NAVAL PAGEANT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 601, 1 September 1909, Page 8

NAVAL PAGEANT.

!48 WARSHIPS IN THE THAMES. "' LONDON'S tyELCOME. ; " MAGNIFICENT'SPECTACLE..,. London, July 24. Unprecedented enthusiasm was aroused 'in, London by the visit of the great fleet, which: on Saturday, July 17, ,topk up its position from Westminster to beyond the Nore. The arrival of the main body at Southend, was'a spectacle of almost indescribable grandeur. The -great, feature of' the fleet was .that ,it was a war force,'complete in all its''details. From' Westminster to the Nore-tho fleet hum-' bered 148 of air types','and .the anchorage oxtended for over fifty miles. . The fleet has, been paraded for its owners' inspection, and the people of London have seized-eagerly' on the chance' to inspect.the' steol walls, which make their security. It has'been essentially a people's parade. From the very poorest, everybody in London' has had /a ■ chance of seeing something'of the great fleet." Southend was the centre of, the display. A mighty river of people flowed back' and forth there every day during the review. From early morning untjl after noon special trains have carried thousands,.;and yet more thousands. Steamers added to the;flood; and the roads'were thick'with cyclists, drivers, and motorists/ 'I .-■'•'•■ '.'■ . '"•.-'■ .. i '■■' How tho GreatTloot Camo to Southend. ' ' The v special correspondent of the; "Daily Mail", writes'-from" SoutHerid:.—'*' ..; Tho people of Southend witnessed on Saturday a, naval spectacle, the like of which cannot easily bo paralleled. Nothing is more impressive' pr magnificent' than' the arrival of a'great' fleet at its anchorage—tho simultaneous; movement of'a host of steel'monsters, in perfect order and. with intervals of mathematical regularity to fixed on' the chart beforehand. It is a thing fascinating 1 to watch, wonderful to sec accomplished—as on this ■ occasion—with absolute precision and perfection.. Only a well-trained Hoot handled by consummate'seamen' is equal to such a feat as this. ."A single ship out of station spoils, the '.whoj'c / line,-, destroys • the effect, and yct,.as those •,vho have accompanied the fleet at sea know only too well, it is the .easiest "fifing in the world for.a ship, even in a : passable 'fleet, 'to get .out ,of- station.,"' The'J ■British. Navy, all of. our. race ;will agree, should be licyoiid: rivalry. : 'Aiid' T its; arrival.! enables it to clainv that proud commendation', for',-.its/-.manoeuvring. . The sights of tho day began "early. Overnight i thero.had'-gathered near the pierhead, the ■vantage, ground for the' spectator;'.'a group of'_ little'.craft. ./..There'..was'the torpedo-.depot: ship Hazard,, with, submarine. C3l- fast, alongside her—the.'inen of,the Submarines, sleep on.' board bigger; ships',, as .there is under service'•■'conditions.no. 'room ; for; them in, the cramped hull of the submarine.. There, was a grcoup of five torpedo-boats; and. there was'.the Admiralty yacht Surprise./ ,Soo'n after one o'clock there, was tho first distinct .sign of ; the coming, of. tho/fleet. .':• A small,' ; black .torpedcMioat of tho' oltl-fasliioilccl type,..lised. for; Carrying,"; mails and orders steamed .in from /the Nore. A.,few',hiinutes. later,, and. there ' looked to;, lie, a -strange thickening, in; the ;riusi -,in ; ,..the "direction whence .she had. comti....Then the-patoh of, darker colour jagaiiist jho-'grcy-sky tools, the shape, of,.a .-.triangle—a trianglo-.of .sliadb.WrV and';bebind it.could, be, seen at set and stated intervals otlier patches. . ;Two.minutes'more, an'd'.as if by, magic ah. array of. tripod masts" could- bo', seen, rising'.froin great, dark" huljs, with" faint traces ■ of. smoke hovering >,above. The Dreadnoughts were arriving;,,. And behind; them, followed an interminable line of tall masts Jaden'with fire-control/positions— 'the, sign ;and judication, of .a. great battle fleet. . ■ .'' ' .' .'••;' .'.'.' v , \ ;A/Statoly.Advanco. '■.'•■;' ,: ; ..the Dreadnought led; .arid in;that strange,' witchingilight she,looked .like,ah unsubstan-,' tial■'.shin- r a ship 'of''sha3o#.'leading" a; , pKa'n- f torn,"fleet.. ; The ;bijlk of hep.great .-bnlf.now showed'to-advantage. •■She''stood'-out. from the,"bost'sh'e : led'by her "single; big" tripod mast; behind her followed tho three'hewer ships of her class,.each ;with' its two gigantio tripod, structures,, tpworing aloft. No.,words can .describe ..'the stately'. dignity ...of • thoi, advance, as yory. -slowly, keeping ~ absolutely, perfect distance this group of mastodons, tho pride of our country, came' gently brush-' ing through/the oily sea. Astern of them now showed'the'great upper .works of. tho Lord Nelson and. Agamemnon, .with three smaller ships, and then the trio of superb Invincibles, well worthy ,of .their name.'The silence and order of the approach were amazingly impressive. Not a 'sound was heard; no -salutes were firedj'.the. only, sign that it. was not all enchantment was tho occasional cheering in some "Hurrah-boats," as our'/Navy; calls' the; tourist steamers- laden with spectators. It was a scene which gripped the mind and stirred the / blood' like that silent advance which ; in days of old ( marked the last mqments, /when a British •fleet was closing on- its enemy. ■■.'•• As' the ■anchors' went down' the 'ships.''seemed' to start into -life. Huge booms . were swuiig out., fo'r ; ; the boats,.-'. accommodation 'ladders: went down.'as, if by'-, magic; tho gigantic derricks used.for ho'isting.'oiit boats got /to' work. Almost'before, one/knew'that the fleet was at anchor.boats,from the warship3',wero. beginning' to' scurry .to and,' fro in the anchorage.": Strings' of signals floated ' to 'the Dreadnought's big- mast;/hersoma-' phorcs. worked/continuously," and. flags and semaphores in the, other; ships and on, tho pier responded.': And now. past b.er.Bwung two-big'^ships, tho Blenheim: arid Blake, to tako. thoir; station ahead of-her','.,'at the van. of .tholong line. ' As they.'. :carbe, by, the bugles, sounded.and 'the men on'/deckfadod .toward the side and saluted,.as is the way isf the Navy." After the' two big.; ex-firat' class .'.cruisers, .once' fine, .fightingv ships, but no.iy'turned to subsidiary, uses. in tne.ser- ' vice', 1 , appeare'd'.the Bonaventure," the mbthership' of submarines, -fresh from her sad work, in/attempting, to aid, the sunken .Cll/and an.'interminaole;'host of submarines. After the.,submarines,followed an immense procession of : destroyers; painted dead 'black, pouring forth smoke, in double, line. ■ They,.too, moved, with the precision which.-is the boast of the. Britisfi Navy..- /And.'for-some-two hours it was a constant procession of ships —ships of every kind and size, from the 18,60U-ton Bellerophon and her sisters to the little ''submarine's.'. '.'■ A sight so' touching and so moving ,in its' majesty, and' beauty man has.seldom seen. / .;■ ; ...

