CRUISER MELBOURNE.

Taihape Daily Times, 19 May 1919, Page 7

CRUISER MELBOURNE.

RETURN TO AUSTRALIA. RECORD OF GOOD WORK. The Australian cruiser Melbourne. which, has arrived at Darwin, with. other war craft, on her return from the North Sea, left Albany on November 1, 1914. in charge of the first contingent of the A.I.F. The cruiser .Sydney was also with the convoy, and the reason the Sydney left Cie convoy to tackle the German raider Enulen, at Cocos Island was because that cruiser was the junior ship, the captain of the Melbourne being in charge of the convoy. The Sydney again joined the convoy at Colombo. Her quiet reception there was the result %f instructions against noisy demonstrations.

Passing through the Canal, the Melbourne visited Malta, and Gibraltar, then Madeira, and across to Bermuda and to Trinidad in the West Indies. AFi'EE THE KARLSRUHE.

A native pilot was taken on board to take the cruiser through the unchartered waters of the Carribcan Sea, looking for the German ship Karlsruhe, after the B'crwick had just chased her.

The Melbourne returned to Jamaica, and was engaged on the trade route? patrolling until the Kron Prinz Willie! m ran into Newport Roads and was interned. The Melbourne then went back to Bermuda, and took up patrolling to Havana, in Cuba, along the trade routes, for a number of months, and was afterwards patrolling off New York liarbour, and there caught the Dutch slr-ii.ni.ov Hamhor.rne- carrying contraband. She put an armed crew on board who took the Hambourne to Halifax. In October. 191(5, the Melbourne was in dry dock in Bermuda, refitting. She went from Bermuda to Devonport. in

England, where she was fitted with nn a-vial <mn, and from there to Scapa Flow, in the Orkney Islands, and also t i Rosyth. TWO MEN LOST. Then she joined the light cruiser squadron doing night patrol duty in the North Sea. A good deal of rough weather was experienced, and on Do ecmbcr 21 the Melbourne lost two men over the side. She carried on these duties till the latter end of Wli, and then took np the wort of escorting convoy* from Shetland Islands to Bergen, in Norway, and was doing that and laying minefields right np to the time of the signing of the armistice She went with the Grand Fleet to the German Fleet surrender. GERMAN SURRENDER.

The fleet left the Firth of Forth about 1.30, nad sighted the German fleet at 8 o'clock. The ships went to , t Ueir action station, and steamed down the German line. The Melbourne took up a position übreas* the German cruiser Nuruburg. n„<l accompanied her into the Firth of Forth. Off Inch Keith she sent a search party on board the Nurnburg. A few days later the Melbourne took n squadron of German light cruisers to Scapa Flow, where they were interned. ' She left Scapa Flow for Portsmouth, and was with the first unit cf the Grand Fleet to enter that harbour after Hie signing of the armistice. The unit was accorded a great reception, and shortly afterwards the Melbourne joined the destroyed flctillf at Plymouth and journeyed with the other | vessels to Darwin. j