Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/264/1 - 1914 - 1938 - Part 16

"Eurilla". SS. 13 May 1921. advised to steer 20 m. to
seaward of all dangers near Gabo I.

No restrns, but no responsbty.

Cape Flattery mine. Case for w^d after mine destd.
for Specimen at Torpedo school.

Admty 2 Oct 1919 wired: w regard to mines not accounted
for this is reasonable percentage in view of
age of minefield & exposed positn. It is
understood tt 2 100 per cent searches have
already bn carrd out in all. For how long 
do you anticipate this restrictn necy.
If for protracted period suggest desirabilty
re sweep w local resources.
↑To admty 1st Oct 1919.
728. Your 543. Minefield swept by 3 sweepers. The
Area searched with 100 per cent sweeps. One mine
found. 9 unaccounted for. In view of depth of
water & irregularity of bottom consid^d it ws
advisable desirable to issue recdation observing
maximum increase of voyage 6 miles.
Oct 24. 572 from admty request reply to admty tel B25 551 2 Oct.
Aus: Oct 25: to admty. Yr 572. see 728. Reccdtn not
binding but advisory. No means of sweeping at present.
one drifting mine discoverd in vicinity Oct 10^th
26 Sept. Admty 521 (1620) Agst suggestn - due to  as voyages would be extended. Says G mines dont drag their
moorings. Result elsewhere to date show tt
field may be crossed when field & its vicinity
closely accurately & sufficiently swept. This understood
to have bn done.
25 Sept Board recommends tt ships shd give Cape Everard
20 m. berth for a year from date.
1 Oct:
1919 C.O. minesweepers repts areas shown on plans swept 100 per cent & rep^d clear.
26 Sept. 1919. Sloops to pay off on Stn & crews return to England soonest possible

Dove Is
16 Dec. 1919. Notificn at Rabaul from Defence.
Feb. 1920
Notice by G.G. Dec. 12, 1919.
(G. mine discd off Dove I. Gt. N.E.Channel, Torres Strs. CTorres Straits.
(G. mine at Cape Flattery near Cooktown, Q
[* (Apptly from
NZ & Bass St
mine fields)*]
"As all mines laid down have not been recovered by sweeping
others move may drift to T. Sts & Coral Sea."
£5 pd to Mosley Bros Torres St Thursd I
Dove I: Torres Sts Fresh Food & Ice Coy hired & insured a launch
(₤30) for this
G3M NE of Thursday I.
9 Dec. 1919. PM Foxton handed Lt Pillom a letter from Miss Y
Macfarlane tt mine seen floating by 2 abo^s. (the Mosley bros.)
They towed it to Dove I & rolled it above HWM.
Apptly in perfect order.
Cdnt be exploded tho' ^2cc blown up & alterly
destd by 2 explns of gun cotton.
Apptly from NZ &
Bass Sts minefields.
Navy office Bd. didnt know of existence of separate minefield
off Cape Everard till infn recd from admty from Gs.
Sweeping showed tt it did exist as rep^d by Gs.
2 Jan. Atkinson repts mine betw Bird & Hannibal Is.
East Coast of Cape York Peninsula
11.41½S. by 143.3½E.
[Mine Cat.3.30S  Long. 110.7E SS Attendant
(SW of Borneo)]
Cape Flattery mine washed ashore. Q. lent steamer John Douglas to
RAN to
destroy it.
22 Aug 1919. (Infn from a clergyman, Mr Schway. Mine on beach 7 m. S of Cape Flattery. 
one horn bent. swivel Pin of mooring swivel had come away. Cdnt explode by expln so burnt.
£10 pd to Master of Tarcoola ^(Capt Irvine) for mine dest^d 10. Oct 1919.
off Cape Everard. Lat. 38°18 S
Long 148150". 30E
√ 4 pm. 1st mate repd mine. Floating deep. Shot at w rifles.
2 mate struck horn & exploded mine. Ev
Cape Everard
₤10 pd to Master of Aeon for destrg a drifting mine ^on shipping track off Cape Everard.

