NEW ZEALAND'S DEBT TO THE NAVY.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 393, 19 July 1918, Page 1

NEW ZEALAND'S DEBT TO THE NAVY.

HOW IT BERVED HER 55 YEARS AGO. At the present moment, when the few glimpses from time to time afforded us of the exploits of our "Silent Navy" only suffice to whet our appetites in expectation ot the day when the whole of their glorious share in the war shall be fully disclosed, it may be of interest to look back upon the time when the New Zealand land forces enjoyed the assistance and protection of what was then considered quite a considerable squadron of English warships. Fifty-five years ago, by the time the rf l>elliouß Waikato natives had, with th ■ exception of a few small maraudin: bands, been beaten back beyond tb • confines of. what are now the Franklin and Manukau Counties, and General Cameron was preparing for hi* advance to Mirimiri and Rangiriri, where the enemy was strongly enti'tichod. nearly the whole of the ships of the then Pacific Squadron had congregated round the northern half of this island. Even for the period these were only light ships, nnt even including the heavier fri<.';■:es, as the prototypes of our modern cruisers were called. But they were stout, well-found vessels, and driven liv steam-power, which was then beginning to come into general use in th i Navy. Most of them had been converted from sailers into steamers, aid re-armed with guns which, if fever in numbers, were heavier in culibre and longer in range, and inch tded a few of the newly-invented IMb Armstrong rifled cannon, the m >st formidable weapon of the time. The flagship of the squadron was Hi) Curacoa, originally a 32-gun frigs te, but now mounting sixteen Bin. smooth-bores and a 1101b Armstrong a* a bow-chaser. We should look upon her now-a-days as a shocking old tub, her beam being nearly half of her length, but she was a commodious and roomy boat of over 1500 tons, with ergines that when called on to exert themselves could drive her ahead at m arly eleven knots an hour. Like the rest of the steamers of the time she was masted and sparred to carry a full press of sail when the wind served.

The Esk, though smaller, was of a ni wer pattern, and was looked upon an a smart and handy ship. Her tonnage was 1170, and her engines of 250 h.p. She carried the same armament as the Curacoa, with the addition of four 12lb Armstrongs, which were taken ashore and used in the reduction of various Maori pas. She gave her name to a redoubt east of Mercer. where the earthworks thrown up by our troops are still to be seen. The screw corvette Miranda, who has also loft her name as a legacy to a portion of Franklin County, was of slightly over 1000 tons, and carried sixteen of the old smooth-bores, but no rifled cannon. The corvette class carried their guns upon the upper deck, and were barque-rigged. The Eclipse and the Harrier were two gun-boats, each of about 700 tons, witli engines of 100 horse-power. They spent most of their time on the waters of the Manukau, and their bluejackets and marines took part in a number of land operations, even dragging their boats and guns from Drury to Pokeno, and using them upon the Waikato River.

In addition to these sea-going vessels several river-boats were built for use upon the Waikato. Chief among them were the Avon and the Pioneer. They carried 121b guns borrowed from the warships, and iron turrets looped for rifle fire, two of which may yet be seen at Mercer and Havelock. They were invaluable as supply-ships to the troops during the campaign in the roadless Waikato.

In these days of swift heavily-armed and armoured ships and swift destroyers people may lx> inclined to smile at the importance which was attached to the presence of these gun-boats, but in the dark and anxious days of the winter and spring of 1863 they lent a sense of security to the scattered settlers of the Auckland Province, to which was added the feeling that the deck of each of them was a little patch of that dearly-loved and recently-left Home.