20 NAVY NEWS, JULY 2008
‘On eternal patrol...’
THIS is the White Ensign
for divers who found her after more when the images confi rmed not only escape under a smokescreen, the the ships’ companies.”
fl ying once more aboard HMS
than six decades below. that the wreck was indeed the wartime cruiser was crippled by an 8in shell Locating Exeter took unbelievable
Exeter.
Vidar Skoglie and his team spent Exeter – but that stories of her crew’s crashing into her boiler room. patience and dedication, as did another
years scouring the waters of the valiant efforts to thwart the Japanese It was the decisive blow. The ship miraculous find half a world away.
Not on her fl agstaff – and not on the
Java Sea in search of Exeter – all were very much authentic. lost all power and was at the mercy of HMS Ontario went down during a
Type 42 destroyer.
their searches frustratingly drew a the Japanese guns – which showed her storm on the lake of the same name
No, this is the Royal Navy’s standard
blank, including one in the autumn
“Exeter slumbers peacefully on
none. in 1780, taking more than 120 men – a
attached to the port torpedo tube of the
of 2006 when the divers’ efforts were
her starboard side with her ever-
Her captain, Oliver Gordon, ordered mainly Canadian crew, British redcoats
heavy cruiser Exeter, 200ft beneath the
invigorated by fresh material from the
protective soul mate Encounter
his men to scuttle the ship then take and several American prisoners of war
Java Sea between Java and Borneo.
Japanese viewpoint.
still ‘on eternal patrol’ nearby,”
to the life rafts; 650 of them did, but – with her.
Not since the fi rst day of March 1942
They returned to the waters once
said Mr Skoglie.
54 men perished. Exploration by Mr And apart from a handful of bodies
has the ensign been ‘raised’ on the
more in February 2007 and this time
Exeter was part of an ill-fated
Skoglie’s team confi rmed that the washed up the following year, that was
veteran of the River Plate.
found the hull of Exeter roughly 90
ABDA – American, British, Dutch and
cruiser had gone down fi ghting – and pretty much the last anyone heard of
But fi xing the fl ag to the wreck was
miles off Bawean Island – a good 60
Australian – force attempting to halt
that she sank as much from her crew’s the 80ft sloop until divers Jim Kennard
the fi rst act
miles from her estimated position in
the Rising Sun’s march of conquest in
scuttling efforts as from the Japanese and Dan Scoville began to search for
1942.
the Far East.
guns. Ontario in earnest.
Before announcing the fi nd to the
The force was mauled and scattered
The survivors were picked up by Mr Kennard first started to look
RN – and subsequently the world
in the Java Sea on February 27 1942.
the Japanese – as were 149 crew of for Ontario in the early 70s but
– the team wanted high-
Exeter was struck by an 8in shell to her
the Encounter, also sunk. The Pope abandoned the search after failing to
resolution photographs
boiler room and put into Surabaya in
escaped in a rain squall only to perish find anything.
of the wreck.
Indonesia for emergency repairs.
at the hands of Japanese bombers He resumed his quest after teaming
That the dive
Barely a day later she put to sea
later that same day. up with fellow diver Mr Scoville and for
team did in
once more, determined to make for
Of Exeter’s survivors, almost one the past three years they have scoured
April
Ceylon via the Sunda Strait.
in four would subsequently die in some 200 square miles of lake bed.
Before dawn the following day,
Japanese POW camps. Sonar finally picked up HMS Ontario
however, the ship and her
Six decades later, they are suitably this spring and stunning video imagery
escorting
honoured – the wreck site has been confirmed it was the 22-gun sloop – to
destroyers, HMS
classifi ed as an offi cial war grave. the astonishment of its finders.
Encounter and
Details of Exeter’s precise location “It’s the Holy Grail of Great Lake
USS Pope, were
and that of Encounter’s nearby – Mr wrecks – there’s nothing more
sighted by a far
Skoglie’s team found her as well – were significant,” enthused Mr Kennard.
superior – and
presented to HMS Edinburgh’s CO Cdr Significant and also remarkably
faster – Japanese
Gavin Young when his ship visited intact: Ontario sits at a 45˚ angle 500ft
force.