Mine ws observed by Alex^r Woermann
Early in Jy 1919 22 m N of Gabo
 

 
Admty 26 Nov 18 inf^d cth that mines be as
follows off Cape Gabo
30 mines 7 metres deep in two lines
in vicinity of positns
37 deg. 46' S x 149.55E
37.54S x 149.30E
 

Mines found at.
1 x x Noosa Heads q.
11 May 1921 found by megarity case held at
Trewantin.
Burnt ashore
(Robert Megarity rolled it up / shore
& placed beside Mg.
Sat Evg 19 Feb 1921 mine found. (5 horns)
floating intact.
x 1 Camden Haven (stranded), Nov 1920 (abt 19 Feb 1920) F Holdrigge
Newcastle
500lb contact mine ^500^x S of Camden Haven Headland.
₤10 for a drifting mine
₤1 for a stranded one.
500^x S of Camden Haven Headland.
Found by 2 men fishing, and secured w  barbed wire
By size of
oysters on mine it had bn there 3-4 yrs. Burnt (after discovy) by someone unknown.
29 May. 
1920  Light H. keepers at Akaroa NZ heard 2 loud
explosions.
(? June 1920. 2 sloops sent to Montagu I to test a rept
((from Eden) of mines HMA sloops Marguerite & Geranium sent- (found nothing
(? 1 June x 1920. Rept 36.40 S 150.30E. (repd by SS Stockwell)
(Aslo SS Dundula ^24 May 1920 35 m. SE of Montagu I. 36°16 S. 150.33E. 16 m from
Montagu I also schooner Joseph Sims. (May 26).
(2 objects)
 

Evg 15 Jan. From C in C China.
Cunebertan Woolf Passgrs. news: Bottle found 9 Dec. off Toli Toli
in Celebes & forwd^d by Brit Consul for Batavia
Brit Germ. raider passed celebes this day 29 Aug.
Gabo Island mined.
15 Jan Admty asks for reliable repts of floating mines
in future.
Werribee is only one, Germs think.
Gunuundaal & Brolga found 2 Jan 3. near Gabo.
 

[*T.N.T. in tech*]
[*footnote
Trinitrotoluene
or trithnitrotoluol*]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE,
Jan 28. 27
Dear Bean,
Your N^o. 1687 - 24.1.27
Either form will serve but
you can avoid any question by using
the universally accepted T.N.T.
You have certainly seen 'trinitrotoluol'
because it is the international and
approved chemical form but the Admiralty
in their papers used ' trinitrotoluene'
which in a chemical sense is archaic.
Ordinarily the chemist has to pay
some attention to terminological
exactitude as by international usage
it has been made the clue to chemical
 

constitution but in this case of T.N.T.
there is no chance of misunderstanding.
Yours sincerely
A.S. Leighton
 

TELEPHONE:
CENTRAL 4780.
No ........
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE,
NAVY OFFICE.
MELBOURNE. 26 October, 1927.
Dear Bean,
NAVAL HISTORY.
Herewith is returned Volume IX, Chapter
XIII.
This has been censored by Sir George
Pearce and is in order. No alterations have been
made but attention has been drawn to repetition in
typing on pages 10 and 19.
On page 28 you refer to the Millions
handled by the Transport Branch in London and it
occurs to me that the name of one man needs mentioning
in the history of the Transport Branch, i.e. the
name of Mr. Ralph Abercrombie who acted as Director
of Navy Accounts from December, 1914, all through
the War, and was responsible for the accounting of
about 50 millions of money during the war period.
I suggest that a paragraph be added at the foot of
page 28 somewhat in this sense:
"The large financial transactions due to
transport operations, cargo carrying and
the employment of ex enemy vessel, both as
passenger vessels and cargo carriers, were
brought to account in the Navy Office,
Melbourne, under the supervision of the
Acting Director of Navy Accounts, Mr. Ralph
Abercrombie.
This task- an unusual one for a Navy
Office - was performed in a manner beyond
praise."
Yours sincerely,
GL Macandie
C.E.W. Bean, Esq.,
Official War Historian,
Victoria Barracks,
SYDNEY.