§ 27. Major Sir B. FALLEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that H.M.S. "Donovan" was recently in home waters from Gibraltar; that the men were given no home leave on the plea that this ship was urgently required, at Gibraltar; that on the ship's return to Gibraltar she was immediately docked to have her boilers cleaned, and that she is still in dockyard hands; if he can say if this was the urgency requiring her presence at Gibraltar; if such boiler cleaning could have been as well and more economically performed in England and that her crew might then have had the advantage of home leave; if he will say if the engineer officer of the ship asked to be allowed to clean boilers in England; if the length of the passage from Gibraltar to England and from England to Gibraltar can be given as proof of the condition of the boilers; and if he will consider the possibility of some members of the crew of H.M.S. "Donovan" being detailed to bring H.M.S. "Brisk" home instead of sending out a crew from home to take this ship back, seeing that H.M.S. "Donovan" has, among other ratings, two senior petty officers in excess of her complement?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAAs I told my hon. and gallant Friend on the 2nd July, H.M.S. "Donovan" arrived in home waters on the 29th June and left for Gibraltar on the 1st July to continue her duties from that port. The ship was not docked to have her boilers cleaned, this being neither customary nor necessary. The ship is not in dockyard hands, having sailed for Oran, Bizberta, and Malta on the 17th July. Boiler cleaning is carried out by the ship's company periodically and on the completion of voyage, and would 1338 therefore have been carried out on return to Gibraltar as a matter of routine. As regards the last part of the question, we cannot undertake to detail members of the crew of the "Donovan" to bring the "Brisk" home; neither shall we send out a crew to bring that vessel home.