Singapore this spring. below the lake, her two 70ft masts still
The unequal
Aboard Exeter’s modern-day upright, many of her cannons still in
battle began late
successor, the Portsmouth-based place, two windows are even intact.
morning – four
destroyer, news of the wreck’s The exact location of the wreck has
heavy cruisers and
discovery evoked poignant memories. not been revealed by the pair of divers
accompanying
“This is very much a reminder of the – except to the Admiralty as Ontario
destroyers against
sacrifi ces made by our predecessors,” remains British property and an official
Exeter’s battered
said Exeter’s CO Cdr Paul Brown. war grave.
force – and
“Although this battle took place 68 Ontario never fired her guns in her
despite efforts by
years ago, we should remember that anger during her brief life – she was
the destroyers to
this news will undoubtedly have an only launched in May of 1780.
shield Exeter’s
effect on survivors and the families of With thanks to Kevin Denlay.
Remembering
Capt Leach
Hit me with your laser beam
DID you serve with Capt John
IN DAYS of yore,
Leach, fi rst – and last – CO of
HMS Prince of Wales, the ill-fated
youngsters could be
WW2 battleship?
entertained with games
American attorney Matthew of Twister, Buckaroo,
Wills is compiling a biography of
KerPlunk, Connect Four
the popular officer, father of the
future First Sea Lord Admiral
and the like.
Sir Henry Leach, in conjunction
And then came games with
with one of Sir Henry’s former
batteries. Remote-controlled cars.
officers, Lt Cdr Douglas Hadler.
Operation. Battleships. And, best
Capt Leach served the RN for
of all, Tin Can Alley – a toy rifl e
more than 30 years, losing his life
which fi red a light beam at tin cans
when Prince of Wales was sunk
to knock them off a wall.
by the Japanese in December
Technology has moved on a bit.
1941.
Ok, a lot.
Earlier in his career he served
The toy rifl e has been replaced
at Jutland in HMS Erin and
by an SA80 powered by air
spent time in HM Ships Renown,
pressure.
Cumberland and Royal Oak,
The tin cans are gone. A huge
the latter as her XO in the early
TV screen stands in its place.
1930s.
Oh, and it’s not a game. It’s a
Mr Wills and Lt Cdr Hadler
deadly-serious £1m marksman-
are looking for anecdotal stories
ship and ship defence trainer.
of Capt Leach which shed light
This is the Dismounted Close
on his character and personality,
Combat Trainer at the lead Naval
based on personal reminiscences,
Military Training School in HMS
diaries, letters and the like.
Raleigh.
If any of his former shipmates
Here comes every basic
or their families can help, Lt
entry trainee at the Torpoint
Cdr Hadler can be contacted at
establishment to practise and
8 Fulmer Drive, Gerards Cross,
perfect marksmanship with the
SL9 7HJ or douglas.hadler@
military’s standard-issue rifl e.
btinternet.com
No trainee will pass-out of
Raleigh without being able to land
● CPO Chris Mallinder passes on his rifl e skills to trainees on the computerised trainer at Raleigh Picture: Dave Sherfi eld, HMS Raleigh
Gloucester’s
a minimum of 33 rounds out of 55
on a target at 100 metres (328ft). rounds and you’re giving constant on a Type 23. A team of SA80- The newspaper van trundles past adrenaline of handling a live
The trainer simulates the rifl e feedback to the trainees,” says armed matelotes begin clearing HMS Nonesuch in Devonport. weapon and there’s nothing better
veteran role
range, right down to the kick- Chris. 2 Deck, on the lookout for a The driver gives a friendly beep for training than live rounds,” says
back each time a bullet leaves the “In the past six to eight months suspicious character. to the guys on guard at the top of Chris.
