The Battle of Poverty Bay

A hostile submarine in peaceful Poverty Bay? We know you'll find that hard to believe, and we cannot show you pictures of it, because like all good hostile submarines, it was out of sight beneath the surface. But you can see for yourself the deadly effect of the Blackpool's antisubmarine mortars (left) as the big shells explode under water.

Pictures were taken during a simulated submarine tracking and attack exercise observed by Gisborne visitors at the conclusion of the ship's recent visit.

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An officer points out the likely trajectory of the mortar shells, fired from the stern over the ship's bow.

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Wake is graphic illustration of high-speed manoeuvring of ship to avoid torpedoes.

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With the ship cruising at 20 knots, this is about as close as a shell can explode without damaging the hull.

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Farewell to the Blackpool after a memorable visit to Gisborne.