Quick Dips

Naval Woollens

The Navy has got some brand new woollens, but it's the ships, not the sailors, that are getting the finery. HMNZS Canterbury's recent refit saw all its old carpets, curtains and even bedding thrown away and replaced with specially-developed woollen products.

Jack Watt of the Wool Research Organisation says that tightly crimped wool in the mattresses means greater resilience, warmth and comfort. The crew like the new bedding, but safety and not comfort was the main aim of the wool refit.

During the Falklands war, the British Navy lost more men to toxic fumes than from battle, as dark choking fumes were given off by burning synthetic materials. Wool is far safer as it is fume-free and fire resistant, particularly when treated.

"It certainly is a vastly safer product than what the Navy has been using up (un)til now," Mr Watt says. Prison authorities and aircraft manufacturers are interested in the material, and there is good export potential.