THE BIG SHIP AND HER CREW.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 101, 29 April 1913, Page 7

THE BIG SHIP AND HER CREW.

SOME INTERESTING FEATURES.

The new battle-cruiser New Zealand was laid down at the Fairfield Yard, on the Clyde, on 21et June, 1910, launched on Ist July, 1911, and commissioned on 19th November, 1912. Her dihiensione are:—Length, over all, 590 ft.; water line, 588 ft.; between .perpendiculars, 555 ft.; beam, SGft; mean draught, 25.5 ft., giving a displacement of 18,800 Itone. The turbinee hare a designed shaft power of 44,000, to give a speed of 25 knots; the coal capacity is 2,500 tone, also tank space for 500 " tons of Oil. There are two tripod masts and three funnels. She has a complete armour belt a-bout 14ft. wide, Sin. thick amidships, and tapering to 4ih. at the ends; the turret and barbettes have 10-inch armour, the conning tower loin., the protective deck 3in. on the slopes. The armament consists of 8 12-inch 50-calibre 850-pounders in four turrets, one fore and one aft, two amidships diagonally: for the anti-torpedo armament there are 16 4-inch 50-eiilibre 31-pounders diepoecd in three groups, one each in the superstructures forward, amidships and aft., and 5 machine guns; there are 5 submerged tubes for the 21-inch torpedo, four on the broadside, one astern. The complement is 900. There is a wireless telegraphy installation. She greatly exceeded her designed speed on her trials, and is a sister ship of H.M.S. Australia. Owing to the situation in Europe) arising from the Balkan war, the Government of New ZealaDd offered to place her at the disposal of the Admiralty for service where most needed, and she was assigned to the First Cruiser Squadron. But before joining she is under orders to visit the Dominion, in order that the people of New Zealand may see their splendid ship, and to make a world voyage of some 40,000 miles to show the fla g»-a compliment to New Zealand's patriotism. After a thorough inspection by King George, she left England on her long journey on 6th February last- She touched at St. Vincent, * Cape Verde Islands, the Cape and Durban, and Melbourne, where she was received with great enthusiasm, and the officers and crew were much feted. From Australia, she came across to Wellington, from which port she arrived to-day, touching at Napier and Gisborne on route. After visiting other New Zealand ports, she finally leaves from Auckland on June 2S. Afterwards she will proceed to Fiji, i Honolulu, Vancouver, Panama, Callao, Valparaiso, Monte Video.. Rio de Janeiro, Trinidad, Barbadoee. Grenada, St. Vincent. St. Lucia, Dominica. St. John, St. Kitts, Kingston (Jamaica), Bermuda, and is due to arrive at Plymouth on 6th October. Her longest run will be from Durban to Melbourne. The steaming rate at sea is to be 15 knots.

NEW ZEALAND COAT OF AEiIS.

