N.Z. Navy Steals Show On Waterfront

Chronicle (Levin), 30 September 1949, Page 5

N.Z. Navy Steals Show On Waterfront

AUCKLAND, Sept. 29. For two hours today the Navy stole the Port of Auckland from its everyday population of merehant ships. The eruiser and frigat>8 of the New Zealand Squadxon, presented Aucklander^ with one of the finest naval shows in the harbour history as they passed upstream in meticulous line ahead, changed formation into line abreast, turned into the wind and tide and dropped anchor along the full length of the busy waterway from Stanley Point to Queens Parade. It might have been a war scene re-enacted. After spending five days at Great Barrier, the six ships of the squadron Teturned briefly to Auckland to embark volunteer reserve men before exercising with the Boval Australian Navy. The warships left later for Australia and the squadron, commanded by Captain D. Hammersley Johnston in the Beltona, will reach Sydney on Alonday. The exercises with the Australian Fleet will begin at JerviB Bay on Thursday and will continue for about six weeks. After visiting Hobart, the New Zealand ships, with the exception of the Tutira, will return to Auckland on November 24. The Tutira is to proceed independently to Wellington before making a voyage to the Campbell Islands. Over 100 ratings from the Naval Volunteer Reserve divisions in the four main cities, joined the ships before they sailed for Australia. It was probably the largest group of ratings in the Dominion 's history to go to sea for annual training. The civilian sailors were saturated before" they reached their shipboard messes. This experience and the prospect of a stormy voyage up the northern coast, were accepted with ironie good humour as an appropriate introduc.tion to the first voyage. Five Volunteer Reserve officers were included in the party.