The Last National Serviceman – Part 3

Author

A.N. Other

Subjects

Biographies and personal histories

Tags

training, national service

RAN Ships

HMAS Vengeance, HMAS Melbourne II, HMAS Sydney III

Publication

March 2024 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)

Part II of this series appeared in the December 2023 edition of this magazine.

By Robert Stephenson

In 1952, after the acquisition of HMAS Sydney III, the Royal Navy lent HMS Vengeance to the RAN, and she was re-commissioned as HMAS Vengeance for a period whilst Sydney‘s sister ship, HMAS Melbourne, was being completed. Vengeance was one of sixteen Colossus class light aircraft carriers of about 16,000 tons displacement, built in the UK between 1942 and 1943.

From July 1954 the RAN used HMAS Vengeance for sea-going training for both Nashos and regular recruits until Sydney was recommissioned as a training ship and took over the role. Vengeance visited Japan and Singapore during her training cruises but returned to the UK in 1955 with a 1000-man crew to take delivery of Australia’s second aircraft carrier Melbourne.

Sydney was Australia’s first aircraft carrier, becoming the Fleet’s flagship, and her service included receiving BattleHonours in the Korean conflict in 1951-1952, Malaysia in 1964 and Vietnam in 1965-1972, her motto Thorough and Ready. In 1955, after being converted to a training ship, Sydney sailed for New Zealand on her first training cruise with regular recruits and Nashos and remained in this training role until 1958.

Boarding Sydney III

On arrival at Williamstown Station we formed up and marched to the nearby Williamstown Naval Dockyard where Sydney, with Captain Jack ‘Mes’ Mesley RAN in command, was berthed alongside the wharf and we were overawed by its sheer size, especially the height of the flight deck above the water line. Marching smartly up the gangway we turned and saluted the Quarterdeck and turning again, saluted the Officer of the Watch and reported for duty. We were then taken to our allocated mess deck to stow our hammocks and sea bags, and we were given instructions on the rules of the messand shown the location of the dining mess, the heads and showers. The mess deck was located below the hangar deck towards the bow of the ship, with forms provided as seating and a few collapsible tables that were moved to the sides when we rigged our hammocks. Our hammocks were stowed in a fixed wire pen at one side of the mess.

The heads were closer to the foc’sle at the bow of the ship next to the anchors. The cubicles were waist high and open at the top with little or no privacy and the showers next to the mess, just through a water tight door, were also open with no privacy. The important rule when showering was to ensure towels weren’t dropped and left in the showers blocking the drains, risking flooding.

When our hammocks were rigged there was very little room left to squeeze in between when moving about. The atmosphere of the mess was always hot with the only ventilation throughout the ship being fan forced air, which also produced constant noise. However, to quench our thirst we were able to buy a soft drink, ‘green goffers’, at the ship’s canteen as an alternative to drinking water.

Watch Keeping

Whilst at sea we were allocated rotating watches, tricks which involved being on duty for two hours with two hours off throughout the night: many of us suffered sleep deprivation and this routine took its toll. Coming off watch with the messlit by dim red lights, it was easy to drop off to sleep only to be woken up in two hours for the next trick. During the day we could fall asleep anywhere including on the seating forms and the hard steel deck regardless of surrounding activity and noise.

In daylight hours we continued to receive instruction in various seamanship activities and lectures from Sydney‘sGunnery and Training Officer, LCDR Lealand Ponton RAN, who explained the ship’s defences and we witnessed the fire power of her anti-aircraft guns.

Nasho stokers were trained and worked in the boiler/engine room of Sydney. They worked in a pressurised and extremely hot and dangerous closed environment controlled by an air-lock and were made aware of the serious risk of back flash. If both air-lock doors were opened at the same time releasing the pressure, very serious burns (if not death)could occur to persons in close proximity of the furnace.

We learned how to man and launch life boats and later we were part of the crew launching a whaler in a huge ocean swell in the middle of Bass Strait which gave us all an adrenalin rush that’s not been forgotten. Boats are swung out from their housings clear of the ship and hang from two cables attached to davits, lowered to just above the swell and launchedby striking a central releasing pin ‘Robinson’s disengaging gear’. The boat hit the water with an almighty bone rattlingsplash and thump enabling the Coxswain, at the right moment, to smoothly steer away without striking the side of the ship.

