NANCY
I'D LOVE TO EAT THAT
PIE IN THE
ICE-BOX -- BUT IT
WOULDN'T BE
RIGHT!
IF I HAPPEN TO WALK IN MY SLEEP***
✓ CAN'T HELP IT!
Topr. 1961 byŲ
SINGAPORE ready
Saturday,
HONGKONG TELEGRAPH
April 26, 1941.
By Ernie Bushmiller
F
NAVAL BASE
for any
BY DAVID S. WAITE
ריפים!
United Press Staff Correspondent
Despite Singapore's in- the jib of a massive crane creasingly important posi- comes into view and the tion in the empiré defence sides of the huge floating scheme, officials have relax-dock can be seen.
ed their "hush-hush" policy The facilities at Singapore regarding the great naval base comprise a stores and base and permitted corres- provisioning yard, repair pondents to reveal some of: yard, rest and recreation the defence might of the facilities for personnel,
fortress.
medical facilities, and head-
Should the British war quarters for the command. fleet ever move to eastern
Thousands of yards of seawal| waters, it would find at and wharves, have been built to accommodate Singapore every facility with berths which it required, from an several warships at the saine extensive harbour safe from time where they can take on
fresh stores and fuel.
supplies.
Nearby
thun
emergency
Aerial view of Singapore, which stands at the crossroads of the East. Picture shows the important business and administrative contre of the port.
of
trucks, lighters vehicles.
raid shelter in Great Britain
Tropical Barracks Modern
Ideal Summer Undies
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Watson's Cellular
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In Pink and White
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$2.50 ea.
Briefs, $2.50 pr.
Morley's Net Underwear Soft Cotton, very absorbent, In- Peach and White.
Vests & Briefs $2.50 per garment
Crepe - de - Chine Briefs In Sky, Peach and White.
Price $3.95 pr.
American Lisle
Tennis Socks
In Winc. Bottle Green. Tomato, Royal Blue, Navy Blue and White.
$1.50 pr.
WHITEAWAY, LAIDLAW & Co., Ltd.
WHY NOT START A SHRAPNEL BOX
1 Cent Buys Percussion Cap of a .303
S.A.
enemy attack to docks where are rows of store sheds capable, the biggest battleship could of holding all the many and be accommodated for repairs varied stores required for a stocks of all types of naval Great Britain, and towed 8,000 cendiary bombs. Every work- and for overhauling. No- large fleet which may be operat- shells, mines and torpedoes. miles to Singapore in sections, shop is safe against blast↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓ude! thing has been forgotten, ing at sen for weeks without an They are constructed to with, is a self-contained dockyard. It and splinters, as secure as an air and a British warship would "Pportunity to return to port for stand a direct hit by a heavy has displacement of 50,000 tons which will stand anything but a bomb. These magazines can and has its own generating sta- direct hit. For vital points, of be as much "at home" at
The provisioning yard in supply any man-of-war from a tions and workshops.
course, completely bombproof -Singapore as at Devonport, clutes extensive, cold-and-air-15-inch gun battleship to an es-
construction has been provided. The King George VI graving Portsmouth or Seapa Flow. conditioned storage-chambers in curl vessel. There are more 17 miles of railway for
dock required excavation of The Admiralty harbour which perishable provisions are
several million cubic yards of extends all the way down stored. Enough food and other handling stores, as well as large
mud and earth before the cranes, engines, the Johore Straits from the plies for a small town are numbers
kept in store at the base..
and motor foundations, which go down
The provision of rest, and rea- causeway which joins the
deep to hard rock, could be pro- reational facilities for person- vided. It was a gigantie un- nel of ships using the base has island of Singapore to the Water Supply Protected
The repair yard provides faci- dertaking. requiring several not been neglected and the fleet mainland to Changi Point, Singapore is fortunate in be- lities for the repair and overhaul years to complete. It is 1,000 shore accommodations
con on the east coast of Singa- ing situated close to the oil fields of ships with a minimum of de- feet long, 130 feet wide and 35 house thousands of men. They are among the best-designed pore, including the mouth of of Borneo and Sumatra, but it
is necessary to keep within the There are two docks, one feet deep at the entrance. Once tropical barracks in the world. the Johore river. This buse, or near at hand, stocks of the King George VI graving a ship is berthed inside the dock. Sport grounds are not far away provides more than 20 oil which can be drawn upon dock, one of the biggest naval the water can be pumped out in while a modern swimming pool square miles of deep water immediately the need arises. It docks in the world, and the other a short time, leaving the under is within a stone's throw of the
men's quarters. anchorage, more than has often been estimated that oil the floating dock which was water structure of the ship ex- enough to accommodate the sufficient to maintain the fleet brought out to Singapore in sec- posed for repairs.
facilities Apart from for six months is kept in Singa- tions when the work on the base
ships, the naval base also pro- entire British fleet.
pore.