barrel. we’ve seen big improvements in On one run-through, an engineer the gangway, and then disappears Next to the trainer is the
DESTROYER HMS Gloucester
What’s missing is the smell and shooting.” appears from a compartment from view. Cossack building, which replicates
spent six days in the Welsh
the noise – and that latter point He adds a caveat for today’s Wii begging his shipmates not to shoot Thirty seconds later he’s back, a merchant ship and is used by RN
capital to mark Veterans’ Day
makes it far easier for instructors, and X-Box generation, though. and protesting his innocence; on the side door is open and he’s and RM teams to practise boarding
commemorations.
like CPO Chris Mallinder, to use “Holding a rifl e is not the another run-through he is the fi ring rounds at your ship. and searching – a mainstay of RN
The Type 42 berthed at
their expertise to pass on advice same as picking up a joystick and intruder. Sometimes the intruder At most, you have four seconds operations around the globe these
Britannia Quay, while her ship’s
and guidance to people who’ve aiming some crosshairs on a video shoots, sometimes he downs his to react and return fi re. Now days.
company were dispatched
invariably never picked up a screen.” weapon. imagine that on a wet Sunday in Unfortunately, there is no
to various events in Cardiff,
weapon before. No, on the trainer, X most You see, this is not a video game. Plymouth when you’re duty in the equivalent facility for Ship
including a parade by former
And what the simulator lacks defi nitely does not mark the spot. You don’t kill everything which portable cabin on the Flight Deck. Protection Force (SPF) teams.
Servicemen at the city’s castle.
in noise and smells, it makes up “There are people who are moves. You follow strict rules of Chris adds: “We would like to use Cossack
There were also numerous
for with feedback. Sensors record naturally good shots, but given engagement and, if you have to
a raft of information from the time and training you can train shoot, you shoot to kill.
“The reaction time with a
for SPF training but it is heavily
stands dotted around
amount of squeeze on the trigger even the worst shooters.” “It’s important that you are not
suicide bomber is estimated
used for Board and Search
the fortress and environs
to butt pressure (no sniggering at Marksmanship is important, of trigger happy. You must know your
to be three seconds. That’s
Training. A possible alternative
highlighting the role of today’s
Armed Forces. the back please – Ed). course, but rarely, in life, is the foe
rules of engagement, you must
three seconds to make a
would be the newly arrived HMS
After your fi ve well-aimed (or, a large cut-out target standing still know when to draw your baton,
decision: Am I going to
Brecon, but she is also fully utilised
in my case, haphazardly-scattered) 100 metres away. and when to use your rifl e,” Chris
shoot or not?”
for seamanship training,” says Lt
Cdr Ian Kempsell, the Training
rounds, the computer shows you Where the computer trainer explains. Such are the pressures on young Group Offi cer at NMT.
on the screen where they landed. comes into its own is in a ‘live As with the rifl e range men and women in the front line, “We are hoping to fi ll the
So rather than instructors action’ simulation. simulation, the computer records which is why the DCCT is crucial current training gap with a bespoke
‘guestimating’ your marksmanship Numerous scenarios have been where your gun is aimed at all to their training. ‘Compartment Clearance Facility’
I’m conducting research into
failings, he or she knows pretty fi lmed or created on computer times – and, if you fi re shots, where Computers are all well and good, – a purpose-designed building
people’s perceptions for my MA.
much instantly what is amiss. simulation – intruder on board, they landed. but there remains no substitute for which would enable Ship’s SPF
Please email me, Hannah at: And on the range, rounds cost gangway duty, convoy run – and Marksmanship is important but the real thing. (Tin Can Alley is teams to use blank rounds as
wrns2008@googlemail.com money; the only real limitation in each run is different. more important is speed – coupled
no longer made, but Twister and they practise compartment-by-
if you’d like to participate.
the computer trainer is time. Take the ‘intruder on board’ with aiming. Speed and accuracy Connect Four live on…) compartment clearance in a
“You are not wasting live programme, for example, fi lmed are the watchwords. “There’s nothing like the realistic environment.”
0020_NN_July.indd 120_NN_July.indd 1 220/6/08 15:35:340/6/08 15:35:34
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