The Battle of Gizo
by Rob Kothe on 11 Jun 2001
Battle of Gizo. Children in the Sail Past - 2001 Brisbane to Gizo race Al Constable
The highlight of Vaka Tepe week, which loosely translates as Race Week for the people of the Western Solomons, was undoubtedly the Battle of Gizo.
Originally planned as a Sail Past, with the entire Brisbane to Gizo fleet laden with school children the blistering mid-day sun soon turned a gentle outing into a full-scale naval battle.
Captain Lynn Smith aboard cruiser Overdraft instigated the battle of the Gizo, launching a surprise battle on the -destroyer Drina spraying the enemy aboard with deck wash hoses. Then all the ships went to Battle stations, their pint sized crew sirening 'Whoop, whoop whoop', The patrol boat Take Time rushed at Overdraft using buckets and halyard.
Balloon bombs from the German corvette On Top, delivered telling blows to the French frigate Bushranger II and the veteran Payne class racer Cherana, but the Melbourne destroyer Sorbent Helsal II outgunned them all with their long range hoses.
Thankfully the battlefield casualties were limited to dye running T shirts, and all the combatants came ashore for lunch.
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