IN HOME WATERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 270, 11 August 1919, Page 5

IN HOME WATERS

I H.M.A.S.'SYDNEY RETURNS. The lean grey cruiser which has carried the namo of the capital city of Now South Wnlos abound tho world, nnd whose ono big engagement put the e.-uno Sydney into the mouth of the, Englishspeaking world, slipped quietly back tho other day into. the harbour which she left over four years ago, says the Sydney "Dnily Telegraph." H.JI.A.S. Sydney is home again. At 3 o'clock she passed in through the Heads. A few ferry boats tooted. As sho steamed down the harbour a few more took, up tho welcoming sound. Tho GovernorGeneral gave a welcoming salute from his launch, and Captain Glossop from another boat greeted his old comin'nud. Then the Sydney turned in towards Garden Island, and she had.picked up iier moorings and been berthed before fcjdney realised .that her namo-sake hau come back. That the welcome was not more enthusiastic was scarcely the fault of tho people. The cruiser was not expected until after 4 o'clock; and anyway »io turned aside just before she got far enough down tho harbour to get a real welcome. It was in Farm Cove that sho was generally expected to moor. People lined the whll which fronts tho Domain. They swarmed about Man-o'-war Steps. They invaded all the wharves. along to the end of Fort Macquarie. But all they could seo where the masts of tho Sydney, which woro incessantly pointed out by patient water policemen. It is n long time since the Sydney rid the world of the Emden in the 'uomorable engagement of Coeos Island, when the Gorman raider was driven Ashore, splintered and in (lames. The ship was changed very much since then. She is not the same > old Sydney at all. Her officers are, with two exceptions, not '.lie men who sailed with her in tnese engagement—though it is only fair to say tt-at _ tho officers of the Royal Navy aboard' her now are scarcely less proud of iier deeds than those who saw ner tlnougli the fight. Captain Cayley commands tile Sydney now. The two officers with him who took part in the Emden engagement are Lieutenant-Commander L'opo and Lieutenant-Commander Garsia. A visitor might search the ship (or a long time before he found evidences of the Emden fight. The damaged steelwork lias nil been replaced. But two pieces of plate which the Emdcn's shells pierced have been framed and hung in tho ship, and right proud officers and crew are of tho trophies. In one or two places, however, are marks of tho -fight. • Ac one walks the decks, if ho bo observant, he will find an occasional patch cf ' cement let into the planking. The ..cement covers ploccs wuere the wood , was shattered by flying steel splinters.