BRITAIN’S NAVY.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 November 1923, Page 1

BRITAIN’S NAVY.

REVIEW AT SPITUEAD. LONDON, November 3. Miles upon miles ol ships of every shape and size represented Great Britain's might at the Spit head review. Representatives of the Dominions declared that the evidence of sea-pow-er us given by tins mighty licet witsomething that they couhl never forget . Mr Bruce pointed out that the display had a moral for Australia. It was no fair-weather fleet that was seen at Spit head by the representatives of the Dominions or so many of them as were not otherwise occupied. The mine-layer Princess Margaret was luxuriously equipped for the occasion, and the waves behaved themselves fairly well in the forenoon, while the vessel passed out of the harbour and down the lines in which the fleet lay in review order.

Standing on the deck of the Princess Margaret the Prime Ministers saw pass before them in stately order ihe warships bearing these great names: Barham, Queen Elizabeth, Warspito. Revenge, Riunilies, Resolution, Ilood. and Repulse. These inarched like an army with banners marshalling the thoughts of the beholders to a progress through some of the greatest pages of our history. The queer huge form of the aircraft carrier Argus lay oil our right as we passed down the lines. Further in toward the shadows we saw the lean clean lilies of the wolfish destroyers, while ahead, through the softening mists, showed crowds of submarines and other craft and tho formidable lighting rows of light cruisers.

FOR DEFENCE NOT DESTRUCTION Wo only passed up one and down another of the half-dozen lines in which these 80 ships of war wore disposed; yet we covered eight, sea miles and surveyed who knows how many million pound’s worth of naval power, designed not for destruction, but for our defence.

The Barham had faded away into the grey mist- which hung from tlie racing clouds to the wind-whipped sea long before wo rounded the Walpole at the end ol the line, and commenced to return along the parallel line. Yet gazing back along the sea lane the visitors gained some impression of the liight and majesty of this one section of the British Navy lying along the waters in its silent, unmoving strength. In the afternoon the panorama was reversed. The mine-layer lay, or rather, tossed at anchor, while the whole Atlantic Fleet steamed past in a clock-work co-ordination of movement. Destroyers in numbers seemingly innumerable came out of the grey mist and passed into ii again. Snub-nosed K class submarines pushed their reversed crinolines through the waves, and M class vessels wallowed along in their cumbross styles, with 12-inch guns cocked at an angle which looked ludicrous, but spells death to a distant foe when the real thing comes. These dipped, disnppeard, rose up to the surface, and passed on. Tile “wasps” of the fleet passed by. and then canii' the cruisers in more menacing lines, followed at last by the giants of the battle-squadron which passed so close that they almost ,-eemed to loom above the watchers.

As each ship passed by its guns were swung slowly and threateningly round till they were trailed relentlessly round the mine-layer. VANISHED IN THE MIST. Four score engines of war passed and swung widely away in the southward and vanished in the mist ; while the vessel carrying the spectators picked up her anchor and steamed out into the Channel, to encounter suddenly rushing out of the mist, ahead two flotillas of destroyers executing a torpedo attack. Finally they raced past the mine-layer, and finished with astonishing swoops and swerves round her stern, while they now rode high on the waves and the next mniuto buried themselves under fountains of foam. The growing lioistoruiisrcss ol the father at this stage enforced a curtailment of the further manoeuvres that had been contemplated. The Australian Prime Minister, Mr Bruce, eomnipnlitig up m the due's display, said that he was -truck by lhe variety of the craft, which provided evidence of the growth ol specialisation, as witness the types ol submarines, aircraft-carriers, and the various classes of cruisers, all designed lor divergeiil purposes. Australians would re?rive from the British fleet's world cruise some education in tho remarkablv wide range of the needs ol the naval defence of our Empire. Although they would not witness the wonderfully impressive manifestation of lhe strength and versatility ol naval weapons of war which he had seen that day. they would gain a notion of lhe breadth of tho problem which even the Commonwealth had to face.