By Apncmat-Sin Ltowet, PREston 'This-is about little ships and the big men who man them, I don't mean the Navy proper, but small craft that only became His 'Majesty's when, under emergency powers, they. were requisitioned' and mostly given guns, and a uniformed crew who hoisted the White Ensign in place of the old red duster. 1 can't tell you exactly how, many of the kind. are requisitioned, but there are very many Hundreds, Now what sort of ships are they First, the heaviest subscriber Is the Fishing Fleet—trawlers that drag a trawl on the bottom for'flat fish; drifters that drift up to a mile of nets to entangle herrings and small motor vessels that use a seine net or long baited lines for such fish as. will oblige. Lately, the fisheries have been through Jean years, $0 the vast majority of the tra Jers, and nearly all the drifters, are veteran of the last war, and they have led a stretiuous life in the interval. In taking these up,.the Navy tries: to keep a balance with the Mini tty of Food, who want the utmost fish. Be-Hieve me, it's a delicate balance t6 maintain.
Requisitioning is often the test. of an] owner's patriotism; for example, a fisherman' whose boat is. the breadwinner. A yacht, 00,"like @ dog, "is very dear to the master, particularly. when it is his regular home. But there have been few owners who have not accepted their fate loyally; many offering their personal services and even suggest ing' they serve: as cook or steward. Others offer boats without payment, Here is a typical example of enthusiasm. A man of wventy, who owned a yacht and' wanted to serve in her, was a bit over age for that, but he insisted on taking her round to the port, where she was to be employed. As a result of machine gunning, he died," as he would have wished—commanding his little ship on war service. Keenness to help has come from others than Britist. Two American owners, whose boats were in England, sold them to the Admiralty for one dollar apiece. Another not only presented his yacht, but paid the refit to mahesher an efficient, naval unit, How do we employ these inhumerable little vessels? Far the biggest requirement is mine-sweeping. 1 well remember how we! {used fo search 1,000 miles of home water for) mines daily inthe last war, for T was directing mine-sweeping." Then we had just one sort of: mine—the moored kind. Now there are other types, as well as that old moored tone, Inid by both submarines and aircraft. This calls for different antidotes and more ithe ships to. manipulate them. means more sea to cover with the sweeps, because enemy aircraft can drop mines places where his ships cannot go, spots that were then peaceful waters. 'The old-time minesweepers laid i' sound foundation on which—the present organization was built. Then it was dangerous enough and needed much seamanlike skill, but was far less scientific than now. " Today there is the added anger from the sky, and quite a lot of applied science is necessary, Next comes _submarine-hunting, which takes the largest of the little ships. And' auxiliary patrol too, a great force of sen-tinds near the shore. Then there are les spectacular jobs, equally vital to war at seo—for example, examination craft to see that no ship enters port that shouldn't. Many of out harbours are protected by boom defence. This also needs beamy ships to work it. Boom defence keeps the submarine out, and again It has to be patrolled by other craft, waiting to drop depth charges on an offender. Little ships are also wanted for balloon barrages. Some of them accompany convoys past Hell's Corner, We also have to find speedy rescue! craft, ready to pick up any of our matchless airmen who may have to bale out, for the Navy, you must know, has the Job of satistying the needs of both airmen and soldiers when boats in large numbers are required. And all this out at of craft applies equally to ports abroad. It means that from small building yards at home in the Dominions and in the Colonies a steady flow of little ships is taking the water to replenish stocks.
In the meantime, the shipyards "have to conserve what we have, and right well they are doing it, Losses often occur. They will certainly continue and need replacement, New requirements daily arise, "and another factor or drain is that just as you and I cannot work 24 hours of the day, 80 ships require spells for refit—that means: a larger number must be available than actually on duly, and the small ship.is easier to damage than' the big one. Henze our needs. much for the ships. And now. the men that man them. The officers comprise sprinkling of the Merchant Service; offices who did training with the Navy in peace time, They are the R.NR,, but the needs of the Mercantite Marine Have taken most of them, 'The handicap has been overcome business and. professional men of every description—actors, stockbrokers, musicians, Journalists, farmers and men of every sort of Shore Job,' even officers that served in our armies in' France in the last war, and a Reproduced with
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.