WARSHIPS PREPARING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 267, 1 April 1911, Page 10

WARSHIPS PREPARING.

ACTIVITY ON THE AUSTRALIAN COAST. MYSTERIOUS MOVEMENTS OF VESSELS. Just now there is unusual aetivity on board the .warships on the Australian station, and the preparations that arc going on appear to suggest that the greatest care is being taken to ensure that the squadron shall be in readiness at a moment's notice for any orders that mav be received.

What it all means c*n of course only be surmised, for the rules of the service do not permit official statements to bt made as to the happenings that are going on, but it is evident that there is a determination on the part of the authorities to leave nothing to chance.

It was resolved that in addition to the extra drill and getting the armaments into iflrst-class order, the leave of men on the station has been stopped indefinitely. Enquiries made, by the Sun reporter, however, elicited an authoritative statement to the affect that there is no question, because whatever might be happening leave would not be stopped, under any circumstances, until the last moment. But that there has been on this as on every other British naval station, extraordinary activity during the past nine or twelve months' is admitted. The ordinary gun-laying tests which were formerly carried out yearly were, by direction of the Admiralty nine months or a year ago, ordered to take place quarterly, and although Vice-Admiral King-Hall has only just arrived on the Australian station, and has not yet got his house in order, or taken the usual time new admirals take to get into the routine of the station, he was ordered away immediately on board the Powerful.

It was stated that the vessel was going down for her usual gun-laying teet, but, as a matter of fact, she went to Storm Bay, where, besides the ordinary quarterly gun-laying test, she is to engage in battle practice, night attack, "abandon ship," and other manoeuvres that are outside the ordinary routine of a warship's peace work.

Th'en the Challenger, manned principally by Australians, which went away the other day ostensibly to the west eoast of America, left under orders from the Admiralty to visit certain islands on her route. This has never been done before. The boundary of the work of the squadron lying in Australian waters finishes just before Fanning Island is reached, and the area between these and the west coast of America is patrolled by the Algerine and Shearwater. These vessels are mere sloops, and it may be inferred that, in sending ,the Challenger, the Admiralty had in view the advisability of sending a bigger ship. On board the ships in the harbor, as well as on ships on other British stations, there has been, since the latter rtert of las(; year, extraordinary activity in the matter of preparing for battle routine, sharpening cutlasses, the examination and overhauling of arms, shells and magazine*, while close attention has been given to shore defences and submarine mine fields in the various waterways of Australia and other British possessions. The Challenger's visit to the west coast of America is significant, in view of the following cablegram from Fanning Island, published in the Sun:—

"A sensation has been created here by the action of the British gunboat Algerine in detaining the Japanese schooner Togo Maru. "The detention of this vessel was brought about in conseqeunce of a report that it had conveyed a number ef Japanese to Christmas Island.

"The officers of the Japanese ship at first disclaimed that they had landed any of their countrymen at Christmas Island, but under closer examination they admitted that they had placed 13 Japanese on the island.

"It is not known whether the object of the expedition to Christmas Tsland was the establishment of a Japanese colony there. "The Algerine is standing by, and developments are anxiously awaited."