AN INTERESTING CRAFT.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 January 1920, Page 5

AN INTERESTING CRAFT.

THE ALDEBARAN AT AUCKLAND. Auckland, Dec. 30. Wireless experimentation is the reason for the visit to Auckland of the small war sloop Aldebaran, which replenished her bunkers. She is-one of the class of boats built largely during the early days of the war, other examples of the same type being the minesweepers Marguerite, Geranium and Mallow, which visited these waters some time ago. In spite of the tricolor that she carries, the Aldebaran saw light in a British shipyard beside British ships'. After three years of strenuous war services, her errand is now one of peace and commercial development, her immediate errand being to discover the practicability of establishing a wireless station at Antipodes Island in the far South Pacific. She carries an expert in wireless, who is to superintend the experiments; The visitors do not expect to be in that region of the world very long, but will return to Auckland to dock. This port will be their headquarters for the time, as they. go to Noumea, then to various places in the New Caledonia (?roup, and then to Tahiti. They expect to spend the remainder of their term of commission—about two years—in making a comprehensive tour of the French possessions. One hundred and more men on the vessel are under the command of M. Le i Captain De Corvette Giraiid, Legion d'Honneur and Croix do Guerre. This gallant gentleman has but recently taken charge ,of the, Aldebaran, being fresli from deeds of dafirig in the fleet I in charge of the torpedo boat Javeline.