A striking feature in the ship is the massive coat of anus which adorns the superstructure. It was executed by Mr. Raslcigh Pinwell, of Plymouth. * Two figures, almost life size," act ac supporters to thr coat o-f arnie. which displays the various heraldic devices illustrative of the resource** of the Dominion. The dexter supportpr is female and classical iv pose and drapery. Sho holds the tlag of the mother country, surcharged with the four t>t3rs of New Zealand, and is leaning on the shield in an attitude of graceful e,ase with the other arm. The sinister figure is a Maori in native dress, and makes with the wild head dress, mat cloak and tufted epear •of a chieftain an imposing supporter to the shield. The coat of arms is, in heraldic Un-1 guage, quaxterly azure (blue) and giiles (red), the first quarter charged with four stare argent (silver), voided gules representing the Southern Crocs; the second with a golden fleece; the third with a gp.rb (or golden wheat sheaf) and the fourth with two miners' hammers in eaitvre (crosswise) -. the whole surmounted by a ,pale (upright bar) argent, thereon three birlins or galleye. The crest is a demi-lion rampant gttafdant, holding in the pawe a standard of the Union Jack. At the base of th° shied the motto "Onward"' is carved on a ribbon twining among the mantlin" •which.wreathes the actual point. The work has been executed in solid ■teak, 6 im-hes in depth, and ie a magnificent example of the wood carver's art. .Mr Richard Seddon, eon of the late Premier of New Zealand, presented the ship with a handsome silver cup on behalf of his mother, aiid a portrait of the late Premier. A New Zealand gentleman, Mr Pomerov. presented for the ship's mascot a black and white bull dog named "Pelorus Jack., after the famous .New Zealand orcus. The dog had the honour of beMajesty, with the Board of Admiralty dnepeefced tile ship the day before her departure, on Thureday, 6th February. THE QUARTERDECK. The following is a list of the New Zealand s officers:—Captain, Lionel HalsevCommander, H. E. Grace; Mavigating. K. R. Jones; gunnery, R T Down; torpedo. A. A. U>vett-Cameron, <-t. w. Watter-Jonee. R. C. Garcia. D B X. North, A. D. Boyle, J. S. Bovill; Lieutenant (R.N.R,),C-rril Gore; Sub-lieuten-ants, p. l. Barcroft and Prince George of Eattenberg; Engineer Commander, T. H. Tyirner; Engineer Lieutenants, J. J). Grieve, E. McK. Phillips, P. H. Hall; Captain (Royal Marine Artillery). Harold Blount; Chaplain, Rev. \\. R. Q. Jackson; Fleet Surgeon, C. H. Rock; Staff-Surgeon, J. R. A. Clark-Hall; Staff Paymaster, F. P. E. Hanham; Assistant Paymasters, D. 'R. Thurston and A. C. A. Janion: Gunners, J. H. Mack (torpedo), J. C. Willis, V. S. Robinson; Boatswains, S. G. Legg and W. J. Reynolds; Signal Boatswain, A. Ijewie; Royal Marine Gunner, A. E. Elliott; Carpenter, Robt. Isht: Artificer Engineers, j< Lumon'd, R. K. Weir, P. R. Brooker; Midshipmen. G. T. xScott, T. A. Robertson. J. C. Ahtiesle.y, 0. J: Symon, A. L, Poland, t. S. Miller, E. G. Ooore; €. A. Bowlby ; G- B. Gra.hamWatson, P. B. V. Heard, A. C. H. Barlow, H. B. Anderson. C. G. Vyner, Earl of Carlirfe, A. G. Oiinard, Lord Burghesh. Of the abore, five are Nnw Zealanders— Lieutenants Garcia and Boyle and Midshipmen Heard, Anderson, arid Symon. Aixmt 50 of the crew are also Xew Zealanders. Captain Halsey, then a lieutenant on H.M.s. Powerful, went u>p to Ladysmibh with the naval lirigadc, under Captain (now Admiral Sir) Hedworth Meux, formerly l.ambton, and was present during the siege. After the death of Commander Egerton. he was the executive officer of the naval brigade. He had charge of the 4.7-inch gun in the Princess Victoria battery of the Cove Hill redoubt, and ■was generally in charge of the naval guns which alone couJd range the Boer "Long Toms," 96-pounders, and so saved Ladysmith. In recognition of his services he was promoted commander in January, 1901, and became captain in June, 1905, one of the younseet officers

of his rank, having been born in Febru-1 ar T, 187§. In jiine, 1905, ..he commit ! sioned the Powerful as flag captain to : Vicc-Admiifal Sir Wilinot Fawfces, Cora-j lnander-in-Chief on the Australian sta-j tion, and returned home with him in I 1908. \ Commander Henry Edgar Grace is a; son of the famoiis \V. G. Grace, was born in 1876, and is a gunnery expert. Prince , George of Batlehberg is the son of Admiral Prifice Louis of Battenberg. First Lord, his mother being a daughter jof the Grand Ducheffi Alice of Hesse, sec-1 ! ond daughter of Queen Victoria. Through hie grandmother, Prince George of Battenberg is in the line of succession to the Crown. The Earl of Carlisle has only recently succeeded to the title, and is head of one of the branches of the Howard family. Lord Burghesh is the heir of the Earl of Westmoreland. COLONIAL MEN ABOARD. What is perhaps of most interest to the people of this Dominion, apart from the fact that the big Dreadnought is our gift tb the Motherland, is that she had lieen officered and manned with several New Zealandors and others who have served in Australasian waters. The gunnery lieutenant, BJchard T. DoWn, is a New Zealander, or has connections in Taranaki, where his father served in the Maori war. He was recently gunnery lieutenant in the Swiftsure. The torpedo lieutenant, Archibald T. Lovett-Cameron, comes from the cruiser Suffolk, which is recently back from the Mediterranean. Lieutenant Geoffrey W. Walker Jones, was sub-lieu-tenant in the Challenger during her Australian commission under the Australian commander. Captain Guy Gaunt. The next on the list of lieutenants, Rupert, C. Gareia.Ms also a New Zeal&nder, and he was in the Psyche on the Australian station. Lieutenant Alexander D. Boyle, j who is 25 years of age, is a son of Mr. A. Bffvle, of GhristcbuTch, and a member of the family of the Earl of G-lusgow. He was reeeiitlv in the Blenheim (Home Fleet) for duty with torpedo destroyers. Lieutenant John B. Bovill was sub-lieu-tenant in the Challenger during her Australian commission. There are two sub-lie.utenants, one boihg a New Zealander, Penrose L. Barcroft (formerly in the cruiser Suffolk, in the Mediterranean). The staff-paymaster, Frank P. X Hanham, comes from the Challenger. There is a collection of Hi midshipmen, most of them appointed to ships. One of them, Hujrh B. A-nderson, is a New ZealancW>r. a Christehurch boy; and Patrick Beauchamp Heard, who is IS years of *"p. is the eldest son of Colonel E. -S. Heard. Chief of the General Staff in New Zealand. Arthur H. C. Barlow is a son of Admiral C. J. Barlow, who married an 'Australian lady.