CO129-553-3 Anti-piracy measures 7-3-1935 - 4-11-1935 — Page 105

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not infrequently happen that a second ship is ordered to raise steam to go to sea to assist, and aircraft despatched to search the Coast.

It is, of course, known that in all probability the defaulting ship is quite safe, but these matters cannot be left to chance.

During a recent patrol, between the 4th and 8th April, the destroyer on patrol had twice to increase speed to 26 knots to intercept ships which had failed to report, entailing a very large (and unnecessary as events proved expenditure of oil fuel. During her patrol the destroyer steamed 678 miles. To take the case of the Anti-Piracy Officer alone, during the first ten days of April he was called between thirty and forty times between midnight and 6 a.m. to deal with cases of failures to report, with their aftermath of executive orders to the patrol vessel. On many occasions both I personally and other officers on my staff have been called during the night to make decisions and arrangements.

There may

of course, be occasions when ships are unable to make their reports owing to atmospheric conditions; and this is the excuse usually put forward, though it has been noted when this excuse has been made that other ships on the same route have managed to make their reports correctly. Bluntly, I feel that more perseverance on the part of the wireless operators and in certain cases a considerable improvement in the whole

T organisation, would reduce the number of failures appreciably, and I request that the necessary steps may be taken.

I append a summary of the failures to report which have occurred since 1st January 1935:-

Indo-China Steam Navigation Company Douglas Steamship Company Jhiña Navigation" Company Remaining Companies

2.

23.

Nil.

Yours faithfully,

COMMODORE.