■..',•'■■■.■.' Scenos at Southend.'' On:Snnday (July 18) the ships were . Stforownopen'to the.public, and by nightfall estimated that 200,000 people had seen and-visited the ships at anchor-r-shipa air wearing their-fighting colour, unbroken. array Vfrom well above. Southend to out beyond the Nore lightship. Of, course, ovw-ybbdy wanted to '. see the: Dreadnought battleships.;; They-are four in'nuihber-r-the' Dreadnought, Bellenophon/' Superb," and Temeraire—all lying' near Southend Pier,' and very conspicuous objects. The Dreadnought could be easily distinguished,: as'she has one big'tripod mast between' two largo ' low, funnels, and another' much smaller mast aft.".The other ,threo have each two colossal tripod masts of equal height, .placed one in front of each funnel. ,Tbo tripod masts- are fitted because they- are'less likely to-be shot, away by a single.'lucky shell than the old pattern 'of : ma'st v The';essential feature of, these,'ships is that, they carry only, heavy gun's, except 'for., th'eir; 'anti-torpedo-boat weapons,-and that thoy can fire eight 12in. guns, "discharging a monßte'r shell 3ft.; long and weighing • 8501b.; on ; . either broadside. They* fire six 12in. guns ahead'! , No other battleship m the. fleet oan :. fire more than four 12in. guns on the side or:two ahead.and asteni. That is why the Dreadnought has, ma'do older ships obsolete, -and why-we must have more of hor:iype. Next' in point of ■ interest l to, the. spectators were the wonderful Dreadnought cruisers—the Indomitable; Inflexible, and Invincible.' Thej , could be identified by their immense size, thoir two high tripod masts placed wide apart, and their three squat funnels. They ' are the fastest armoured cruisers in: She world, and are really Dreadnoughts'in which there are two fowor 12in. guns and some' what.thinner armour. But they can steam between; twentjSfive: and twenty-eight knots. Indeed, the Invincible, the •" -fastest, of 'the '■' ..trio,'• claims • to: ; have done --aeftgK' 'I ihu4^lawM...te_fpng L j}inu^,

■In and out tho fifteen miles of.warships off Southend craft of every description picked their way. each day, packed with excited spectators—smart steam naval picket boats, rowing and sailing /boats, private yachts, innumerable excursion l steamers—a panorama glowing with life and colours; with ■ the crowded, and . beflaggod' soa-front of Southend as a background. ' At night tho town;has been'.illuminatod, and brilliant disp ays of fireworks given. Orio of tho 'most E|°.nous sights was when, the Dreadnought at dusk, broke, into white, fir©., "Her magnificent outlines were marked in lines of electricity.- .Lights twinkled from .her masts.to her water-line, and her fighting, tops were nests. V' fire.. ■■'' '■:'.:

; Admiral tho Lord ■ Mayor. '.

