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Here Are Some Memories From The Past, ( “Action Stations In Townsville”) And Especially For Those Of Us Who Were On Taranaki Back In 65/66 ( Russel, Mike, John, & Eric)
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 1:04 PM (4 hours ago)
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Here are some memories from the past, and especially for those of us who were on Taranaki back in 65/66 ( Russel, Mike, John, & Eric)
A copy of the RAN Navy News. and our escapades in Townsville.
One exception to the narration, is that the painted Kiwi was not holding a Kangaroo’s tail but depicted as be roved up fully 2 blocks up a Kangaroo…
( I remember Keith Michael lecturing the students, in saying if they were infitrators and 3 -4 weeks earlier.. they would have all been Shot !! so count yourselves very lucky)
All the best for 2013 to one and all.
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
Have one for me
Cheers
Bas
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3:33 PM (1 hour ago)
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Further Taranaki’s “Action in Townsville”
This is an account by LREM Tug Wilson.
The shore patrol a Petty Officer and one other rank ,spent the afternoon going from bar to bar checking with landlords to see if they had any drunken sailor problems and co-ordinate with the local Police, neither had any complaints , a very quite day .
Late afternoon the Patrol returned to the ship reported the situation to the bridge and then released to have a meal.
But the Patrol had further instructions and that was not to get out of their No.1’s and webbing as they would probably be require later.
While the Patrol was roaming the streets the HMNZS Taranaki Rugby team were playing and teaching them an advance course on how rugby should be played in other words James Cook University Rugby team lost badly ,gerzumped!
At dusk students numbers were building up at the wharf entrance, the total number estimates vary between 200 to 350-400.
They started moving down the wharf and at this stage the SHORE PATROL was called to the Bridge both Capt Saul and the Jimmy were there to brief the SHORE PATROL, and then the patrol was dispatched to face the students .
At dusk students numbers were building up at the wharf entrance, the total number estimates vary between 200 to 350-400.
They started moving down the wharf and at this stage the SHORE PATROL was called to the Bridge both Capt Saul and the Jimmy were there to brief the SHORE PATROL, and then the patrol was dispatched to face the students .
The Petty Officer took his patrol and confronted the students around about the bow’s of Taranaki. The Petty Officer approached the leader of the student and asked him what purpose such numbers were heading towards the ship while the other patrol member had his webbing belt off ready to use it as a weapon..Well the students reply was the RUGBY MATCH ,”your team played ours and we got beat by a large score and we have come down here to present your ship with a plaque to comemerate that ocassion.
Petty Officer of the Patrol said to the student leader “give us a look!!!!! Student leader handed this flimsy plywood shield object.
Petty Officer of the Patrol said to the student leader “give us a look!!!!! Student leader handed this flimsy plywood shield object.
Petty Officer of the Patrol broke this shield over his knee(it snapped in half very easily) then threw the two pieces over the side of the wharf (Litterer). students front row stood there quite stunned but the Patrol had already started to back away towards the gangway, when there was a gap of about 15 metres
The Petty Officer and patrol turned and ran back to the gangway as soon as Patrol was back onboard L\S Scouse McC had the gangway back onboard to prevent student invasion. by this time the action on the wharf side had started “repell boarders”fire hoses at full blast ,the spud locker was open.
The SHORE PATROL made its way back to the bridge still in darkness while the Jimmy was manning a fire hose , a couple of settle down Jimmy came from the Captains direction as a dingy was paddling its way towards the ship in the dark .
The SHORE PATROL made its way back to the bridge still in darkness while the Jimmy was manning a fire hose , a couple of settle down Jimmy came from the Captains direction as a dingy was paddling its way towards the ship in the dark .
This was the real purpose of the attack was to paint the 1960’s sign of the times on our ships side .That being the Pink Panther Stick figure in black paint.
When the dingy was within range spot\ 20″signal lamp illuminated the dingy, fire hoses swamped it, spuds found their target, dingy crew tried to retreat but it was quite funny watching them trying to turn a 3\4 swamped dingy around..
The action on the wharf was very amusing there were a few railway wagons near the ship but not enough for all the students to hide behind for shelter from the fire hoses.
The week before a British got the same treatment theirs was white pink panthers on their black Hull. I heard rumours that while this was happening a couple of ours boys visited the unprotected JCU Campus with some SHIPSIDE GREY PAINT,someone else may be able to confirm this rumour.
You may ask how do I know all this?? ? ? .. well it was about this stage I put my Webbing belt back on.
There were no medals issued for this action so I guess the NZOSM will cover it !!!.
And of course there was PO. Gerry Marlow PRI., his account also.
The other event of note was the warning from the local constabulary that it was university “rag week” and a paint bomb, come graffiti attack, could be expected. The anti-Vietnam War movement was in full swing and any warship, even a New Zealand one, was a predicable target. During the evening the fire hoses were laid out around the upper deck and connected. The ship’s company were informed of the possibility of a raid and the duty part of the watch was told they might be required at short notice later in the evening. From dusk a lookout was posted on the seaward side of the bridge and told to stand well back from the bridge windows so as not to be seen. The Quartermaster, Bosun’s Mate and Duty Petty Officer were instructed not to go to the outboard side in case their presence discouraged any would be “attackers” from chancing their arm. Sure enough at 2230 the bridge lookout reported three dinghies and a raft-like craft approaching the ship. When they got to within 50 metres the Officer of the Day warned them to keep clear and then retired to the other side. At 20 metres the doors flew open and the Duty Watch, with great gusto, manned the fire hoses and at full force delivered a wall of water from five points, the result, chaos in the harbour. What had more than infuriated the seamen was that they had spent most of the day over the side on stages washing down in preparation for a quick paint job the next day so we could look “tiddley” for out arrival in Auckland. Next morning a large crowd of students arrived at the wharf to protest the treatment they had received. The police were also there and appeared to be rather happy at the outcome of the previous night’s events.
The Captain, Commander Keith Michael Saul, stood at the top of the gangway and when all was quiet he informed the students that they should consider themselves lucky as if they had approached the ship in this manner some five to six weeks before when Taranaki had been on anti-infiltration patrols off the North Borneo coast, they would have been fired on and if swimming would have been hand grenaded.
Perhaps it gave them something to think about – but who knows, and one wonders if any of them recall the incident now?
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