Jun, Jul, Aug 1962 - Navy League of Australia

for any which went from oneside u( the saloon to the otherwithout touching the deck.By the end of 1912, Navalpilots at Easlchurch had heenthe first to develop a workablemethod ol bombing, the first todevelop a wireless transmitter inaircraft, and the first to fitmachine guns ill aeroplanes.They had also succeeded in developinga seaplane which wascapable ol operating with theFleet.In an official report ol thesame year a requirement lorseaplanes includes the hope thatsuch an aircraft would becapable of not only carrying apilot and observer, but also ofbeing able to rise from the seawith them. Equipment in suchan aircraft, reported a SeniorNaval Officer, should includefood for 21 hours.From the start, the Navy hadnever been happy with theImpel i.tl Committee of Defenceedict that it should either sharethe Army pilots or give its ownto the Army. The Navy feltthat because of the needs forspecialised knowledge, it wasessential that the Navy had onlyNaval officers as its pilots.Eventually it got its way, andthe Royal Naval Air Service wasofficially recognised on July 1st,1914. breaking away entirelyfrom the Army control. On theoutbreak of the First WorldWar on August 1th. 1911, theRoyal Naval Air Service hadsome 52 seaplanes. $9 landplanes.seven airships, and 128 officersand 700 ratings.Because of the rapid developmentof experimental work, theNavy had installed wireless inmany of its seaplanes by the beginningof the war, and the firsttorpedo drops had been successfullycarried out by one of theoriginal four pilots (Longmore).More ships were also taken inhand for conversion to seaplanecarriers.In 1917, the Royal Naval AirService had 46 different types ofaircraft in service, though nooneseems to have recorded anyof the headaches of the NavalStores organisation set up tocope with the growing air requirements.The achievement ol SquadronCommander E. H. Dunning inbeing the first man lo land anaire rait on a Britisli warshipon August 3rd, 1917, was justanother ol the milestones whichwere passed by the R.N.A.S.during the war years. Flyinga Sopwith Pup fighter alongsidethe FURIOUS, he passed herbridge structure, then sideslippedthe aircraft on to the200-lt. long wooden flight deck.His fellow-pilots, gathered on thedeck to watch the fun, ran outand literally pulled the aircraftdown. Commander Dunningwas not satisfied with the needfor "manual arrester gear", anddecided to try again the nextday without outside help. Thissecond attempt encfed intragedy on landing, the aircraftwent over the side, and Dunningwas drowned. It was, however,the start of aircraft carriers aswe know them today, lor shortlyafter Dunning's death theFURIOUS went into dockyardhands lor the removal of her18-inch gun turret alt and thebuilding, in its place, of anadditional landing-on deckwhich extended from stern tofunnel.On April 1st, 1918. the RoyalNaval Air Service again lostits separate identity on its amalgamationwith the R.F.C. toform the Royal Air Force, andR.N.A.S. personnel began towear R.A.F. blue, though officerswere permitted to wear out theirold Naval uniforms before makingthe change. In 1921 aNaval Observer Branch wasformed to give training in airnavigation over the sea. bombing,wireless telegraphy, spottingfor Naval gunnery, etc.In 1924, it was decided toname the Naval Aviation Branchof the R.A.F. the Fleet Air Armof the Royal Air Force. It wasalso agreed from 1924 that theAdmiralty would pay for itsown aircraft, that all air observersin the F.A.A. would infuture be UK) j>er cent. Navalofficers, and that 70 per cent, ofthe pilots should also be Naval.In the summer of 1937. thePrime Minister (Mr. NevilleChamberlain) announced thatall control of the Fleet Air Armol the Royal Air Force was topass to the Admiralty, and thatlis the end of two years all personnelwould again be Naval.Accordingly, in May, 1939, itwas announced that the Admiraltyhad completed the take-overof the Fleet Air Arm from theR.A.F.NEW R.N. SUBMARINECOMMANDER IN AUSTRALIAThe Royal Navy submarinesbased in Australia have a newCommanding Officer.The Minister for the Navy,Senator Gorton, said recentlythat Commander I.. H. Oliphant,D.S.C.. R.N.. had beenappointed to command theFourth Submarine Division inSydney.Commander Oliphant succeedsCommander P. R. Wood,D.S.C.. who had been responsible(or the Submarine Division forthe past two years. CommanderWood has returned to Britain.Commander Oliphant enteredthe Royal Navy's SubmarineService in 1943. and served inthe Pacific Theatre during theSecond World War. While operatingfrom Western Australia,he won a D.S.C. in the SouthChina Sea. He commanded amidget submarine towards theend of the war.Commander Oliphant's mostrecent appointment was in theOperations Division of theAdmiralty.24 THE NAVYTHE BROKENTOMORROW'SSTEELON THE WAYIt could be in your new car, reinforcingrods or a plate in a ship, or the can whichpreserves your food. Steel, man'smost useful metal.HILL PROPRIETARY CO. LTD