Our Dreadnought

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 276, 14 April 1913, Page 5

Our Dreadnought

ARRIVAL OP THE NEW ZEALAND. WELLINGTON'S WELCOME. Per Press Association. Wclligton, Last Night. After her long voyage half way around the world, His Majesty's batUe crumer New Zealand dropped anchor in Wellington harbor yesterdSv. Many warships of the King's Navy have done the same thin" before quietly and without evokin« anything more than passing curious "lances from the passers-by on shoie. Yesterday the case was different. It was an event; there was a sense of I 1 0" prietorship deep in the minds of the beholders of the stranger. AH looked upon her with a real personal interest. *he was "Our Dreadnought. Elaborate arrangements had been made to pnsuv'' " tUtiii" welcome for the battleship. Tlu, entry" into what liny be termed her home waters, even for a brief space, of fIAI.S. New Zealand, could not li< al lowed to go unnoticed. Bv mid-day, people beir'an to flock towards the wharves to board the various vessels proceeding down the harbor toi taU part in the marine procession. Others repaired to vantage points along the harbor front, on the hills commanlin r views of the entrance, and down along the shore by Seatoun and Worcer Ba>. Bv 1 15 p.m., between twenty and thirty steamers and fewy boats had assembled off Sentoun. , ... A strong wind was blowing, and the fikv was heavily overcast, while a haze lay upon the water. Now and again the sun struggled momentarily through the clouds, but the vaporous masses quickly closed up again, and s 'ut ou the brightness. Punctually, as befittin ,a well-ordered ship-of-war, the New Zealand appeared, groping her way throngn the Heads. At first she seemed little more than a huge black smudge, moving through the haze, an unclean thins on the white flecked waters. As she drew nearer, and the huge bulk of her could be studied, the eye glancing at the waitinw flotilla of ships of peaceful endeavour and back again at tlie grev hull now abeam, conveyed some idea of what « first-class battleship really is. "hen the people on the waiting ships realised at last that the visitor was really with them, there were some; attempts at cheering, but the strong wind stilled these outbursts of sound almost in the throats of the cheerers. Finding vocal displays of their feelings out of order, they settled down to wide-eyed watchf"somewhere off Karaka Bay. the little .Tanie Seddon lav ahead. On her was the marshal directing the manoeuvres ot the escorting fleet. Suddenly one saw t,he semaphore at work on the \\arslup. \ signal fluttered up to the crossvard and "clown again: a wild shriek came from the warship's siren, and was answered from other craft, more flags moved up. and the warship, which had been steaming slowly, seemed to dart forward suddenlv as if a huge hand _ beneath the water had given her a giant push. The other vessels fell into something like order, t.o starboard the Tutanekai, Cobar, Mararoa. and smaller craft, and to port the Hmemon. Amokura. Duchess. Stormbird and other ferrv' and coital steamers. There seemed something specially appropriate ill the presence of the Stormbird. the oldest steamer trading in Australasian or anv other waters, a pioneer indeed to welcome this voungcr pioneer of a new order of things as affecting the British Empire's Navy. On the Stormbird a band blared forth, though what it played could not be distinguished half a dozen ships' lengths away. The procession had begun. Abreast of Point .Terningham, the procession was joined by motor boats and yachts, the latter," indeed, lending a more naturally lifelike air to the scene. The wind was stiff and the sea lunipy, so that little craft had a lively time. On opening out the harbor propej anu the citv clustered on flat and height above height, the battleship, still feeling 'her wav along with the leadline, for seeminglv it is one of "the ways the) have in 'the Navy" to take nothing for granted, but to find out the way for themselves, turned in the man-o'-v.-ar buoy, and the procession closed up. - When the New Zealand had come up with the waiting ships down the harbor, and steamed past them, she looked indeed like a grev sea wolf from the 'northern lands, hardly d»isrning more than the barest of recognition. As she moved in towards her moorinsr*. and a full si cm view of her was obtained, she looked lor all the world like an old grey d'iek, -quatt.ering through' tli° water with a hybrid brood scattered about in her wake. Occasionally a rift showed itself throu'jh the clouds, andjiars of sunlight streamed down 011 the dull hull, with an occasional glint as some highly polished metal, such as the caps 011 the big guns, were touched bv the rays. Then the white Government steamers, the green and black ships of trade, and the white winded vachts and restless motor boats, were in'turn touched by brightness. The scene was now more animated, and full of interest. More signalling from the warship marked her near approach to the buoy; then came a shrill blast from her siren, two huge anchors plunged from her bows and then a period ot silence followed, while the escorting ships marked time, so to speak. Would the anchors hold? A spreading patch of muddy water appeared around the battleship, and it was seen her way was The anchors held, and presently the ship began to swing round

to the wind. The ferrv steamer Duchess, carrying a large crowd of Navv League children with 'a hand got up to windward, and the children sang patriotic songs of welcome. The warship's band responded, a trumpet brayed, then silence again— H.ir.S New Zealand had come home. Some of the escorting vessels circled about the big ship to give their passengers a nearer view of the huge floating fort, with its great 12-inch guns peering out of the barbettes, each n picture of innocence behind its dazzling muzzle cap. Occasional cheers were exchanged between the warship and the passing craft, while here and there the crowds lining the different wharves took up the cry spasmodically, and then gradually the spectators, after .gazing long and curiously at this youngest of evidences of the might of Britain—contributed bv the youngest Britain of them ail—made their way homeward. A few gathered at the man-o'-wai steps to see Captain ITalsev hud as he went to pay his official visit to the flovcrnor. A little later llis Excellency returned the visit, and shortly after the booming guns announced that the King's representative had left the shin. The .Tanie Seddon ferried a Ministerial pirtv out, and after that the civic and Harbor Board representatives paid official calls on Captain Halsev, and Wellington's formal welcome was over. There were 110 speeches at these visits. A good deal of popular surprise and some disappointment prevails over the absence of any demonstration from the forts 011 the arrival of the New Zealand yesterday. It was expected the 211ns in the forts would have saluted the warship, and it is said the men were at their ouarters 011 the ship ready to return the compliment. It is rumoured, however, that orders had gone forth forbidding such a display which, while not customary on the arrival of British ships of war. was considered justified by the

special circumstances of this case. As it was, the welcome could not be described ,as an over warm one. The latter portion tof the scene on the harbor was animated enough, but beyond the attempts of I the Navy League children, a few band I strains, and some spasdomic cheers from the shore, the end seejned utterly lacking in enthusiasm. The people apparently were waiting for a lead to let their feelings loose. In the evening the ship presented a fine effect on the water, with her manylights around the hull, and a huge illuminated frown suspended high (between the masts. A good many of the crew were ashore on leave, and apparently were out to have a good time.