Jun, Jul, Aug 1962 - Navy League of Australia

cept was rjx-rhaps the most mijK.M.iiii I'M an immediate Navaluse.Commander Samson and Mi.Horace Shori together designedtin- first real seaplane, withmahogany floats, which demonstrated,during tests at Portland,(hat it was easy to take oHfrom, and land on, the sea.It flew a total ol 150 hours withoutincident. With it rameMi. T. O. M. Sopwith\ firstHying boat prototype, lateiadopted by the Navy as the"Sopwith Hat Boat".With this growing interest inaviation (tin- Army had a KlyingWing from earl) MM I), it wasinevitable that tin- Governmenthad to take a firm polit \ dei isionto steer its growth along a LMi)Red line. In November. 1911,Mr. Asquith had askc-d the Committeeof Imperial Defence toconsider the future of aerialnavigation for both naval andmilitary purposes, and that theCommittee should also investigatewhat steps should he takento form a Corps ol Aviators, "01othei wise to coordinate thestudy ol aviation in the Navyami Army." The Committee'sReport, latei endorsed by theGovernment, proposed the settingup of a central flying school,to IK- administered by the WaiOffice, and the establishment ola central \'\ of pilots drawnfrom the Arm) and the Xa\\trained at the central schoolavailable lot work with eitheiService. Thus the R.F.C. wasformed, with Naval and MilitaryWings, when the Governmentapproved the White Papeito this effect on May 13th. 1912.I his White Paper was ne\eifulls accepted l>\ the Admiralty,and despite the proposal to setup one central thing school,Eastchurch continued to providemost ol the Naval pilots. Withthe formation of the R.F.C, tin-Naval pilots official* becameThe Good Old DaysIt is doubtful if modern aircraft, Sea-Venoms, Gannets, etc., all ofwhich weigh in the vicinity of 10 tons and land at a speed of about100 knots, would take kindly to this form of manhandling.22members of the "Royal KlyingCorps — Naval Wing". Fromthe start, however, they had becomeknown as the "Royal NavalAir Service", and this they continuedto be called, unofficially.o| course. Naval Air Department.Admiralty, was formed in|uly. 1912, under Captain MurraySueter. R.N., who later becamea Reai-Admiral and Membeiol Parliament. Despite theire ommendations ol the Imperial(Committee on Defence,the Na\\ decided it wanted itsown officers to By, rather thanVrmy pilots who would beloaned for Naval work. Pilotscontinued to train at East-< hint h. although some also wentto the (antral Flying School, onits formation at U pa von.In the original Royal FlyingCorps scheme it was envisagedthat the Army would be a reservefor the Navy, and viceversa. As an example of this.inter-Service liaison, NavalEDITOR'SNOTEIt is regretted that becauseof a mail delay,the second part ofarticle, "ThetheNew DefencePolicy" did notarrive in time for publicationin this issue.Itwill be published assoon as possible.: ' i'•rwEiBaammmiir.:THE NAVYofficers Hew with the Armyin manoeuvres over SalisbunPlain in 1912, ami injury, 1912,the Air Committee (set up toco-ordinate the efforts, ol bothServices) hail its first meeting.Ilie first Chairman was ColonelSeel) (Secretary ol Stale lorWar), anil Admiral Sir |ohn|elliioe was Vice-Chairman.in a total ol Hi seaplanes beinglilted with wireless by the outbreakol war.The Central Flying School,I'pavou. was opened in June,1912. bin because ol the shortageol machines (monoplanes hailbeen banned because of the highiti idem rate just before) thefirst course did not begin untilAugust l/th, 1912, with 19pilots, and did not completeuntil ihe end ol December.Throughout the year Samsoncontinued to experiment withthe first R.N.A.S. "ExperimentalStation") was at Grain, justacross the Meilway, facing theRoyal Naval Dockyard. It wascommissioned in December,1912. under the command ofCommander J. W. Seddon (thena Lieutenant). In the followingmonths, others followed at Calshot.Felixstowe, Yarmouth andCromarty.