Maintaining the ship was a constant job and any down time during the day was filled chipping paint and applying a new coat. As the saying goes ‘if it moves salute it, if not paint it’. During other limited down time playing the card game Pontoon for matches was the Nasho entertainment whereas the regular crew, especially on payday, played the traditional navy Crown and Anchor board game.

There were telegraphs and gauges and a large compass in front of us that mimicked the orders to ensure nothing wasmisunderstood. The bridge was a number of decks above the small room in which the wheelhouse was located and the wheelhouse room being fully enclosed left us with no idea where the ship was headed.

The Coxswain’s job was to immediately respond to orders and keep the ship on course. The officer’s order might be, for example ‘Port 10’, the coxswain’s
response ‘Port 10 Sir’, then another response when the order was completed – ‘Port 10 on Sir’, followed by the officer’s response ‘Very good’. The next order might be ‘Amidships’ and the coxswain’s response ‘Amidships Sir’ followed by ‘Amidships on Sir’ when the ship’s rudder was back on a straight course and another ‘Very good’ from the bridge.

All this might seem overdone but there can be no margin for error when manoeuvring a very large ship to keep it on course and therefore orders must be understood loud and clear. A big ship that’s underway changes course very slowly and can take several miles to stop or go astern.

We were also given a watch as lookouts on the outer wings of the bridge and could be in this unenviable position for up to two hours, in all types of weather, even when it was very cold, wet and windy. On taking up the post we first had to report the lights we could see on the horizon in positions within our field of vision, an arc slightly wider than 180 degrees, to the officer of the watch and their compass bearings, i.e. ‘Light bearing green (starboard) 40 degrees Sir’ and the officer’s reply ‘Very good ‘. Failure to report the lights when taking over the watch could result in being charged with neglect of duty. The officer of the watch was obviously aware of the lights and their bearings and had the advantage of a radar screen plus there were other navigation officers and petty officers and leading seamen working and observing on the bridge. The lookout was just another pair of eyes on the outside to ensure nothing was missed.

Refuelling and Mail Transfers

We witnessed refuelling and mail transfers at sea when Sydney refueled HMAS Warramunga, a Tribal class destroyer, whilst underway. Warramunga came broadside on maintaining the same course and speed at about 100 yards distancewhen a line was shot over and a cable ‘jack stay’ was supported by a boom on both ships to keep the refuelling hose out ofthe water, which was then hauled across and the refuelling commenced. This exercise took quite some time, after which the hose was retrieved and mail was transferred using the same set up.

Ceremonial Guard Duty

As part of the Nasho Ceremonial Guard we assembled every morning on the hangar deck for the Raising the WhiteEnsign ceremony and were lifted up to the flight deck and marched, accompanied by the Ship’s Band, with rifles in the slope arms position to the stern flag pole where the ensign was raised to the masthead. Then following orders from the officer of the guard we performed the ceremony, presenting arms for the Royal Salute with Sydney‘s band playing theNational Anthem God Save the Queen.

Depending on weather conditions, performing this task could be quite dangerous at times, especially in strong winds when the ship was underway and we felt we were at risk of being blown off the deck. We were instructed to never move if the ship was rolling in a heavy swell and told to just sit down to avoid falling over the side. There are no railings on flight decks. Depending on prevailing wind conditions we could occasionally get a lung full of the terrible fumes emitted from the funnels during a downdraft, this was also one of the hazards of being part of the ceremonial guard.

Later, at the Garden Island Dockyard, the Nasho Ceremonial Guard was given the honour of mounting the guard on Sydney‘s flight deck for the arrival of Flag Officer, East Australia Command, Rear-Admiral Wilfred ‘Arch’ Hastings-Harrington CBE CB DSO RAN during his Fleet Review. With a fearsome reputation he had previously commanded Sydney and wore distinctive ‘mutton-chop’ facial hair. Despite his reputation the Nasho Ceremonial Guard, under the command of Lieutenant Alan Beaumont (later Admiral Beaumont) passed with flying colours.

