RESULTS OF THE CRUISE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 273, 11 August 1908, Page 9

RESULTS OF THE CRUISE.

j STATEMENT BY ADMIRAL SPERRY.

THE FLEET'S EFFICIENCY j INCREASED, j Auckland, August 10. i Interviewed to-day as to the results of the voyage up to tho present time Roar-Admiral Sperry stated that it was undertaken mainly for the purpose of improving tho Fleet by keeping it at sea for a longer time than ever before, and exercising it ill every way. ISy this nioans, ho explained, tho incm acqulra sua i>"hitß and become jnqro familiar with

tho sea and navigation all round than by staying in n harbour, and merely practising from a base. Tho Engineering Department lias especially had a splendid opportunity for improvement by way of oxoreiso and manoeuvres. This has certainly resulted in a groat improvement in tho work, and also in allowing tho men , to becomo thoroughly familiar with tho active sido of tl\o work. Again a method has been discovered by which a great saving in coal has been clt'ectcd, and consequently tho vessels aro enabled to steam in a much greater radius. "Formerly," ho said, "a trip to Auckland from Honolulu would have been almost beyond the capacity of most ships. Now we can' steam to Sydney without further coaling if accessary, and the radius of tho fleet i's about 500 miles. The results in the working havo boon splendid speaking from' tho effect 011 the ships, and 011 a comparative basis in tactical manoeuvres, and in all other work of this kind there has been a groat improvement. It must bB remembered, of cum, thai, it tho first time in history tl.at a fleet of sixteen battleships has been ()niiy exercised under conditions approaching those of actual warfaro. Thero has been capital gun practice, and the general iinprovcmuut I have mentioned covers this branch of tho work."