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Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. April 1894.
CONFIDENTIAL.
NATAL,
SOUTH AFRICA.
No. 780.
Report of Local Joint Naval and Military Committee
of December 1893.
Remarks by Colonial Defence Committee.
THE only points in this Report which call for remark are as follows :— 1. Examination Anchorage.-In the case of Durban, there appears to be no necessity for strictly applying the rules of examination anchorages. The bar of sand which crosses the mouth of the harbour is so subject to change in position and depth as to be in itself a sufficient guarantee that the entrance would never be attempted by a strange vessel without a local pilot. All vessels making the port must therefore, of necessity, bring-to or bring-up in the outer anchorage until they are boarded, and thus no special arrangements for obliging them to do so are required.
2. The Harbour-master is the best local official to be responsible for the duties of boarding vessels, granting permits to enter or leave, and berthing ships in harbour.
3. Boom. The only form of torpedo-boat attack to which Durban is liable is by the minor class of torpedo-boats or launches that can be carried on board of cruisers. In common with all ports, it is liable to this nature of attack so long as an enemy's ships can keep the seas. Against this class of attack the Q.F. guns and electric installation proposed below should give ample protection, and a permanent boom is therefore unnecessary.
4. Q.F. Guns. No useful purpose would be served by providing the tug-boats with 3-pr. Q.F. guns, as proposed. These guns would be useless in the case of a non-hostile ship, and powerless against a real enemy. Two 3-pr. Q.F. and one machine-gun on field carriages should be provided for the defence of the entrance to the harbour. They would be quite sufficient to deal with the minor class of torpedo-boat attack which alone is possible. They could be kept in store, and run down the pier whenever necessary.
5. Defence Lights.-An electric installation would be a valuable aid to the defence, and would no doubt be found of great advantage in peace time as well to facilitate the entry of ships by night. A single installation of two beams would suffice, viz. :-
One fixed beam of 30° divergence to illumine the entrance to the harbour and the field of fire of the Q.F. guns.
One beam capable of being traversed to follow a vessel coming into the outer anchorage.
The best place for the installation would appear to be below the Bluff,
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