In 1962 Rear-Admiral Hastings-Harrington was knighted, becoming Sir Wilfred and promoted to Vice-Admiral, First Naval Member and Chief of the Naval Staff. During his time as Chief of the Naval Staff he had to deal with the consequences of the collision that occurred off the NSW coast on the evening of 10 February, 1964 between Melbourne and HMAS Voyager and the terrible aftermath. Voyager sank with the tragic loss of 82 crew.

Training Cruises

Sydney was soon smoothly underway from the Williamstown Naval Dock Yard wharf and we headed down the calm waters of Port Phillip Bay out through Port Phillip Heads, entering Bass Strait.

For many of us it was our first voyage and we noticed the marked difference between the relative calm of the Bay and the giant ocean swells of Bass Strait. With the ship constantly rolling and occasionally pitching it was some time before we gained our sea-legs. A small number were seasick but this never became an ongoing problem.

Crossing Bass Strait we performed boat drills, and changing course we headed to Three Hummock Island off the north west coast of Tasmania and then headed east across the top of Tasmania and entered and anchored in the Tamar River estuary. Here we met up with the flagship Melbourne and both Sydney and Melbourne’s boat crews competed in a rowing regatta. Raising the anchor next day and leaving Melbourne we headed down the east coast of Tasmania and observed a large number of bush fires.

Before we crossed Storm Bay we passed the rugged Cape Pillar, a spectacular rock formation that was used by the navy for target practice during WWII. We anchored off Port Arthur for a few days and were given overnight liberty and ferried ashore. Taking a tour of the convict ruins we learned the sad history of Australia’s early penal settlement and convict heritage.

Sydney was headed for Hobart and a number of us decided to hitch hike to Hobart and meet up with her again at thewharf near the picturesque Constitution Dock. We had no trouble getting a lift with an older Tasmanian gentleman who readily agreed to take us all the way to Hobart. I think it must have been a novelty for him to have the company of a few young sailors for an hour or two. We found Hobart a small but quaint city and spent the day walking around the city taking in the sights, including its spectacular Mt. Wellington backdrop, the many beautiful old buildings and trolley buses, plus its convict heritage, which made it very interesting.

Re-boarding Sydney next day we sailed out from Sullivan’s Cove down the Derwent and out through Storm Bay to the Tasman Sea, then headed north on our way to Sydney. Entering Two Fold Bay we anchored overnight without going ashore but we were able to view from a distance the ruins of Boyd Town and the relics of the now disused whaling station. Up-anchoring the next morning we again headed north and watch keepers on the bridge port side wing were ordered to observe and report the important lights along the coast of New South Wales, i.e. Green Cape, Montague Island, Point Perpendicular, Kiama and Macquarie just to name a few.

Sydney performed a number of overnight speed trials as she moved up the east coast, reportedly reaching 27 knots at one stage which is a great turn of speed for such a large ship. Watchkeepers on the outer wings of the bridge endured biting cold winds and sea spray coming up over the flight deck as the ship surged powerfully ahead. Entering Sydney Harbour, the ship’s company dressed ship, wearing their blue number one uniforms. Nashos lined the perimeter of the flight deck standing at ease facing out and took in the spectacular foreshore as we progressed down the harbour to berth at Garden Island Naval Dockyard.

It was very moving when the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge came into view and indeed a very proud moment for many of us, especially those on their first visit to Sydney. I couldn’t help thinking how the Diggers must have felt as they too saw this wonderful sight when returning home from WWII.

We spent a few days liberty in Sydney taking in the sights of the city and the night life of Kings Cross, attending a dance and generally having a great time. However, before we were given liberty we had the usual inspection process andthe obligatory lecture on expected behaviour and, unexpectedly, given advice regarding the consequences of becoming involved with Sydney’s notorious prostitutes. Without going into too much detail this lecture left most of us with no thoughts of ever becoming mixed up with ‘ladies of the night’, however those who may be tempted were given the option of taking a Navy ‘blue light outfit’.

At night we bedded down at ‘Johnnies’, aka the ‘Snake Pit’, which was an establishment for Navy personnel when on leave in Sydney providing dormitory style beds, meals (scran) and a wet canteen. Melbourne had a similar establishment next to the Exhibition Building in Carlton, just north of the city, called the ‘White Ensign Club’, aka ‘Screamers’.

