CAB9-1_PT1 — Page 198

2

Page 198

Tower (or Flagstaff, or whatever point is locally found to be most suitable for the signal station). Any vessel attempting to cross the given line before the permit is shown must be treated as an enemy, and be fired on by Battenberg, Battery, which will be a warning to Mutwal Battery to also come into action. To first fire a blank charge as proposed at p. 6 is not in accordance with the approved guiding principles.

Whenever the weather permits the vessel will be met when she brings-to by an examination steamer, which latter, if all is right, will signal to the Clock Tower to hoist the "inner" or "outer" permit signal as the case may demand.

If the weather is too heavy for this the vessel can only be examined, as well as possible, through glasses from shore, and if, as will happen in most cases, she is recognized or presents no formidable appearance, the "outer " permit signal will be hoisted at the Clock Tower, allowing her to proceed into the triangle formed by the end of the breakwater, Mutwal Point, and the point W on shore, where she must anchor for examination. Here she will be in comparatively smooth water, the area of which will become more extensive as the New North-West Arm progresses, and will be under the close fire of the fixed posts or post-vessels at the end of the breakwater and at W (as well as of the two fixed post-vessels X and Y if they are in position), which ought to be capable of dealing with any vessel not unmistakably a war-vessel. After examination the vessel would be passed as quickly as possible into the harbour.

British war-vessels need only show the secret or prearranged signal. This signal should be answered at once allowing them to enter the harbour.

3. Mine-fields.-There should be none. The site is too exposed to allow of the use of submarine mines.

4. Boom. As previously stated the risk of torpedo-boat attack is not sufficiently great to justify the extensive arrangement proposed, which, in addition, would have the effect of using up such a large proportion of the local lighters as to seriously interfere with the coaling and trade facilities of the port, and so do away with one of the chief reasons for its defence. It is to be borne in mind that any defence arrangement that would interfere to a serious extent with the due prosecution of their trade by our merchantmen in war time must be avoided, even at the expense of a certain degree of risk.

In the periods of set calm weather, when alone any attack by torpedo- boats is to be apprehended, if it were known that hostile cruisers were hovering off the coast, the most that appears requisite would be to moor two fixed post-vessels on the line proposed in the Report for the boom. These with the fixed posts or post-vessels at the end of the breakwater and at W, both of which latter would be a permanent arrangement during war-time, should suffice. Any torpedo-boat should be fired on by these posts without question. The fixed posts at the end of the breakwater and at W would be preferably fixed post-vessels, as the guns could not be permanently mounted on the breakwater, and it would be necessary to acquire a site for W if on shore.

5. Q.F. Armament.-Two Q.F. and one machine gun will be required for each fixed post or post-vessel, viz. :-

Four Q.F. guns Two machine-guns

with an additional

Four Q.F. guns

Two machine-guns

} during the whole period of war ;

}during periods of set calm weather.

6. Defence Lights.-The electric installations should be as follows:— (a.) Two fixed beams on shore near W, each of about 80° divergence, to illumine the bay in front of the line of fixed post-vessels and northwards towards Mutwal. A staging might, perhaps, be run out from shore to carry this installation, so as to avoid having to acquire a site.

(8.) Two beams at Flagstaff, one fixed and of 16° divergence, to bear along the outer side of the breakwater, towards the entrance to the harbour, and one capable of being traversed to follow the movements of any vessel making the harbour.

25

Page 198