JAPANESE TRAINING SHIP.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 50, 1 March 1922, Page 7

JAPANESE TRAINING SHIP.

VISIT TO AUCKLAND. DESCRIPTION OF THE VESSEL. TRAINING MERCHANT MARINE OFFICERS. An unexpected arrival at Auckland thie morning, just after the break of day, was the Japanese training snip, Ta'isei Meru. BuiJt in Japan by the Kawasaki Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Kobe in 1904, the ship is claimed by the owners to be the finest and most up-to-date craft yet constructed for the cole purposes of training officers for the mercantile marine. She is 277 feet long, 42 feet beam, 27 feet deep,'and draws 22 feet of water in ordinary condition- Her gross tonnage ie 2423 tons, and has a net register of 1380 tons. In rig the vessel ie a four-maeted barque, and was registered at Tokyo, where the headquarters of the owners, the Imperial Japanese Nautical College, are situated.

EARLY WAR SERVICE. Immediately on completion, at the commencement of the Russo-Japanese war, ehe was requisitioned by the Naval Department of Japan for service as a water tender and transport for the fleet, which at that time was carrying out operations outside "Port Arthur. In this capacity she proved herself a seaworthy vessel, and her services were much appreciated. At the conclusion of hostilities ehe was given over to the Government Nautical College to carry on the work for which she was originally designed, for example, a sailingship training for cadets, and in connection with thie work she started on her first ocean voyage to Sydney in October, 1906, and since then she has made other voyages to various ports in the North and South Pacific, including San Francisco, f>an Diego, and San Pedro; and she has made one voyage round the world, via Cape Horn, the Cape of Good Hope and Australia.

No cargo whatever is carried by the vessel, hut she ie fitted with a system of ballaet tanks throughout, which, together with the stores and coal supplies for the auxiliary engine, situated amidships, render the ship perfectly stiff and seaworthy.

The Taieei Maru belongs to the Japanese Government, and is under the control of the Department of Communication, with Captain K. Aeari as the commander. Captain Aeari ie himself a former prraduate of the Imperial Japanese Nautical College, as also arc most of the principal officers of the vessel. They are: S. Oba, chief officer; K. Fujita, chief instructor; Y. Shinoda, second officer: K. Honda, chief engineer; the doctor, T. Amaba, and the only white man on the ship, Air. P. B. Clark. On the present voyage the ship left Shinagawa on November 14 last year, and, after calling at Yokohama and Muroran for water supplies and coal, she sailed finally from Japan on November 24, 1921. Favourable westerly winds of strong force were experienced for the most part until within about one thousand milee of the coast of America, when opposing winds were met with, prolonging the passage by ten days. Now Year's Day was celebrated at sea, and on the 4th day of 1922 the barque sailed into San P'edro. After a stay of five days, she left San Pedro on January 9 for this port. In both hemispheres trade winds were met with, but the weather was fine with moderate breezes until six days ago, when a cyclose sprang up, lasting about three days. The winds wert not severe and did not delay the voyage much. Land waa first sighted yesterday at Cnvier Island at 5 p.m., and the anchor was dropped in the stream at 6.30 a.m. to-day.

The ship's company consists of the captain, fifteen officers, 93 cadets, and a crew of 54 men. It is intended to make a stay of about one week at Auckland, after which the Taisei Mara will sail for Japan direct, completing this her twentyfifth ocean training voyage.

Offkera on board were liberal in theiT praise of Auckland and its harbour this morning, and they said the atmosphere was just the same as they had been accustomed to up in Japan. On behalf of the Japanese Consul a representative went on hoard the vessel this morning, and it is expected that to-morrow an official visit wiJl be paid to the Harbour Board's office.