Whilst at liberty in Sydney, following a heavy night out, I managed to get myself into terrible strife. Two of us liberty men got separated from the group and were walking down Castlereagh Street ‘skylarking’ when we were picked up by the NSW Police, taken to Central Police Station and locked up overnight at the watch house with a number of civilians who were also the worse for wear. During the night a fight broke out and we became involved and by morning our clean white number six uniforms were in quite a mess and covered with blood and dirt. Next morning, we were escorted into the Magistrates Court by police and received a thorough dressing down by the magistrate. A Sydney Sub-lieutenant represented us in court and we were released without charge into the custody of Naval Police (Crushers) and escorted back to the ship.

Back on board Sydney we were paraded as ‘Captain’s Defaulters’ in front of the ship’s company and given another very serious dressing down by Captain Mesley, receiving the penalty of loss of leave for two weeks and also docked a day’s pay. The Captain’s dressing down is seared into my memory never to be forgotten but fortunately this is the only blemish that appears in my otherwise good record of service.

Leaving Sydney, we headed out of harbour and back down the east coast on our way to Melbourne during which Sydney performed a number of exercises in conjunction with other ships of the fleet, i.e. refuelling and mail transfers. On one occasion HMAS Anzac, a Battle class destroyer, performed a number of manoeuvres in tandem with Sydney including personnel exchanges. Coming broadside on, a line was shot over and a cable hauled across supporting a boson’s chair similar to the refuelling exercise to enable the transfer. Completing the exercise, Anzac powered away like a speed boat performing a tight 180-degree turn to starboard leaving Sydney in her wake. Arriving back in Melbourne we berthed at Station Pier, Port Melbourne, disembarked and boarded a train back to HMAS Cerberus.

Sporting Events

As an initiative, the 1951 National Service Training Officer, Commander R.T. Power RAN, instigated inter-class sportscompetitions between classes for each intake. The perpetual trophy, named the ‘Staff Officers and Instructors Shield’, had a smaller shield added with each intake’s winning class number and rating and the shield was then presented to thewinning team. This generated very keen competition and the shield remains on display at the comprehensive and historic HMAS Cerberus Museum.

It was football season when we returned to Cerberus after our service at sea and the training staff organised Aussie Rules and Rugby teams made up of Nashos to compete between themselves and teams from the local areas as well as the base’s regulars, which provided us with a welcome break from the daily training routine. This was where we exactedrevenge on the perpetrators of the taunts received when we first arrived at the Depot.

A number of Burke II intake’s recruits were talented Aussie Rules footballers who later became champion players in the Victorian Football League, therefore we had no trouble in delivering a no-holds barred sound thrashing, especially to the regulars.

There were also relay race competitions and teams of swimmers and cross-country runners were selected to compete in organised events, swimming in the cold water of the outdoor pool and running across and around the base. Being involved with both Aussie Rules football and athletics I managed to be selected and competed in both events.

 

Major Parades at Cerberus and the Final Passing-out Parade

There were several major parades apart from Friday Divisions, Sunday Church parades and payday parades during our time at Cerberus including inspections by the base Commander, Commodore John Plunkett-Cole. The whole base turned out in blue number one uniforms and marched across the parade ground to the accompaniment of the Cerberus band playing the Royal Navy’s Hearts of Oak and our Australian favourite Waltzing Matilda.

Pay day parades involved forming up in classes and marching smartly forward when our names were called, saluting the Paymaster Officer, removing and upturning our caps to receive our pay, then stepping back, turn and march back to our classes.

One special parade was held for the visit by the acting Minister for the Navy, the Honourable Senator John Grey Gorton MP, representing the Minister the Honourable Charles Davidson MP. A very large contingent of navy personnel and Nashos participated and the Nasho Ceremonial Guard formed part of the welcoming ceremony. John Gorton was a fighter pilot during WWII with a distinguished flying record and became a very popular politician. In 1958 he became Minister for the Navy and held this portfolio until 1963. In 1968, after he moved from the Senate to the House of Representatives, he became Australia’s 19th Prime Minister.