In dazzling'weather the' Lord Mayor of London inspected,; oh Tuesday (July 20), the armada of monstrous grey, .beflagged ■ ships under 'an' Italian sky upon -a sea which now with sapphire and how with : : emerald sUeen.. About noon tho'Lords of the Admiralty arrived without, fuss or/display in the yacht Enchantress. Tho Admiralty tug Itobust at the' pierhead awaited tlie'Lord ! Mayor and _ his party of ■' sixty. Two little elcctnc; trains 'rattled to tho head of the pier, • the Lord MayoCwas. received by a wlntc-capped lieutenant .with a •'•salute," and the Robust proceeded, slowly, to the Ehohantress where the party lunched as "the guests, of .the Admirals, V Sir John Fisher was on board;, his .bronzed, grey: face -was everywhere. -As .the;Ehchantress dressed: ship there came from the Dreadnought a flash,, .whiz, bang, and a.cloud.of smoke, and as if by. magic she. was. dressed' with 'gay flags. Before--the second of tho twenty-one guns every other ship.in the i huge.fleet was dressed.; Far. as the eye could ;seo, radiant of colours rose ,to the mast-head. The brasswork and tho reflection of the searchlights -shone dazzling from the sombre hulls, which .now. looked filae' in the noonday sun. About. 2.30 the Robust, - with the Lord Mayor's party, got'under, way; to i o t>\ S trip rou ™ tho'/fleef.'.'Behind the Robust fallowed, a great..'concoursp of tugs and- excursion steamers.'. As she camo. ahead of the' Bellerophon the warship's band played .a stave of "Rule-Britannia," her sides; : wcro manned with■: motionless blue .figures, in ..straw, hats, and officers in white cap-covers; only; amidships ';w"as/ there-i a sp.ash of- brilliant scarlet against the. grey, of.™ upper works, wbere j the incomparable ■'.'soldiers.-and sailors, too'"of; the marines,' pKsenting.;arnis, wero. marshalled/'Past the stern of the Superb—a' ship worthy of her name-rrpast the 1 . Temeraire', past; tho older ;warships: and cruisers, the' Lord 'Mayor pro-, •ceeded in state,.-to,-turn••■in. between the. In-'.] Jloxible and-Invincible.: •Everywhere'the same niotionlsss;.figures, 'everywhere ; thc'samnl snatohos.ofV.'Rule. Britannia.!' Now, the Robust headed.for: the: Dreadnought, to,place her. guests "on ■ board the flagship . for-..the mimic, attack.,.,'; : ; v.; i ~>,/■;.■.•.:'.■.. ;!■, ..... ;• ; ■ With.', a splash the grey. torpedo-nets of the .Bellerophon.'•wore lUn.fuiled.aiid dropped.;to the water.edge.' Then; tho great booms.'lyhich .carried ■ them -moved gently down, -immersing tho; nets,, i. and tho booms.'were ,swuiig .out. "■Out'inets". in some'i twenty\seconds—splendid work. ; r'Tho Te'mcraire, followed suit, .and with "a . cloud ~ of ; brown-.'dust.' tho : Dread-. •nought's nets."went, down. \" ; ."' . Betwcbn! the .'lines cahje six": coal-black destroyers at swinging pace.; Their, prows cut tho greehvsea- to .white' foam:.'•' they carried each i V'borio in -• their ..teeth.'.'-... First: came the Clierwell, 4hen'the Swale,-the'Dec, and' ,the:Ettrick.', .'/ .' "v","'-"•, /-/'; : .■'■';' ■

■'/'/';/:,.- Attach/bl* ,Subtn.aririoß.;;;,; /,.•,;,'• /The Che'rwell made :.a., beautiful 'shot, itthe foot:of the Dreadh'ought's; mast.'. There was a .crack .very littlo',louiler_'than. tKo-'shbt'.of a ,pistol,—a splash,'and. the" : glittcring. White-, head,; .'sising.- .0nc0,,-to.''■the.' surface,' before taking-••the. depth, flew straight "as an arrow to the- target, ;'.and„ buffeted,,/smpkirig': and flaming, against, the '•'■ steel -torpedo, netting.ITie submarines followed., First came threo boats—C2s, C 24, and C26—above the surface, each with four or five men in: white jumpers, ,uluo': trousers,/, and high. sea-boots standing at;attention on the'tihy.deck forward, and : lyith an .officer 'and man -Working' the boat on top ,^f':'th6'f cottnihE;:/tower/ / B'' Tlien : came'; three' submarines''in diviag'jhfim, with' only; ,the conning towers- above. water,', throwing .up •a white cloud, of spray:.' One of,.the. three boats' 'dived opposite'.,the ;Drea'dnought ; till, only' the, tip of her periscope "showed. -As. she,■ : motored .off the/pageant': closed, there was a rush of, steamers .to the pier-head; an .eager competition to -sec who; would' be' first ashore, :and an 'day;"was over. Forthe first time in-;modern history the authorities -.' of;: the capital, of, the.,' Empire , had paid an official 'visit io. the greatest British Fleet,' ;', -/:.■/:'■-.■,;:■'-./,-..-:-//•//,