NAVAL' DEFENCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19551, 5 February 1938, Page 8

NAVAL' DEFENCE

IMPORTANCE OF FUEL OIL BETTER THAN COAL Among the passengers from Southampton by the Akaroa was EngineerAdmiral E. O. Hefford. He retired from active service in 1925. In 1914 he went to America with. Mr. Charles M. Schwabb to arrange for the manufacture of submarines and 14in. gun-turrets for the British Navy. He made the present trip on the Akaroa primarily for the purpose of viewing the Panama Canal. Discussing naval defence, EngineerAdmiral Hefford said in Wellington that in Nelson’s day a ship could keep at sea as long as her provisions lasted, but now the time a modern ship could stay at sea was dependent upon her fuel resources. Ships’ fuel supplies would be an important factor were a naval attack to be made on a far distant part of the world like New Zealand. . .

The vistor expressed the opinion that coal would not replace oil as fuel. Oil bunkers took up much less room and consequently an oil-fired ship had comparatively greater speed and power. There were other technical ship-designing difficulties which were overcome much more easily when oil was used.

The establishment of reserves was the only way in which a shortage of oil fuel could be guarded against. “We have a lot to learn from the bold bad Barons of the Rhine,” remarked Engineer-Admiral Hefford. “They always used to keep 12 months’ supplies for themselves and for the next village.”