Our Final Day and Class Farewell Dinner

When it became known that we were the very last intake of Navy Nashos a lot of undercover planning got underway regarding the sort of shenanigans we could get up to as a fitting finale to our time with Her Majesty’s Senior Service. We put our heads together to plan some activity that would leave us punishment free.

The night before we were to be shipped back to civilian life to resume our former mundane lives and occupations we got up to a number of relatively harmless pranks. Two small but very heavy antique cannons that stood guard at the entrance to the administration block were hauled away and placed prominently outside J Block guarding the Nasho mess and I have to admit to being part of this prank. A heavy whaler was manhandled across the parade ground and launched into the indoor swimming pool, and scran trays from the mess were also thrown into the pool. The Commodore’s pennant was hauled down from outside the administration block and replaced with a makeshift Jolly Roger. Inexplicably a skeleton escaped from the sick bay and was said to be found sitting in training officer LEUT Alan Beaumont’s office chair with an obituary tied around its neck ‘In memory of our training officer who worked himself to the bone for us Nashos‘.

It would be naive to think that past intakes hadn’t got up to similar shenanigans and that the Navy was unaware we would be up to pranks, therefore before we could depart we were ordered to restore our handiwork back to its former state. Fortunately there was no damage.

Boarding the train after a final inspection in our blue number one uniform square rig we headed for home. Class SN1 and some of the training personnel met later that evening for a farewell dinner at a Melbourne hotel. On discharge the only requirement we were obliged to meet, apart from being available for call-up for overseas service if required for the next four and a half years, was to send the Navy an annual report card advising our state of fitness to serve and any change of address.

Navy National Servicemen’s Memorial

In 2005, as a result of an initiative by the Victorian NSAA in conjunction with its Mornington Peninsula sub-branch and the RAN, a special Memorial to Navy Nashos rose garden was installed opposite the Memorial Chapel of St Mark at Cerberus. The memorial was unveiled on 11 September by Victorian NSAA President Douglas Black and Cerberus Commanding Officer Captain R.W. Richards RAN. It was a very special day for navy National Servicemen and several hundred Nashos and their families attended and, following a march, a commemoration service was held in the Memorial Chapel of St. Mark to celebrate our service. The service was conducted by Victorian NSAA Chaplain, Gordon Hoskins, and Navy Chaplain, Andrew Constance. The guest speaker was the Honourable Greg Hunt MP, Federal Member for Flinders. In conjunction with the navy, the Mornington Peninsula Sub-branch holds an annual march and service at the Memorial in September each year.

Acknowledgements

This project started out as a memoir of my Navy National Service for handing on to our children and grandchildren. However, after extensive enquiries I found, to the best of my knowledge, that the history of navy Nashos has never been fully documented. I decided therefore to expand it to add further interest and include details of Post WWII Conscription (National Service), a brief history of the main Nasho-training base Cerberus and the ships of the Fleet that were used for seagoing training.

Receiving encouragement and support from the former NavyNashos and many others, this is the result.

Obtaining acceptance for National Service with the Navy, HerMajesty’s Senior Service, was almost impossible unless the applicant had either a serving or former family member in the navy or was a Naval Cadet and I have empathy with those whonominated a preference for the Navy at their initial Nasho interview but were given no choice but the ‘Pongos’ (Army).Fortunately, I had the advantage of having a close relative, E.W. (Jake) Linton, who joined the Navy as a recruit seaman in 1952 and became a Navy Clearance Diver, and I’m much indebted to Jake for providing my entry into the Navy and for his valuable assistance and advice with this project.

Although I was unaware at the time of joining Sydney for my sea service, I was surprised to find that Jake was also aboard as part of the ship’s Clearance Diving Team. Jake went on to have a long and outstanding career as a clearance diver, serving many ships and establishments as well as operational service in Viet Nam and command of HMAS Curlew. Commander E.W. (Jake)Linton BEM MCD RAN retired in 1986.

Also by Robert Stephenson.

Nasho News articles published in Queensland’s NSAA Newsletters:

• HMAS Sydney II – Gone but Never to be Forgotten. Issue 115, March 2014.
• HMAS Cerberus –Navy Nasho Memorial. Issue 119, February 2015.
• February 19th, 1942 – WWII came to Australia – Issue 122, November 2015.