BRITISH ARMADA OF TODAY.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 158, 24 March 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

BRITISH ARMADA OF TODAY.

BATTLKSCALUED CRUISERS, ,„„ WICKED-LOOKIXG. SUBMARINES M) DESTROYERS. HALF A MILE OF STOREHOUSES. Under eseo:t of officers assigned by tho Admiralty a correspondent of tho Associated Press and a party of foreign journalists had their first opportunity to inspect one of the great naval bases on the coast, wlw?ro cruisers, destroyers, and submarines ar e assembled for their watch over the North Sen, and from which point big oceangoing submarines arc sent on forages to the JJaltic and the Dardanelles, says a recent, article in the "New York Herald. ,; It was an impressive sight of concentrated purer and alert readir •'«■.-, with long lines of battle-icarred < i.sers stretching seaward, hack of thom a. vast flotilla of destroyers, then \ countless number of submarines of t!\e latest D and l E type, which recently have performed such brilliant work from thv Dardanelles to the Bospliorus and throughout the Baltic. The day was typical of the rigors the British Fleet is now experiencing in the North Sea, with rain pellting the sailors in oilskins, a north wind cutting the- sea into foam and seagulls everywhere. The little fishing village on the c-aost liad been transformed by the war into a vast naval rendezvous, with storehouses stretching half-a-nu'le prepared to re-.equip an armada anr. send it hack to sea within two hours of its arrival. Here also were the "mother'' ship* ranged in long lines along the quay ready to receive buck their fighting children each time they came from a raid or a battle. HIVE OF ENERGY. The huge establishment was vibrating with energy, and in the harbour mine-sweepers were coming back from their work. Hydro-aeroplanes wc.o manoeuvring from the decks of their craft, and black smoke from the funnels of the cruisers and destroyers told of their readiness to dash out to se» after an enemy craft. The lgiht cruiser so.ua Fin hid just returned from seoiitlrr the German coast in search of a Gorman fleet which was said to lave vent mod mit from the Kiel Can d. Norhin/ hal been seen of the German ships, and tho British officers— Jie sa:.-.e why had )e----c.-ived their stars It tho famous hghts unuer Viw-Admir il Sir David Neatly—were derisive at nw itlr-n thai the Germans would venture forth. One of the office.', was in command of the torpedo tines when they to-ed the deadly missiles wh'L slinSi the German cruiser B!n;'io r and sent her reeling to the bottom in the gieat fig:,tlast January Ho po.nly.l cut tht>c self-same tubes aud lolj how i.'xv worked. „~. • , • • • rim we let go that oue,'' he said, "and then this one. It was this one that hit the Blucher amidships. She was lying off there about fifteen hundred yards. The thing that impressed me after we hit her was the deathly itillness. It was terribly still until tho great big ship threw up* her bow, turned clean over and sank. " Yes, this is the one that did it," ana he patted this terrible death-dealing engine acectionately, as though it were his child, as, in truth, it has been sinc<> he laid the Blucher low.

DESTROYERS AND SUBMARINES. This occurred on board the Arethusa, which since that time has been lost. Alter leaving the. Arethusa the partv went aboard the latest type of big ctestroyors, which arc here ranged in great battalions with steam up. They are very fast, some of them making 137 or 3S knots, and even toucliing -12 knots on a measured mile, while all of them regularly ih) 3o knots on regular service. Lying outside of them were th( submarines of the I) and K type, the latter being sea-going craft of great ;\r;ius, which are luw making ntr undersea voyages to Tie Baltic ami uie Dardanelles. The smaller D boats have the trim outlines of an eight-oared racing shell, but the big new ocean-rang-ers are as ugly as some submarine inon. st.er, with a steel fin running fore and aft and a camel's hump amidshjp lot a deck. One- of the commanders indicated their line qualities. "They ca nstay under water for 72 hours," he said. "Yes, three day*, without any inconvenience to the crew from lack of air. The 1) obat.x are good Tor nil; of 24 hours under water."

Vk'JM SHIPYARD TO BATTLE. " During those long deopwater rims they thread their way through the Skager Rock or skirt around Teneriffe an dpast Gibraltar with as much ease under water as though afloat. "The direction and proximity or d:stanee from lan dare all determined with matematical accuracy, by t/:e sc'ence of navigation, and the steering goes on as easily under water a c above. There were many famous sea lighters rmong the destroyers, including tlnleince, which li/dped to sink the Koenij;in Luiso off Harwich, and was in theUoligoland battle. In fact, a!! the-<-slii|>s had seen battle service unless they had just come from the yards. As ,-;n example of rapid work, an officer of the lamented Arethusa told the party that tin- late cruiser had go: out of the shipyard on a Saturday, had been in a fight by Wednesday." had sunk - a battleship, and reached the yard a train bv the next Saturday. Ho concluded by asking: '' How 's tiiat for a record ':''