be lost. While we have the sea we must have at least seamanship, and that cannot be learnt by pressing a button, or sending to tlie wireless operator, who has sufficient to attend to without assisting in keeping the ship afloat. —Yours, etc. C. WEST.