THROUGH THE YEARS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 205, 31 August 1933, Page 8

THROUGH THE YEARS.

PREVIOUS NAVAL VISITORS.

BRITISH AND AMERICAN".

Auckland has been vifiited by British, American, Japanese, Dutch, French and German naval vessels, but visits from the fleet of our nearest neighbour are rare. In August of 1908 an American fleet, consisting of the battleships Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota. Vermont, Georgia, Nebraska, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Virginia, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kearsage, and Kentucky, visited New Zealand, under the command of Rear-Admiral C. S. Sperry. The battleships were of a 16,000-ton type, and much smaller than some of the war vessels seen in Auckland during later years. | In 1923 came the 14 British Special Service Squadron, under Admiral F. L. Field, and New Zealand saw H.M.s. Hood, which, with her displacement of 47,500 tons, is still the greatest warship in the world. Accompanying the Hood were the battle cruiser Repulse, of 26,500 tons, and the light cruisers Delhi, Dragon, Danae, Dauntless and Dunedin. . In May of 1924 the Australian warships Melbourne and Adelaide visited Auckland. In May, 1924, another American fleet came to Auckland under the command of Admiral S. S. Robinson. The portion of the fleet which moored in the Waitemata consisted of eight 32,000-ton battleships, the California, West Virginia, Colorado, Maryland, Tennessee,. New Mexico, Idaho and Mississippi. At the same time, 3S other units of the American fleet were distributed amongst other New Zealand ports, and all assembled, prior to their departure, in Wellington Harbour, making an unforgettable spectacle. It was by far the largest fleet of naval vessels ever seen in a New Zealand harbour. The year 1924 also saw a visit by three Japanese warships, cruisers of the same tonnage as the Canberra. They were the Asama, Yakump and Iwate. It was a cruising squadron with a total complement of 2423. • Three years ago a Dutch squadron of ■ modern vessels came, The flagship of Admiral Kayser was the' light - cruiser Java, and with -it" were the destroyers Evertsen and De Ruyter. Apart from fleets, singlo warships of other nationalities have occasionally , visited Auckland. Of comparatively recent date was the visits of the German cruiser Emden and the French cruiser Tourville, and the most recent visitor was tho French sloop Savorgan Dc Brazza. i'