THE GERMAN FLEET.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 January 1919, Page 3

THE GERMAN FLEET.

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''We have had thirteen days very thick fog, but strange, on Wednesday, it was a lovely day, and the King, Queen, and Prince of Wales' visit was on that day. He visited the fleets and dined, etc., etc., and next day (yesterday) it was fine again. "Our Day" we call it. At 1.3-0 am. (the destroyers had gone out the night and afternoon previous) the l)ig ships passed out. The last one passed the Forth Bridge at 5.33 a.m. to meet the capitulated fleet of Huns. I daresay if you have not seen the pictures yet you will do so, as they are promised for licet use to-morrow, and in three months or less should be in New Zealand. Our light cruisers and 100 destroyers sighted the Hun, and spread all around them, forming them in single file, and then took up the procession. In case of traps, all our ships were cleared for action. The ships were formed in the following order: —HjM.S. Cardiff, with observation balloon, Rear-Admiral Sinclair, leading: then came the Hun battlecruisers, the H.M.S. Phaeton and the Hun battleships: then a line of our destroyers with 49 'Huns at the rear, surrounded 'by 100 of our destroyers. Our big ships 'kept two miles on each beam of the procession- Our big ships were:— Queen Elizabeth, Revenge, Resolution, Royal Sovereign, Royal Oak. Iron Dnke, Marllibrough, Emperor of India, Ben-bow, Canada, Orion, Thunderer, Monarch, Conqueror, King George V., Ajax, Centurion, Erin, Agincourt, Colorsus, Bellerophon. Hercules, Collingwood, Neptune, St. Vincent, Barham, Malaya, Valiant, Warspite, New York, Te.'xas, Wyoming, Arkansas, Florida.

"AH the battleships were attended by light cruisers. The Blonde, Blanche, Boadicea, and King Orrv acted as messengers. The Lion, Renown, Princess Royal, Depulse, Tiger, Australia, New Zealand, Indomitable, Inflexible, batlecrui.sers. The Courageous, Glorious, Minotaur, Magnificent, cruisers. The Furious, Vindictive, Argus, flying ships. Ca'.edun, Royalist, Galatea, Inconstant, Birmingham, Dublin, Yarmouth, Sydney, Melbouro. Chatham. Southampton, Chester, Birkenhead, Calliope, Caroline, Cambrian, Constance, Comua, Cordelia, Ceres, Calypso, Caradoe, Car.vsfoot, Undaunted, Aurora, Penelope, all light cruisers.

"Can von imagine such an historical sight—one that will never fadeBritain'!! pride escorting Germany's boasted fleet into captivity. The poor devils looked like a drunken man being escorted between a lot of smart coppers. Ours were all spick and span, and theirs covered in carbuncles and seaweed, rusty and woebegone Tlicy looked as if they hud not smelt paint for three yeJtr?. But they will come 'n handy, if only f<jr farRet practice. They were so foul that they could not steam more than 10 knots, which delayed the programme so much that owing to fog shutting down to-day, some of ours are still outside, anchored alongside the no longer Hun fleet, as. they hauled their colors down at 3.55 yesterday, never to be hoisted again. They are anchored well clear of all that is of interest to the Hun underneath the headland of Tnchkeith, and will be taken from there to Scapa Flow, to await the Peace Conference. Our ships, except those told o(T to guard the Cerman=, are crawling back through fog singly. "Tiie N.Z. boys. Fmdlater included, are to march to the Rhine for; garrison duties. Tt in an honor, but uot appreciated. They would sooner «uie to New Zealand, and get out of the honors list, but the decree has none forth, and there they are, or will be, for a good while yet, unless someone in New Zealand kicks. I surmiw that some of the New Zealand officers in fat iobs, and nothing to worry over at home, have asked to he. in at the death—for D.S O.'s, WhatOhs, etc.! But poor Tommy N.Z —ah, well, he's not in it. Thev have done their whack, and should ba the first to go home.' 1