1545    20^th      Mary Rose capsized and sank.

1612    14^th      First recorded half masting of Colours for the dead.

1795    8^th        First trial of dried potato (sliced) and meat (ground).

1840    28^th      HMS Buffalo wrecked at Mercury Bay.

1845    1^st        Attack on Ohaewai. HMS Hazard       

1845    4^th        Barque Tyne wrecked near Sinclair Head, Wellington. Longboat later sold to NZ government and armed as first NZ warship.

1846    1^st        Longboat from wrecked Tyne converted to a gunboat. First NZ warship.

1894    20^th      Asan Gulf Incident.

1898    3^rd        Battle of Santiago Bay. USN destroyed Spanish fleet breakout and USA acquired Puerto Rico and capitulation of Spain five weeks later.

1911    10^th      RAN formally created by Royal Decree. It had 11 ships ranging in age from 19 to 41 years. (Sunday is 94^th anniversary)

1914    1^st        USN introduced Prohibition.

1914    15^th      22 year old 2^nd class cruiser HMS Philomel commissioned for service under NZ government.

1915    12^th      German cruiser S.M.S. Koenigsberg sunk in Rufigi River, Zanzibar.

1940    8^th        HMS Hermes motor boat, armed with depth charges, and Swordfish aircraft attack French battleship Richelieu at Dakar.

1940    9^th        Captain Walker, RN, the father of A/S hunter killer groups, died.

1940    28^th      AMC Alcantara sighted a two masted vessel off Trinadad. AMC gave chase. After 4 hours other vessel turned and hoisted German ensign and opened accurate fire with many hits. Alcantara, firing beyond maximum range got in a lucky shot on the raider. An hour later the AMC stopped and the raider escaped with some damage.

1942    4^th        Suzanne Walker first WRNZNS rating joins.

1943    10^th      Allied landing in Italy.

1943    13^th      HMNZS Leander badly damaged by Japanese torpedo.

1944                Lieutenant Jim MacDonald, RNZNVR earned DSO for MTB Action.

1944    17^th      Explosion of ammunition ships E.A. Bryan and Quinault Victory in Port Chicago near San Francisco killing 320 and injuring 390 – largest domestic loss in World War II.

1945    31^st      Midget submarines XE-1 and XE-3 attack Japanese cruiser Takao in Johore Straits. Sub Lieut. W.L. Smith, RNZNVR, (XE-3) awarded DSO. Two others awarded VC’s.

1946    1^st        Nuclear Test at Bikini Atoll.

1948    1^st        Naval liaison office, London, named HMNZS Maori.

1950    2^nd        Star of United Nations operations in Korea.

1951    9^th        State of war with Germany and Austria officially terminated.

1950    3^rd        HMNZS Pukaki and Tutira sail from Auckland for Korea.

1952    27^th      Armistice signed in Korea.

1966    4^th        HMNZS Royalist, last NZ cruiser, paid off.

1975    1^st        MV Moana Moa commissioned as HMNZS Monowai.

1977    29^th      Final WRNZNS parade.

Port Chicago Mutiny

Following the explosion of two ammunition ships on 17 July 1944 at the US ammunition docks 30 miles north of San Francisco, the white survivors were sent on leave. The death toll of 320 represented 15% of US Black naval casualties in WW II. Three weeks later 280 Blacks refused to work as they got no leave. 50 Blacks were court-martialed and imprisoned until the end of the war. This incident helped lead to an executive order in 1948 ending segregation in the US armed forces. Most of the mutineers were pardoned in late the 1990’s by Bill Clinton.

Alcantara Action

In mid 1940 Flag Officer South America Division, Rear Admiral Sir Henry Harwood KCB OBE in HMS Hawkins was patrolling off Montevideo. He had received indications of a German raider in the North Atlantic. On 17^th D/F bearing indicated a vessel west of Cape Verde Islands. Harwood ordered the 22,000 ton, 19 knot, AMC Alcantara from Reo de Janeiro-Santos area to patrol off Pernambuco while Hawkins moved to Reo. He planned to later withdraw back to the Plate region to meet the raider. Next day came a report of a raider in the West Indies 10 days earlier and the sailing of the German tanker Rekum from Reciefe, Brazil. He ordered Alcantara to investigate Trinidad.

On 25^th Harwood learned that the D/F bearing were from a U-boat but three ships were overdue at Freetown and reports from the West Indies indicated a raider in the West Indies and another in the South Atlantic. Harwood waited off the Plate. Alcantara inspected Trinidad and headed east. The next day twin masts were sighted ahead. Alcantara increased speed to 20 knots. At 23,000 yards the other ship turned towards and then away. By 1300 Alcantara was doing 22 knots in a calm sea. At 1400 the other turned to starboard and, hoisting the German ensign, fired two guns at 16,000 yards; 2,000 yards beyond Alcantara’s extreme range.