Large blocks of workshops vides headquarters for the com- was in its early stages,
stand within the dockyard area. mand, with rapid communica- Great mains bring the water supplies to Singapore and in the Dock For Biggest Ship latest type machinery for deal- London and naval stations and They are equipped with the tions with the Admiralty in The base itself, several unlikely event that these cease
ing. with any naval repair job, ships in all parts of the world. miles up the straits at to function there are, actually
within the boundaries of the These docks can take the Many European engineers and High-power radio stations en- Seletar, covers an area of base, two reservoirs which hold largest battleship afloat and the
sure the maintenance of naval overseers, and thousands of four square miles. Tower- sufficient water for emergency King George VI dock is exten- Chinese, Indian and Malay ar- Singapore is well known as
communications. In addition, ing over all are the masts supplies,
sive enough to accommodate the tisans are employed by the Ad- important centre for telegraphic of a naval radio station, and
In the armament depot at the biggest ship in the world. The miralty in these shops. as one goes up the straits base are magazines holding floating dock, which was built in
Base At Seletar
"The new graving dock, as it looked in the last stages of construction. 17 is the largest of its kind in the world,
cable communications.
238
A Bullet
A Complete .303 Round
A Complete .50 Round
One Piece of
5
12
11
25
H
11
50
15
"
for
1 Dollar
"1
1
"
1 Parachute Flare
1503
;
31
14
25
*
50
an
100
250
+1
500
21
Heavy Crane Available Among the newest buildings at the base is the headquarters Within the dockyard is a mander-in-Chief of the China block which houses the. Com- crane which can lift out of a Station, the Rear-Admiral, Ma- warship a complete gun or boiler laya, and their staffe and the which may need repair. Smaller superintendent of the dockyard. cranes are provided for remov・ When, with the growth in the ing other equipment needing at-, size of capital ships and a cor» tention, and there is also a 150 responding increase in the re ton floating crane which was quirements of the British fleet brought to Singapore soon after in the way of refitting and re- the floating dock arrived. '
pairs, it became obvious that the naval dockyard at Hongkong In each workshop there are could not be expected to con- travelling cranes, and railway tinue to fulfill the role of the lines run into the shops to cn- principal British naval base cast able heavy equipment to be of Saez, Singapore was chosen taken rapidly into that part of for its central situation. It the dockyard where needed re- stands at the crossroads of the pairs can be made.
East, commanding the trade Everything, in the dockyard routes between India and the has been built to last and to Fur East and Australia and New stand up to the strain and stross Zealand. which would be placed upon it
The base has arisen on a site by war-time operations in this which 20 years ago was a vast part of the world.
expanse of mud and mangrove swanip. The transformation has Buildings have been con-, been brought about by the skill structed to give maximum pro- of civil engineers, reinforced by tection against norial atinck, the advice of doctors and other whether by high explosive or in- specialista,
1,000 5,000
=
11
"
10,000
"
100,000 500,000 1,000,000
+
13
"
7,000,000 40,000,000 160,000,000.
11.
**
Forest Confetti
1 Bomb Fuse
1 Incendiary Bomb
R.A.F.
1 Complete Set of Spark Plugs
1 Small High Explosive Bomb
1 Large High Explosive Bomb
1 Bomb Rack
1 Stick of Bombs
A Bren Gun
Bombs & Petrol for a
Visit to Berlin
1. Day's Upkeep of Squadron of Fighters
1 Spitfire or Hurricane 1 Flying Fortress
2 Coastal Motor Boats 1- Destroyer
1.10,000 Ton Cruiser
1 35,000 Ton Battleship
The South China Morning Post, Ltd, will be pleased to supply cards 14" x 11" of the above list, with the name printed thereon of any Firm or Club, wishing to start a Shrapnel Box.