A Daring Exploit.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 14003, 11 September 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

A Daring Exploit.

BOOM CUT IN TWO. H. M. Dostroyer Ferret, at Portsmouth on July 27th, charged the harbour boom , and with a totally unexpected result, for she went through this heavy floating obstruction of timber and interlaced steel cable with one clean cut. There was no undue vibration or oscillation, nothing in the nature of a jump or a stagger. Very little way was taken off the ship, and the damage " done to the hull was quite insignificant. The case with which she careered through was simply astonishing, and when the spectators, from admiral down to bluejacket, lighter-man, and civilian, got over'their surprise they wildly cheered the gallant volunteer crew who were the heroes of the astonishing adventure. The obstruction, consisted of timber about seven or. eight times the size of an ordinary railway sleeper, and laced together with great chain and wire cables, with similar cables placed' below water, with the ostensible object of fouling tlie nropellers.and other? 6trung above the deck of the lxmtn to catch the destroyer's upper works and force her nose down on the ugly steel spikes which fringed the edges of the timbering. The Ferret made her dash from Spitliead, coming into the harbour at a good fifteeen knots an hour., The onlookers fairly thrilled with excitement as she headed straight as a dart for the little red flag which indicated 'where the blow was to be delivered. There was a whip-like swish, and then .tlie roar of a tear, but the Ferret never wavered in lier course. Great bouncing -waves, mingled with the; debris of the shattered boom, were hurled from her sides, but the Ferret never trembled, and it 'is said that a glass of water left in a forward compartment of the ship was not even spilled. As the Ferret shot through the boom her crew could be seen looking 111 astonishment fiver her side at the swirl'of timber and cable. Onlv ten men were aboardi all members of the crew of the Ferret, who liad rcadilv volunteered for tho work. In command was Lieut. John C. Hodgson, and Artificer J. Hawkswortli was in charge of the engines. All the engineering staff remained below at ilieir stations from start to finish, and showed gallantry worthv of the highest naval traditions, for it "was expected by many naval officers that the boilers would burst; Ihe Ferret is onlv of 325 tons displacement. Tlie operation was witnessed by Com-mander-in-Chief Admiral S;r Arthur Fansbawe, and his staff. Afterwards the Ferret was dry-dockcd, but tho only damage she had sustained! was a dentine of some of'the plates of the bow which bad bee" strengthened an d kn''fe-edgc fitted. The hull and Tiropetter were undamaged, and not a rivet was strained.