PRIDE OF THE FLEET.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 281, 25 November 1915, Page 4

PRIDE OF THE FLEET.

H.M.A.S. AUSTRALIA. 40,000 MILES? CBUISE. PRAISE FOB THE CREW. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, November IG. Through the courtesy of the Admiralty a party of pressmen have been permitted to visit H.M.A.S. Australia, at her position officially described as "Somewhere in the North Sea." That is her postal and cable address, bufc alter the phrase to "Everywhere in the North Sea." As the leading vessel of the squadron forming Rear-Admiral Sir David Beatty's battle-cruiser fleet, she has scoured these! seas since the middle of February and she recently reached even aa far as the Skager Rack. . STRETCHING FOR MILES. The great fleet was in port at the time of the visit. The ships stretched for miles in regular lines—a mighty, mobile power. There was nothing more impressive than the proud position occupied by the Australia, which was nearest the entrance—the first ship of the speedy cruisers which will have the most honourable distinction of establishing contact with the enemy warships, if the seabattle comes. .. Our welcome proved that the ship is thoroughly Australian. The officers and men were delighted to remember their South Sea homes. In the service everywhere was a proud, confident Australianism, tempered by Scottish cold and snow, but fed by lonely longings for Australian cities, Australian fields, the Australian sun, and Australian faces. AMID SNOW-CAPPED HILLS. The ship lies grimly dull in northern 'waters, ready at a moment's notice to use her mammoth engines and great frowning guns. Snow-capped hills rise round her. The whole surrounding ia: appropriate for this cold, stern enterprise. The crew found the isolation and banishment monotonous, but is waiting with positive joy for a fight: The are intensely proud of their ship, and have good reason for it.- It is admit-J tedly the claanest and best kept ship oi the' Grand Fleet.. The steaming recordof 40,000 miles in six months has not been equalled. The coal consumption is the second lowest, despite the fact tna» t the use of the condensers for water, washing, and laundry was greater than on any other vessel. ' The officers proudly say that the Australian sailors are cleaner, more intelli--gent, and.hetter in physique than any; others. They are for ever cashing. Tne; Grand Fleet calls the crew the Wallabies. The engineer and navigation offi-cers-declare that .no others could dp •■vrhat the Australians have done. The. men are certainly bright and happy.; Their health has been excellent, except ; for ■ 'two outbreaks of measles in the: North Sea. The first time there were; W bad cases, while during the second | epidemic, although there ;wcre 40 cases, they were not bad. Three eases of, slight illness were recently treated in hospital. UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER. \ true affection and respect exists.between the officers and men The cap Sun , .vavs the discipline is of the finest.-aad.-there have been no serious cases of pun-; ishment. The men told mc that they bad the highest regard for the officers the promotion was good, and they had been pushed on in pay. The Australia has drafts on board from the training-ship Tingira, and m expecting more. The men hare frequent afternoons ashore, and have proved themselves invincible at football. .Once they beat "the New Zealand teams at Ru"by and Soccer during the same afternoo°n. The officers' golf team is the best in the. fleet. The middies are all Bntis-i except one, and they arc perpetually playing hockey. A TEETOTAL SHIP. The Australia is the only teetotal ship in the fleet. The men approve this arrangement. Their physique so delighted Rear-Admiral Pakenham that he brought Rear-Admiral Beat.ty across for an informal march past for the mere joy of looking at the stalwart young Austra-. lian manhood. Nine of the officers of the Australia and 60 per cent, of the crew are Australians. The ship has fired in anger only at Xew Guinea, and three shots which destroyed a German supply ship on the.South American c»oi,.

. The company claims the credit of chasing Admiral yon Spec in the Pacific, and they are convinced that they were within 300 miles when they- ■were recalled to convoy the Samban expedition. Tiio route then was Fanning Island, CamelaBay. Galapagos Islands, Pinas Bay, to Panama, where, owing to a fall in the; Culebra Cut, they were unable to pass through the Canal.

They were informed of the sinking of the Scarnhoret and Gneisenau, and sotxirned to Pinas Bay. Here they were, practically out of food, and lived solely on herrings and tomato sauce. They were also without matches. When they reached Callao they bought up everything, and then the route was YalpaI raiso, Falkland Islands, St. Vincent, to ! Plymouth. 1 Everywhere the engines worked without the slightest trouble. The turbines have been cold only twice since they left Sydney—iirst in Plymouth, second" in a northern dock. German fear of Australia. ; ■She linked up with a Japanese battleship and two cruisers for a sweep of the Pacific. The Germans spread a story that the Australia was sunk, and that the Admiralty had sent another ship through Panama, and had renamed her Australia, showing the Germans fear of the dreadnought. The only spell of bad weather was from Plymouth to the North Sea, but the changes of temperature were very trying. The engineers paid a .generous ■testimony to the stokers. In the tropicsthey allowed the men to arrange shifts and w-orked half-hours, naked except-fo'-their boots, out of which the perspiration poured in streams. Engineer-Comman-iler Lrump Johnson says that only Australians could have kept up the pace. The coal was so hot that they could not handle it. The temperature was 140 No special speed was attempted, except in we^obSd Where BUrprisin * " resul - The Australia is no longer tile lfolidav dancing ship that was eeen in Port Jackson She is now stripped bare, and her ' steel walls show everywhere. Many an adaptation has been made to quicken the control, and among the parts added ! anti-snbmarineand other Gn being requested to send a message