Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun 1965 - Navy League of Australia

.a medical examination and signpapers clearing the Navy fromresponsibility for any injuriesthat might occur during theflight.The other two apprenticeswere not passed as medically fit,so I was the only one to takepart.During the morning of theday I was to fly, I had to attendinstructions on Sea Air Rescue(S.A.R.) where I was instructedin the correct procedure ofleaving the aircraft or bailingout in case of some accident.I was also instructed in howto use my Mae West and onemandinghy, and the most essentialitem—the parachute.I was issued with a flying suit,inner and outer helmet, throatand face microphone, and otherflying extras.I was very fortunate, for onthis day they were to practicefiring rockets with three planeseach firing four rockets.OS—In An AircraftIt was a strange sensation beingcatapulted.In less than two seconds theplane had covered 100 feet andwas moving at 110 knots, with apressure of nearly four "Gs"exerted on our bodies.After recovering from thelaunching, we travelled approximatelyten miles from the shipand fired a smoke flare into thesea for our target — with yourstruly doing the firing.We then climbed to an altitudeof some 5,000 feet anddived at an angle of thirty degreeswith a speed of 300 knotsdown to 1,500 feet, where wefired one of the rockets, immediatelypulling out and climbingback at the same steep angle.This put a pressure on thebody similar to that of beingcatapulted from the carrier, andit lasted for five or six seconds.The procedure was repeatedfor three further runs, until allthe rockets had been fired.We then practiced some formationflying, and returned andlanded back on the carrier.This was the part of our littleflying jaunt that perturbed memost, as for the past few daysI had been watching the pilotsdo their touch and go practiceand had seen how accurate theymust be.Fortunately, it all turned outwell and wc made a perfectlanding and stopped safely.Dropped in DinghyThe next great experience wasduring that night.Just before dusk we wereflown into Jervis Bay by helicopterto the Navy TrainingSchool airstrip and taken bytruck to the wharf, where wemade a trip out to sea in a smallboat.After dark 1 was lowered overthe side in a one-man dinghyand left there to be picked up—some twenty minutes later—bythe helicopter.There I was, floating all alonesome miles from the shore withonly two very small lights—oneon my Mae West and one onthe dinghy.It was the helicopter pilot'sjob to find me and pick me outof the water and return me tothe carrier.This was done by hoveringabout thirty feet above thedinghy and lowering a mandown on a cable with a stropwhich he put around me underthe arms, after which theywound me up into the helicopter.This was practice in case thehelicopter might have to pick upa pilot who had been forced toditch his plane at night.I am pleased to be able toreport that they were most efficient,both in finding me and inrescuing me.My other flying experienceconsisted of stand by duty, withthe helicopter hovering a hundredyards or so away from theship when the planes were takingoff or landing, so that itcould immediately pick up anypilot whose plane might land inthe sea.These helicopters carry radarequipment for tracking submarines,and one of our exerciseswas to locate and destroy an"enemy" submarine by trackinghim on our radar and droppinga homing torpedo close by,which homed on the submarineand "sank" it.All in all, 1 had about sixhours' flying, an experience Ishall always remember.Never a Dull MomentWhen the planes were notflying, the ship was undergoingother exercises—for example, agas attack where everyone hadto use his gas mask and certainparts of the ship were locked andsealed off.What with "atomic attacks","fire", "flooding" and so on,there was something on all thetime, and there was never a dullmoment.After a few days at sea, wewere joined by ANZAC, the escortdestroyer, which took overthe role of stand by or Sea AirRescue for night flying.One day we had gunnery practice.A plane towing a target aboutsix hundred yards behind it flewover the ship, and gunnery crewstried to destroy the target.ANZAC also took part in thisexercise.The fortnight flew by all tooquickly, and soon we were backto resume our civilian life.Naturally, I am most gratefulto the Navy for the experience,but the feeling that comes uppermostto my mind is respect—respect for the smooth efficiencythat characterised every operationI saw.THE NAVtVOLUNTEERS FOR NAVY'SEMERGENCY RESERVEOfficers and men in the CitizenNaval Forces who havethe necessary qualifications arebeing invited to volunteer for theNavy's new Emergency Reserve.The Minister for the Navy,Mr. Chaney, said recently thatthe invitation was contained inletters being sent to members ofthe C.N.F. throughout Australia.Details of the scheme were alsobeing announced on a local levelby Uie various Naval ReserveTraining Establishments in allStates.Retiring members of the PermanentNaval Forces were alsobeing invited to join the EmergencyReserve.Mr. Chaney said the volunteersfor the Emergency Reservehad to be capable of filling animmediate job in the Navy ifthey were called up. This meantthat only trained men could beaccepted for the new Force. Theage limit for entry was 48.Invitations were going tomembers of the Royal AustralianFleet Reserve, officers on theEmergency List, and selectedmembers of the R.A.N.R. andR.A.N.V.R.The Royal Australian FleetReserve consists of former ratingsof the Permanent NavalForces, while the EmergencyList comprises former officers.Only those ratings who have leftthe Navy in the last five yearsare eligible to join the EmergencyForce.A total strength of about2,000 volunteers is planned forthe R.A.N. Emergency Reserve.This will be a third Force, quiteseparate from the PermanentNaval Forces on the one hand,and the Citizen Naval Forces onthe other.Members of the EmergencyReserve will undertake thirteendays paid training each year.They will receive a bounty of£100 in the first year, and furtherannual payments rising toa maximum yearly bounty of£175 after four years. Wheneverthey were called up for continuousservice, the members of theEmergency Reserve would receivea gratuity of £55.H.M.A.S. VENDETTA, who recently returned frou the Far East and fa) at present reflltlnr. It toanticipated ahe will Join the Fleet next month./JANIMRY-FEBBUARx-, 1965