"OUR SMALL SHIP."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 283, 8 May 1915, Page 4

"OUR SMALL SHIP."

PHILOMEL'S PART IN. THE ; WAR. , ; A VOYAGE OF 30,000 MILES. ACTIONS AGAINST TURKS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. - Auckland, 1-ast Night. Interesting details of (he operations of the New Zealand cruiser Philomel since the outbreak of hostilities arc contained in a diary n posted to nil Auckland resident by one of (hose 011 board the vessel. The diary shows incidentally the \essel did not'take part in the Suez (.'anal engagement, but encountered the Turks near Alexandretta, in the angle formed bv Asia Minor and Syria. The I'hilornei was in Wellington when the news of the outbreak of war was received, iuid on August .">tli she moved out into the stream and cleared for action. The writer states the reserves were called up, and on August li extra' coul and provisions were taken oil board and volunteers joined the ship. On August N the -Philomel left Wellington with the collier Wairca and reached Auckland curly 011 Augu-.t 11. Continuing, the d'avy gives details of the voyage of two New Zealand troopships, the I'li'loim-I, the Psyche, and the PyraiiiilS to Snno-i, the Australia and the Melbourne and lit- French battleship Montcalm being picked up at Noumea, fneid"nta'ly, the writer states that the day following the departure from Nounie.i the Melbourne .searched a ship and found her full of coal and bound for San Francisco. Aft.-r events proved that her c-u-iro was for <.Vvnians.

Continuing, the diary describes the departure of the criUM-r fi'crn Wellington nil October li! v,-il.il the main Kxpeditionary Force, nml -i;«ti ; (lie Philomel left tile main bodv sit Albany, proceeding thence to Km-inanfic and Singapore and picking up two French troopships Ht '.be h'-lilT port. i i;C veswl left Singapore on November Hi, filled in lit Colombo on November i!;!, and eventually reached Ad'-r. oil llemnber .7. On December H the' French troopships vi-re turned over to another cruiser, v. iii'e 11 it• I'hilonicl w :il 011 to Mocha, an Asiatian seaport, to de.il with unlives who had fired on a boat and wounded three marineSt The town was bombarded and three scows in the harbor were dnmaged. Tim ilhry continues:—Feb 4: Arrived Cyprm and relieved another British cruiser. Feb .">: Arrived Alexandretta, a Turkish seaport,on the angle between Asia Minor and Syria, and cruised along (lie roust and started shelling the Turkish trenches with lyddite and shrapnel ui'd I.lew a blockhouse to picscs"by good shoe! ing. Feb. (i. Cruised around and sighted a signal tower, and tliat also was soon in pieces. Sighted Turkish troops on the hills, but they waited for only two rounds of shrapnel. Feb. 7: Found Home more trcnelies. Cleared flieni up and shelled the lines of communication, railway, and telegraph lines. Blazed away at the Turks again, doing sonic good shooting. Feb. 8: Discovered (be enemy in n fortress at Jonah's Castle. Lowered a sea boat to a«c<rt&in what a camel and mule caravan was carryin;,\. The leading Turks at onco ran into the hills and left all the gear. On our men going to search they were "let by a hot fire from the Turkish troops entrenched only n few yards a'.vav. One man went along and searched the pack mules under a hot fire. Oito mule was shot, and, fal'ing against a,' post, oll'ered some protection. TV party returned on board at dark. All the time the party was on shore we on board were pumping 4.riu. shells into the Turks, doing terrible damage, for we were only l ; !ll yards oil'. One shrapnel shell fell in the middle of a group of about o. dozen, and, needless io say, there wero not many piece* left to'collect. The party returned with one killed, William Stanburv. Four of the party were wounded, and one, Moreton, missing. A' volunteer jwrty went ashore to find the last man. The first attempt being .unsuccessful, the party returned. A second attempt was successiul, and they returned at -2.;)() a.m., Mori ton being bad* I\' wonnie'd. ttiii' ol the wounded men, Win. ICdv.v.rd luiowles, died in the earlv hours of Feb. !). Feb. l;i : Moreton died V'hilc the action was on. Wo had a spy :■ In 1 !'!', i'eb. II: Aloud boat's crow, weal ashore to letch the spv, but were unable io liud hiui. Feb. hi: Sent fortlie spy again and got him. Feb. ];!, 14, 15: : Having ;» v,ell-eariled vet. Feb. lli: Hohi \ i'd by another cruiser, and we left for I'ort S;.;a v.iivh I. Wo left Port .""•aid for guard duty, returning a fortnight la!er. We have covered HO,OOO ii'i'es or n-nr it since we left Auckland/ Ihai a i e will take a lot of beating by aay ship the Navy, will see l\'-w },• ;};! t jias c : umrtiinig to talk alun,! rf'er all. I ofien heard remarks in A in. la nil, -mil a i, "Oh, what a small ■ :! I p,' but she e.; as capable as a good many moi'o : hip-, of a later class*