FOR SAMOA. AMERCAN WARSHIPS FOR APIA.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 359, 13 April 1889, Page 6

FOR SAMOA. AMERCAN WARSHIPS FOR APIA.

A cable message from Washington lately stated that the American Naval Department had ordered the United States warvessols Alert (at Honolulu), Richmond (at River Plate), and Adams (irom the Marshall Islands), to proceed to Samoa to take the place of the Ameiiean vessels wrecked at Samoa during the late ! hurricane. The Richmond, an unarmoured ! second-rate crui&er, is the flagship on the North Atlantic station, Hying the flag of Rear- Admiral Stephen B. Luce, and 13 commanded by Captain Robert Boyd. She is built of wood, propelled by screw, and is ship-rigged. She has a registered tonnage of 2,700, and carries 14 guns, mostly smooth-bore. She canies a full ciew of seamen and marines. The Alert is a thirdrate unavmoui'cd screw cruiser, barquerigged, of 1,020 tons, and carries four guns, smooth-bore. She is at present on the Pacific station, and is commanded by Capt. James D. Graham. The Adams has visited Samoa on eeveral previous occasions. She is a wooden bai-que-rigged, unarmoured, screw cruiser, of ],375 tons, carrying 6 smooth - boie guns, and is in command of Captain Louis KempfL The American cruiser Mohican, which is now on her way to Samoa from San Francisco, visited this port a few yeais ago. She is commanded by Captain Day, and is of the same class as Lhe Adams and Alert. In addition to these vessels we learn that the U.S. warships Iroquois and Ponsacola are under orders to remain in readiness to pro ceed to Samoa if required. These are old vessels, the Iroquois having been constructed in 1858, and the Vcnsacola in 1859, The Iroquois is a barque-rigged wooden screw eiuiser, third-rate, unarmoured, with 7 smooth bore guns, and has a net register of 1,575 tons. She has engines of 813 h.p., and can steam 8 knots per hour. She is in command of Capt. R. P, Leary, and is at present on the Pacific station. Tho Pensacola is at piesent the flagship on the European station, flying the flag of Rear- Admiral S. R. Franklin, and is commanded by Capt. George Dewey. She is a second-rate unarmoured wooden screw cruiser, ship-rigged, carrying 16 smoothbore guns. Her displacement; is 3,000 tons, and her engines of 1,165 h.p. enable her to steam 9 knots.

GERMAN MEN-O'-WAR FOR SAMOA. A cable message from Berlin states that tbo erasers, Habichk, Sophio, and another, in all carrying some 600 men as crews, are to be despatched to Samoa to replace the wrecked , German vessels. The Habicht, which visited Auckland some years ago, is a composite-built barque rigged screw vessel, of 835 tons, and was built at Elbing in 1879. She is an unprotected vessel, and her engines have an indicated horsepower of 600. She has an armament of one 6-inch 3-ton rifled gnn, and 4 4^ inch guns. The Sophie is a vessel of the same class as]| the Hobichfc, and has a displacement of 2130 tons, with engines of 2,100 horse power. She carries 8 6-inch 4 ton guns, and 2 4g-inch guns. The other cruiser U of the samo class as the Habioht and Sophie.