(.rain was the second R.N.A.S.station to be opened. It becamesynonymous from the start withIn March, 1912, it was announcedin the House ol Commonsthat there was to be a requirementof about 30 or 40Naval officers for the Navalseaplane development. It developedWing ol the R.F.C. (Colonel ship flying. The result of thethe folding-wing idea,Sei'h, Secretary ol State lor II.M.s. Africa experiment of conceived by Mi. Churchill andWar).December, 1911, led to the still used today in modern aircraft.As well as providing the first building of trackways and platformsAll that remains of thispilots lor the Naval Wing ofon H.M. Ships Hibernia once-famous air station, wherethe R.F.C, Eastt lunch Naval and Loudon, and lie nude many Churchill on many occasionsAir Station was from the start successive llighis, using Short Hew with Commander Sedtlon,concerned with experiments to biplanes. The launching tracks aie the concrete bases of theadapt aircraft lor Naval purposes.In addition to the work ol between 2") and lOfl-ft., thus the earls seaplanes, and theenabled the aire rail to make runs buildings which once sheltereddone there to design anil developthe seaplane concept, one and lo'c'sles.nearly 40 years ago built hisclearing the ships' lore turrets home ol a 92-year-old man whool tlie major achievements was Naval aircraft took part in a present house alongside the seawall,using iron sheets from thethe work clone in 1912 to |>erleitwireless telegraphy in the in May, 1912, and this was also hangars for his walls. Some ofNasal Review for the first timeair. F.arly in 1912 there were no the first occasion that an aeroplanehad ever taken off from Sown from Grain Royal Navalthe earliest aircraft tiatrols werelightweight sets, anil in any caseno spare aircraft which could a moving ship. Both Samson Air Station, svhich grew upbe fitted for VV/T. A station and a Lieutenant L'Estunge around Port Victoria.was therefore set up on BurntwickMalone Hew a Short "pifflier" Commander Seddon severalIsland, in the Meilway, with biplane. S.27. from H.M.S. times Hew Churchill the In milesconditions being as near as |*ossibleI libel nia while she was steaming from Gravesend to Grain in ato those in an aircraft. In at 10J knots oil Weymouth. very early seaplane so that hethe first transmissions stray signalswere pickeil up by H.M.S.The First Lord of the Admiraltyat this lime was the thencould see progress on his "foldingwing" development for himself.Aitaeon. about a mile away. Mr. Winston Churchill. He was,On one occasion the flightFrom these experiments on from i he start of aviation in took place in a gale.Burntwick Island the practice this country a most ardent supporter". . . . I flew back almostol those who forecast a on the surface of the waterwireless set as useil in destroyersat the time was atlapteel to fit Naval aviation role. It was to cheat the wind of some ofthe first Short seaplane, anil in Churchill who personally suggestedmodifying seaplanes so we got was severe. 1 knowits strength, but the bumpingJune, 1912, Commander Samson,on a flight from Eastchurch, succeededin transmitting W/T for easy stowage on board ship, passenger, but Mr. Churchillthai they could lolil their wings I would have been sick as amessages a distance of three and in this and all other Naval never turned a hair. It tookmiles. On successive (lights, this experiments he took a keen |>crsonalinterest. As the seaplane those 16 miles."us nearly an hour to coverwas increased to four and tenmiles. In August, Lieut. RaymondFiumaurice, R.N., who 1912, he got the Admiralty to go to Grain in the Boardexperiments grew throughout Churchill apparently used tohid served as one of the first agree in October to the setting Yacht, H.M.S. Enchantress,W/T officers with the Fleet, was up of s]n i i.il seaplane stations and enlivened the post-luncheonappointed to "arrange for the round the East and South gatherings of Naval pilots byinstallation of W/T apparatus Coasts.inviting them to make paperin Naval aircraft". This resultedThe first ol these stations (also gliders, with a prize of a guineaAUGUST, 1962 23