for any which went from oneside u( the saloon to the otherwithout touching the deck.By the end <strong>of</strong> 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 <strong>of</strong>ficial report ol thesame year a requirement lorseaplanes includes the hope thatsuch an aircraft would becapable <strong>of</strong> not only carrying apilot and observer, but also <strong>of</strong>being able to rise from the seawith them. Equipment in suchan aircraft, reported a SeniorNaval Officer, should includefood for 21 hours.From the start, the <strong>Navy</strong> hadnever been happy with theImpel i.tl Committee <strong>of</strong> Defenceedict that it should either sharethe Army pilots or give its ownto the Army. The <strong>Navy</strong> feltthat because <strong>of</strong> the needs forspecialised knowledge, it wasessential that the <strong>Navy</strong> had onlyNaval <strong>of</strong>ficers as its pilots.Eventually it got its way, andthe Royal Naval Air Service was<strong>of</strong>ficially recognised on <strong>Jul</strong>y 1st,1914. breaking away entirelyfrom the Army control. On theoutbreak <strong>of</strong> the First WorldWar on <strong>Aug</strong>ust 1th. 1911, theRoyal Naval Air Service hadsome 52 seaplanes. $9 landplanes.seven airships, and 128 <strong>of</strong>ficersand 700 ratings.Because <strong>of</strong> the rapid development<strong>of</strong> experimental work, the<strong>Navy</strong> had installed wireless inmany <strong>of</strong> its seaplanes by the beginning<strong>of</strong> the war, and the firsttorpedo drops had been successfullycarried out by one <strong>of</strong> theoriginal four pilots (Longmore).More ships were also taken inhand for conversion to seaplanecarriers.In 1917, the Royal Naval AirService had 46 different types <strong>of</strong>aircraft in service, though nooneseems to have recorded any<strong>of</strong> the headaches <strong>of</strong> 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 <strong>Aug</strong>ust 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 <strong>of</strong> aircraft carriers aswe know them today, lor shortlyafter Dunning's death theFURIOUS went into dockyardhands lor the removal <strong>of</strong> her18-inch gun turret alt and thebuilding, in its place, <strong>of</strong> anadditional landing-on deckwhich extended from stern t<strong>of</strong>unnel.On April 1st, 1918. the RoyalNaval Air Service again lostits separate identity on its amalgamationwith the R.F.C. t<strong>of</strong>orm the Royal Air Force, andR.N.A.S. personnel began towear R.A.F. blue, though <strong>of</strong>ficerswere 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 Branch<strong>of</strong> the R.A.F. the Fleet Air Arm<strong>of</strong> 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. Naval<strong>of</strong>ficers, and that 70 per cent, <strong>of</strong>the pilots should also be Naval.In the summer <strong>of</strong> 1937. thePrime Minister (Mr. NevilleChamberlain) announced thatall control <strong>of</strong> the Fleet Air Armol the Royal Air Force was topass to the Admiralty, and thatlis the end <strong>of</strong> two years all personnelwould again be Naval.Accordingly, in May, 1939, itwas announced that the Admiraltyhad completed the take-over<strong>of</strong> the Fleet Air Arm from theR.A.F.NEW R.N. SUBMARINECOMMANDER IN AUSTRALIAThe Royal <strong>Navy</strong> submarinesbased in <strong>Australia</strong> have a newCommanding Officer.The Minister for the <strong>Navy</strong>,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 <strong>Navy</strong>'s SubmarineService in 1943. and served inthe Pacific Theatre during theSecond World War. While operatingfrom Western <strong>Australia</strong>,he won a D.S.C. in the SouthChina Sea. He commanded amidget submarine towards theend <strong>of</strong> the war.Commander Oliphant's mostrecent appointment was in theOperations Division <strong>of</strong> 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
CUSILMANTOUGH AS STEEL-ENDURING AS BRONZE"llu- b«**l miu-frrmii* alloy forHrldiiiK. any <strong>of</strong> theconventional processes, including o\\-acetylene, carbonarc. metallic are. argon arc and resistance methods. Itcan readily be spot or seam welded on resistance weldingmachines, particularly in the lighter gauges. Cusilmanwelding rocls are supplied for specific use as tillerrods in welded Cusilman construction in high-strength,corrosion resistant hot water storage tanks, caloriliers.pickling tanks, evaporators, chemical plant, stills,reaction kettles and pressure vessels.the trade name CumweldCusilmun.AUSTRAL ;$ BRONZECOMPANY P T Y. LIMITEDHead Solas Office A Warehouse. (523 O'Riordon St., Alexandria • Phone 690322
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