252
[21st witness Fung Chan-ho.]
54
[22nd witness Reginald Robert Helbert.]
1374. Did you see there the body of Leung Hong? There I saw the body of Leung
Hong,
1375. Did you identify that body in the presence of a European doctor? That is
correct.
(Witness left the witness box.)
1376. Twenty-second Witness. Reginald Robert Helbert, duly sworn, states:— 1377. Mr. Whyatt: You are a Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy? Yes. 1378. And at present you are attached to the Commodore's staff in Hong Kong? Yes. 1379. You have served for 21 years in the Navy have you not? Yes. 1380. And of these 21 years 16 years of your service have been in submarines? 1381. And for 10 years you have been in command of submarines? Yes. 1382. Should I be right in describing you as a specialist in that type of naval craft?
Yes.
1383. I take it that you have been in submarines in various parts of the world?
parts. 1384. Including the China Station? Yes.
Yes.
55
[22nd witness
Reginald Robert Helbert.]
1399. Supposing once again you were cruising off the South China Coast and you saw a submarine with a white band and a black band and another white band painted on the conning tower, could you from these indications form any view as to its nationality? I should feel inclined to believe it was a Japanese submarine. 1400. Why do you say that? Because they use that type of marking very extensively in their fleet, and they seem to show a marked preference for showing that type of marking.
1401. We all know that the chief armament carried by submarines is the torpedo. Do submarines carry any other type of armament? Yes, they carry guns, three- inch or four-inch, and sometimes of larger calibre, and portable machine guns, and rifles.
1402. I am chiefly interested in guns. Can you tell me where they carry the guns on a submarine? Normally a submarine has one gun-just before the conning tower on the deck.
1403.
Most
1385. Are you familiar with naval craft operating in the China Seas? Most familiar. 1386. And in particular with submarine craft operating in those seas? Yes.
1387. I want to ask you first of all about. the colour of submarines. Can you tell me from your experience what colour submarines are usually painted? Usually grey, from a dark grey to a light silver grey, rather depending on the nature of the operations the submarine may be engaged upon.
1388. Are you speaking only of the British Navy? No, of all navies.
1389. The next matter I want to ask you about is with regard to certain distinguish- ing marks which I understand are carried on hulls of submarines by hulls I mean that part of the submarine which is visible when she is not submerged, excluding the conning tower-is it the practice in certain navies to paint numerals on the hulls of submarines? It is not a general practice in the British Navy, nor as far as I know in the American Navy.
1390. Can you tell me a navy that does adopt this practice? Yes, the Japanese Navy. 1391. Is that an invariable practice in the Japanese Navy? As far as I know it is an
invariable practice in the Japanese Navy.
1392. What sort of numerals do they use? Arabic.
1393. Whereabouts do they usually paint these numerals? On the hull before the
conning tower tending towards the bow.
1394. Supposing you were cruising off the South China Coast, and supposing you saw a submarine with an Arabic numeral No. 7 painted on the hull, would you from your experience and knowledge be able to form any opinion as to the nationality of that submarine? My first impression would be that it was a Japanese submarine but I would require more definite evidence than that.
1395. I want to have your opinion on another matter.
Is it the practice of some navies
to paint white bands or black bands on their vessels? Yes, it is done in most navies. For instance in the British Navy our destroyers have bands painted round the funnels to designate their flotilla.
1396. Chairman: Only round the funnels? Yes, only on the funnels.
1397. Only on destroyers? Yes, only on destroyers.
1398. Mr. Whyatt: Is this practice of painting white bands or black bands on naval craft used to a limited extent, or is it extensively used? More extensively than limited-most extensively, I might say, in the Japanese Navy. They paint them on their cruisers and destroyers, but I cannot be definite about their submarines.
1404.
You say normally a submarine has one gun-what do you mean by "normally "? In some cases, especially in foreign navies, some submarines are built with two guns-one before and one abaft the conning tower, but that is most unusual and is usually in the largest and most modern submarines.
I gather it is very unusual for submarines to be equipped with two guns? Yes.
1405. If you were to see a submarine off the South China Coast equipped with one gun,
there would be nothing unusual in that? No.
1406. If on the other hand you were to see a submarine off the South China Coast equipped with two guns, that would be a rare sight? Yes, a most unusual sight. 1407. Would you be able to form any opinion as to its nationality? Yes, I should be
very much inclined to believe it was a Japanese submarine.
1408. Do you know anything about the dress and equipment that is worn by Japanese sailors? Yes, they are in the habit when they form landing parties or go ashore, of carrying a water bottle-and in proper landing parties, or perhaps I should say boarding parties, they are equipped with straps hanging from their shoulders. 1409. And the water bottle-is that attached to the strap in some way? I believe it is attached to the strap, brought down to the waist and taken into some sort of belt.
1410. This practice of the Japanese when they go on shore wearing a strap, etc., is it an invariable practice? Yes, absolutely invariable-they always wear it when they go ashore.
1411. You cannot say they always wear this when they go to sea? No. 1412. Is a Japanese sailor wearing that type of strap unique in that respect? Absolutely. 1413. Chairman: Can you give us any idea of the colour of that boarding parties'
strapping equipment? No, I cannot, except that it is a dark colour.
1414. Mr. Whyatt: A colour that would show up well on a light uniform? Yes, in
contrast.
Am I right-you 1415. Chairman: I am afraid we are not quite clear about this.
are distinguishing between the equipment of a landing party, the strap supporting the water bottle-and the other equipment worn by boarding parties? I imagine it would be the practice for them to wear some sort of equipment when they were going into action.
1416. Is that one strap? No, two straps from the shoulder. They have been known to wear them rather like cross-pieces, or alternatively straight from the shoulder to the waist.
1417. That is two straps? Yes.
1418. It is distinct entirely from the water-bottle strap? I would not like to say that
definitely it may be part of the same equipment.
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