NAVAL EXERCISES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 April 1939, Page 5

NAVAL EXERCISES

DEFENCE OF TRADE ROUTES NEW ZEALAND CRUISER TAKING PART. SEA AND AIR OPERATIONS OFF AUSTRALIA. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. SYDNEY. April 17. Australian and New Zealand warships and about 90 fighting aircraft are taking part in elaborate trade defence exercises off the Australian coast, starting yesterday and continuing till Wednesday. Important naval gunnery exercises will follow, and will be continued until April 27. The cruisers Canberra. Hobart, and Sydney, and the destroyer Voyager left Melbourne last week to begin the trade defence exercises, and for several days will theoretically be out of radio communication.

The New ’Zealand cruiser Leander and the newly-conditioned H.M.A.S. Adelaide left Jervis Bay to join the main squadron today. Eight squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force will co-operate with the Navy. In addition to the warships and aircraft, merchant ships off the coast will co-operate with the services.

The exercise will be controlled from Laverton Station. The participating aircraft will indulge in reconnaissance, photographic, signalling, air-to-air gunnery, bombing, and navy co-operation work.

The exercises, it is thought, may be related to the growing opinion that Australia should extend its aircraft defence units to Pacific islands such as Lord Howe, Norfolk, Fiji, the Phoenix Group, and other centres within striking distance of ships which may be sent by an enemy to harass merchantmen.