134 CHALLENGER 



jubilation onboard. The following letter from the Flag Officer, 

 East Africa, speeded Challenger on her way to the Cape. 



Office of the Flag Officer 



East Africa 

 Royal Naval Base, Kilindini. 

 The Commanding Officer, 

 H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



On your leaving Kilindini I wish to express to you, and the Officers and 

 Men serving under you, my appreciation of the work carried out by H.M.S. 

 Challenger during recent months. 



2. — The survey work carried out during this period will be of the utmost 

 value to ships of the Eastern Fleet, and the expeditious manner in which so 

 many charts have been produced is worthy of the highest praise. 



3. — I hope that your forthcoming refit period will provide an opportunity 

 for Officers and Men to take leave which has been well earned. 



4. — The numerous survey marks in the vicinity of Kilindini Harbour will 

 probably remain a constant memorial to your activities. 



C. Stuart, 



Rear Admiral. 



A few were left behind under Lieutenant Gordon to form the 

 Kilindini Surveying Unit, for dredging and the building of new 

 wharves would necessitate many corrections to the E.F. charts 

 as time went by, (General Gordon was once again serving in 

 Challenger, in which ship he finally spent seven years of his life 

 as a naval surveyor.) 



There had been frequent U-boat scares when on these lone 

 voyages and while the ship was steaming down from Kilindini to 

 the Cape the Commander-in-Chief attempted to divert her as, 

 according to sinking reports, she was sailing right into a pack of 

 submarines ; but this diversion signal never reached Challenger who 

 at that very moment was busily attacking a whale which she had 

 located with her asdic gear and had mistaken for a U-boat. 



Later she passed right through the centre of a cyclone in the 

 southern end of the Mozambique Channel. It was late at night and 

 the trucks of both masts and yardarms were sizzling with St. 

 Elmo's fire. There was no wind at the cyclone's centre but the 

 ship rolled drunkenly in the huge confused seas which came at 

 her from all directions. Suddenly the wind rose again and with 

 a swishing sound the lashings at the bottom of the protective 



