Dominion Warships Cruise in Pacific

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 679, 3 June 1929, Page 13

Dominion Warships Cruise in Pacific

CALL AT AUSTRALIA SLOOPS VISIT ISLANDS For nearly two months to come there will be only the old cruiser Philomel to remind Aucklanders that New Zealand still possesses a navy. All active warships on the station are scheduled to leave on extended cruises this month. Tlie cruisers Dunedin and Diomede will sail from Auckland on Wednesday. Following is tlie programme until the vessels return to home waters at Wellington on July 29: June 7—At Norfolk Island. June 10 to 19—At Hervey Bay. June 20 to 26 —At Brisbane. June 2S to July G —At Sydney. July 6 to S —-At Jervis Bay. July 10 to IS—At Melbourne. July 20 to 25—At Hobart. Manned by new crews due to arrive at Wellington by the Corinthic on Wednesday, the sloops Laburnum and Veronica, which are at present being painted and overhauled, will sail for gunnery practice in the Hauraki Gulf next Monday. After the new crews have become accustomed to their ships the vessels will part company on June 17, the Laburnum sailing for Suva and the Veronica for Nukualofa. The Laburnum is scheduled to return to Auckland on October 19. After a week at Suva she will sail for Ocean Island, and her itinerary includes visits to the Gilbert and Ellice Groups and Levuka, Lambosa and Lautoka. The vessel is to return to Suva about the middle of September, but from then until her return to Auckland, her movements are uncertain. The VerosSca is making an even more extended cruise. She is due to spend a week at Papeete after visiting Niue, Pago Pago, Naussau, Manahikl, Penrhyn and Raiatea. The next fortnight will be spent in visiting the islands of Western Samoa, and after a stay at Suva, a regatta and gunnery practice will be held at Lautoka for eight days from September 11. A cruise round the outskirts of the Fiji group will follow, after which the Veronica will sail from Suva on October 12, arriving at Auckland a week later.

The relieved crews of the sloops, about 140 ratings, will sail for England by the Tamaroa from Wellington on Saturday. The men will be under the command of CommissionedGunner Soper, of the Laburnum. This officer is to be relieved by Commis-sioned-Gunner Clarke, who is in charge- of the men arriving from home.