GOOD WAR EFFORT

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22492, 29 January 1943, Page 6

GOOD WAR EFFORT

Australian Naval Building Work At Cockatoo Docks (N.Z.P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 27. “Australia is making a good war effort. More noise is heard about the few who are not living up to the war effort than of the rest who are doing their bit,” said Sir George Davis today.

Sir George is over from Australia on a business trip, and is at present at Christchurch. His main interest is in naval building and repairs as chairman of Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company. Many recently built Australian ships have come from this Company, which is concerned in building sloops, corvettes and destroyers. The sloops are named after Australian rivers, the corvettes after towns and destroyers after native tribes. “The recently lost Armidale was one of his Company’s ships and the Arante and Wanamunga, both now doing good work, were others,” said Sir George. “The Company builds ships ’turbines, boilers and engines and finds all the equipment except armaments. The first Australian cargo ship. River Clarence, was recently launched by Mrs Curtin, wife of the Prime Minister, he said. One of the corvettes built at Cockatoo took part in a spectacular engagement in the Indian Ocean. It was attacked by two raiders while escorting a tanker, and signalled to the tanker to move off while it opened fire. The corvette succeeded in sinking one of the raiders and the tanker returned and chased the other one off.