OFFICIAL Commando News Magazine Edition 15 2023

eight waves, most of them big. Three inches
of water were shipped by the time we
cleared the surf, and we became very
sluggish. We were sunk in this state coming
in..."
c) "Despite the apron, waves breaking over
the bows were filling the canoe. Sea and
wind were too high to risk removal of the
apron for bailing, so a run-in through the
surf was attempted with about three inches
of eater in the canoe. The first big surf
started to take the cane along nicely until
the water ran down into the bows which
were then driven under whilst the stern was
thrown completely over in a vertical plane.
d) “ came in slowly but safely backwards,
paddling forwards through the breakers,
and backwards in between".
e) “To attempt canoeing against the tide in a
river such as the Hawkesbury is to waste
energy. If time presses and it must be
attempted, then a speed of 1½ to 2 knots
could be obtained, but a wait until the tide
was fair would give 4½ to 5 knots, and at
little expense of energy. A good look-out
must be kept for tide rips in narrows, for
backwashes in bays and behind points, and
the river needs watching for the main
stream. The main stream is not necessarily
the quickest navigation. Above all allowance
must be made for leeway in a broad river as
in a three or four knot canoe leeway neg -
lected can add half as much again to the
distance."
f) Great difficulty was experienced, keeping
bow on behind the Boom piles to the
searchlight. A cross swell and cross tide
were running strongly”.
B. Canoe Vulnerability
The following are extracts from the Log:
a) Trials showed that canoes at full speed show a
phosphorescent blur and bow wave at 20 yards
distance; at slow speed not at all. at 20 yards
canoes are invisible on a dark night from other
canoe if the former is inshore against a dark
background. From inshore canoes are visible
from water level up to 50 yards on a black
night".
b) “Two left in the big canoe for Waratah Creek.
Found the boatshed active at 2200, getting a
Naval Auxiliary Patrol Launch ready for sea.
Crept in and past at a distance approximately
75 yards and out again, unseen”.
c) "The ability of canoes to creep up ANN (motor
boat) with two officers aboard her sea tested.
One canoe actually bumped ANN without
either of the officers having seen it. The night
was black and overcast and there was a slight
wind ruffling the surface of the water".
d) “HMS B…. anchored round the point to
westward of Refuge Bay, was by-passed at
approximately 150-200 yards, the canoes
passing inshore of the ship who was 2 cables
offshore. No canoe was sighted”.
e) Lessons learnt during various manoeuvres
(during attack on H.M.S. B were:
i Canoe silhouette it visible against the water
at 50 yards in dead still, oily calm water.
ii Approach from ahead, astern, or fine on
bows or quarter, is quite possible. It is
difficult from the beam.
iii The canoe is invisible from deck when
along side unless the observer is well
forward or astern; even than it is unlikely to
be seen.
iv Results in the main were encouraging. All of
the B…‘s ships company were agog and
watching; the canoer was not picked out by
the watch but by the captain’s second
steward at a range of 20 yards, in the initial
attack.”
f) 'Due to darkness considerable difficulty was
experienced in gauging the distance from the
ship. Canoes were within 100 yards whilst
thinking, they were outside 200 yards. They
were spotted by bow lookout … returned to the
attack. The two double canoes s were spotted
one within 15-20 yards, one about 5 yards off.
The single canoe succeeded in reaching the
bow anchor chain to which the canoer tied his
painter, and then drifted down the side. He
waited half an hour and found many fishing lines
hanging over the stern. He pulled each one up
in turn but found no fish but got caught in some
of the lines and last, the ensuing struggle made
considerable noise splashing about and was
spotted. The night was oily calm and bright
starlight - the worst possible conditions for
canoe attacks.
g) "Whenever possible on any but a pitch-sine
night reconnaissance canoes should not
approach suspected objectives within 50 yards.
From there reconnaissance should be done on
foot, if land conditions and landing conditions
permit".
h) "The searchlight played, and the canoes stayed
bows-om behind a snail yacht mooring buoy
and was undetected.”
i) All six canoes were sighted at distances varying,
from 30 to 5 yards from the ship. The phos -
phorescent track or the paddles and wake wase
visible even at dead slow speed at 30 yards
Lessons learnt were:
(i) On dead calm night phosphorescent glow
cannot be avoided by any means yet known
to us. On less still night’s, the surface
disturbance seems to minimise the danger
of being given away.
32 COMMANDO ~ The Magazine of the Australian Commando Association ~ Edition 15 I 2023