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Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. August 15, 1894.
CONFIDENTIAL.
90-R
JAMAICA.
JAMAICA.
No. 8438.
Report of Local Joint Naval and Military Committee
of April 1894.
Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee.
THE Colonial Defence Committee offer the following remarks on this Report:-
1. Port Royal cannot be considered liable to attack by battle-ships of any class. The only probable form of naval attack is by cruisers and by such minor torpedo craft as can be carried on board them.
2. According to the recent conclusions of the Joint Naval and Military Committee Reports XI and XII (copies of which have been sent to the station) our war-ships while lying at anchor are expected to provide for their own protection against carried or ships' torpedo-boats. If the Senior Naval Officer considers the measure proposed in the Defence Scheme of 1892, viz., to protect the coal wharves on the harbour side by steel wire hawsers running from buoy to buoy, a desirable precaution, it lies within his discretion to adopt it.
3. The contingency of landing parties crossing the Palisades and carrying over their boats may be dismissed from serious consideration. A landing on the shore there is not at all times easy, and though there may be one or two places at which a light fishing-boat can be carried across, it is not an easy operation to drag the class of ship's boats which would be used for such an expedition across 100 to 200 yards of coral rock or scrub. Moreover, the party, even if successful in this, could have little hope of being able to recross and re-embark to reach their ships again. Such an attempt may be ranked among the desperate enterprises which, while they cannot be pro- nounced absolutely impossible, are so improbable, and so little within the range of practical belligerency, that no special consideration need be bestowed on them.
4. The proposed examination anchorage is too close to the main gun defence at Port Royal. Unless the examination line is at some distance from the main batteries their fire can bear for but a short time on any vessel acting in disregard of the examining authorities. All ships should enter by the East Channel, and should bring up, viz., anchor, between Plum Point and the line between Rocky Point and Lime Cay; any vessel attempting to pass. the latter line without permit to be treated as an enemy by Rocky Point Battery, which would be a signal for the Port Royal batteries to come into action. It is to be borne in mind, however, that our own war-vessels must be exempted from any restrictions likely to cause delay. In their case all that is necessary is for them to show the secret or prearranged signal. This should be answered at once.
5. The Traffic Regulations would be put in operation at the discretion of the Senior Naval and Military Officers, but once this initiative has been taken the executive duties would be carried out by the local Harbour-master.
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