The first enemy salvo fell 100 yards over. The second landed a shell aft of Alcantara’s funnel and another over P4 gun aft killing the trainer, severing a number of fire-control cables and brought down the radio aerials. The third salvo killed the aft officer of the quarters. A fourth salvo hit the engine-room causing a reduction of speed. The noise of firing, incoming shells and the smoke made Alcantara’s fire control difficult. At 1413 a bright flash was seen abreast the enemy foremast. The enemy fire became ragged.

By 1435 Alcantara’s speed had reduced to 10 knots. She turned to starboard to allow the port guns to fire. She obtained a hit on the enemy’s stern. The enemy dropped smoke canisters and turned away.

At 3.15 firing had stopped and Alcantara was stopped. The enemy closed but turned away when Alcantara fired again. The enemy then limped away with a port list. Alcantara had fired 152 rounds. A close examination of the damage showed that the enemy had fired shrapnel shells only.

Post action recommendations included:

1.                  Gun-shields be fitted to protect range setters from blast.

2.                  Fire control cables be run below decks

3.                  Steel helmets be provided to all those on deck.

4.                  Telemotor leads be protected.

5.                  Protection of ammunition supply personnel

6.                  Further mattresses for protection of the bridge and fire control.

7.                  The 6” Mk VII be replaced with 6” Mk XII for longer range.

The enemy was the Raider Thor which went on to damage the AMC Carnarvon Castle on 5 December 1940 and sink the AMC Volaire before being lost in Japan in November 1942 when an ammunition ship exploded alongside.

Lieutenant Jim MacDonald DSO, DSC and two bars, MID and bar, RNZNVR

Born in 1921 Jim joined the RNZNVR Wellington Division in 1938. He first served as a gunner on phosphate ship before going to the UK in 1940. Trained at HMS King Alfred, he joined MTB 31 as a Sub Lieutenant. In an action with three German E-boats, Jim fought an onboard fire and dived over board to rescue a crewman. For his action in saving the MTB he was awarded his first DSC.

Later, in command of MTB 241, he fought nine actions in four months. He was awarded a second DSC.

In September 1943 he was promoted to Lieutenant at the age of 22 years and given command of a flotilla of MTB’s.

In July 1944, he was awarded a third DSC for two actions and seven mine-laying operations. In July he, with three other MTB’s, attacked a heavily armed German transport. After it escaped into harbour Jim turned for home. In broad daylight he came across another convoy and sank two ships. For this action he was awarded the DSO.

After the war he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and released to work for the Wellington City Council.

S.M.S Koenigsberg

Built in 1905 and armed with 10 x 4” guns and 2 x 18” torpedoes, the 3,000 ton light cruiser was stationed in the German East Africa station in 1914. On 20 September, 1914, she caught HMS Pegasus carrying out a boiler clean at Zanzibar and quickly sank her.

Chased by three Royal Navy cruisers the Koenigsberg took refuge in the Rufigi River. The British brought the old battleship HMS Goliath out from Malta but she could not get up the river. They then towed two monitors, HMS Severn and Mersey, from the UK and prepared to bombard the Germans.

See notes.

Asan Gulf Incident

In late 1880’s Asia was being divided up by the European powers. Britain was moving into Burma, France into Vietnam, Holland was in Indonesia and the Germans were staking their claims too.

China was also on the move and eyeing Korea. In Japan a fledging navy had been developed with the assistance of Great Britain. On 20 July, 1894, a Japanese flying squadron of three British-built ironclad cruisers (Naniwa Kan, Yoshino and Akitsushima) armed with 10 inch, 6 inch and 4inch guns were sweeping the north of Asan Gulf, west of Korea, in search of Chinese troop transports when Captain Togo sighted two ships off the port of Asan. Japan and China were not at war.

The ships were identified as Chinese warships (8” cruiser Tsi Yuen and sloop Kwang Yi) and while Togo was prepared to let them pass, he never the less had his guns manned. At the last moment the Chinese cruiser turned towards Togo at speed. Togo responded by opening fire and the two Chinese warships turned away badly damaged by the accurate Japanese fire.

Togo then sighted two more ships entering the gulf. These were soon identified as another Chinese sloop and a British merchantman. The sloop fled and the merchant ship Kow Shing, under the command of Captain Galsworthy, was ordered to stop. The ship was carrying 1,500 armed Chinese troops.

Captain Galsworthy wanted to surrender but the Chinese army demanded that he sail on to the port. The ship was flying the British flag and Japan was not at war with China. What should Togo do?

The standoff went on for 4 hours. Togo demanded a surrender. The Chinese demanded that Captain Galsworthy sail on. Captain Galsworthy was in a quandary. But Captain Togo was a decisive man.

He did what his British mentors would never dream of – he torpedoed the merchant ship and machine gunned the survivors. Only the British merchant crew was rescued.

The British Far Eastern Fleet Commander, Admiral Freemantle protested loudly as did the British Foreign Office but it soon all died down.

And why did the Chinese turn towards the Japanese at the beginning? The senior ship had a steering failure.

There was an interesting sequel to this incident which Gerry will discuss in September.