EMPIRE CRUISE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 311, 31 December 1923, Page 3

EMPIRE CRUISE.

THE SEVEN-SHIP FLEET. CAREERS OF THE LEADERS. ; SHIPS OF THE SQUADRON. j The special service cruiser squadron. which is due in Auckland on May HI and |leaves on May 17. and which*include-. :thc cruisers Hood (-11.2011 tons) and i Repulse (26,300 tons) and light cruisers I Delhi, Danae. Dauntless, Dragon, ami Dunedin leach -1750 tons). i s under the I command of Vice-Admiral, Sir I". 1.. ! Field. The leader of the squadron was [Third Sea Lord of the Admiralty and Controller of the Navy from l!i_o.' This l.year he took over command of the I.attlecruiser squadron from Rear-Admiral s; r [Walter Cowan and hoisted hi s flag on ■the Hood. In 10,0(1 he served in the Hover I Rebellion in China and was wounded at the taking of Tientsin. II.• \va« awarded ]the China medal ami also mentioned in ! dispatches. The Oreat War found him again in Chinese waters, where lie was jflagcaptain to Admiral Sir \l. .Icrrnn, commander of the naval forces in the Par East. When Admiral -ierrain took over .command of tbe Second Battle Squadron of the f'rand Fleet. Admiral Field went with him as flag-captain, and in that capacity commanded the battleship King Georgc'v. at the Battle of Jutland. Then he became Chief of Staff to Admiral Sir Charles Madden, and held that position until appointed to the Admiralty a s a member of the Board. Rear-Admiral the Hon. Sir Hubert Brand, second in command, is n son of the second Viscount Hampden, brother of the present peer and a grandson of the famous "Mr. Speaker Brand," who presided over the House of Commons for many years. In Ifll'i he went to the Grand Fleet as chief of staff to Lord Bcatty. When Lord Beatty took over command of the Grand Fleet. Hear Admiral Brand was appointed captain of the fleet with the rank of commodore first class. He founded the great naval charity, which, beginning a? the Grand Fleet " Fund, later became the Royal Naval Benevolent Trust. The trust has distributed many thousands of pounds among the dependents of naval men who lost their lives in the war. Rear Admiral Brand was promoted to his present rank in 1010 and appointed to command the King"s yachts. Captain .F. M. Pipson, in command of H.M.S. Delhi, flagship of Rear-Admiral Brand, served throughout the war as a commander. In 101020 he was commander of the King's yacht % ictoria and Albert. Captain H. W. Parker, who command* the Repulse, served as captain of the fleet under Admiral Sir Charle= Madden in the Grand Fleet, and later became Director of the Operations Division at the Admiralty. Commander F. H. Sandford, commander of 11. M.s. Repulse, during lHlo played a gallant part in the Dardanelles operations, where "ne was severely .wounded. He was awarded the D.5.0.. mentioned in dispatches, and specially promoted to commander. He was appointed to the staff of Sir Roger l_eyus at Dover to help in preparing the plans for the '-bottling up" of Zcohruggo in 1918. He also played a distinguished part in the actual operations His brother, the late Lieutenant R. D. Sandford, was in command of Submarine ( ... which, during the hottest periodl ot the attack, was pushed under the Mol.- to blow it up- From the Mole the enemy fired at point blank range upon the submarine, and badly wounded most o its crew. Commander Sandford. who was waiting in his launch, under the muzzle, of the enemy's guns .brought off the submarine's crew in satety. ll.r lrrem.li Government gave bun the Croix da Guerre with palms.