THE UNITED STATES FLEET

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 200, 25 May 1925, Page 5

THE UNITED STATES FLEET

FORTHCOMING VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND 800 OFFICERS AND 12,000 MEN IN WELLINGTON SECTION ENTERTAINMENT ARRANGEMENTS

Full particulars of the United States Fleet that is paying a visit to New Zealand in August next have now come to hand. The Wellington detachment will com- prise the following ships

Fleet Flagship. Light Cruiser Div. 2. Seattle. Richmond ' Trenton Battleship Div. 3. Marblehead Pennsylvania Memphis Oklahoma Nevada. Mine Division 2. Ludlow Burns. I Destroyer Squadrons, Battle Fleet. Omaha (Flagship). Squadron 11. 311 Decatur (leader). Melville (tender) .■ Dit. 30. Div. 31. G 75 Sinclair 298 Percival 277 Moody ■ 299 J. F. Burns 262 McDermut 301 Somers Div. 32. 302 Stoddert 304 Farquhar 305 Thompson 306 Kennedy 307 Paul Hamil- •> ton Squadron 12. 336 Litchfield (leader) Altair (.tender). Div. 34. Div. 35. fill Yarborough 321 i Mervine 316 Sloat 323 Chase 317 Wood 321 Robert 313 Shirk Smith 319 Kidder 325 Mullany

August 6 —Leave Melbourne and Syd ney.

' Div. 36. 331 Macdonough 332 Farenholt 333 Sumner 335 Melvinc Hospital Ship. Relief. The battle fleet visiting Auckland will consist of eight battleships—California (flagship), West Virginia (flagship); Division -1, New Mexico, Mississippi, Idaho; Division 5, Colorado, Maryland, Tennessee; and the repair ship Medusa. ' In addition to the hospital ship and the repair ship, seven other auxiliary vessels, storeships and tankers, will accompany the fleet, but their ports ol call are uncertain at present, as their disposition will be determined by exist; ing conditions at the time of the visit. The vessels to be employed on this duty will be the storeships Arctic andBridge, and the oil tankers Kanawha, Cuyama, Ramapo, and JSanelo. The itinerary of the fleet from the date of its departure from Haw mi u its return to the San Diego area on the Pacific Coast of the United t-iaies, also available:—■ July I—Leave Hawaii. July 10—Arrive Pago Pago (American Samoa). July 11—Leave Pago Pago. July 23—Arrive Melbourne and Sydney.

August 11—Arrive Wellington and Auckland.

August 24—Leave Wellington. August 25—Leave Auckland. August 30—Arrive Pago Pago. September I—Leave Pago Pago. September 10—Arrive Hawaii. September 19—Leave Hawaii.

September 26—Arrive San Diego area

As the Light Ciuiser Division is also visiting Hobart it will leave Melbourne on August 3—three days in advance of the other vessels, but will arrive- with them in Wellington on August 11.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet is Admiral Robert 11. Coontz, who hoists his pennant on the Seattle, and consequently makes Wellington his port of call. With him in the Wellington section he has Rear-Admiral 11. J. Zeigemeier, Commander of Battleship Division 3, on the Pennsylvania, and RearAdmiral.F. H. Schofield, commander of the destroyer squadrons, with the Omaha as his flagship. The commander of the Light Cruiser Division is Captain If. C. Kalfbus, on the Trenton. The Commander-in-Chief of the battle fleet that proceeds to Auckland is Admiral S. S. Robison, with the California as his flagship.

The battleship divisions are commanded by Vice-Admiral 11. A. Wiley on

the West Virginia, and Rear-Admiral W. V. Pratt, on the New Mexico, is in command of Battleship Division 4. The question as to whether it will be possible to detail some of the ships to visit some of the 'southern ports has not yet been definitely decided. The Government is now in direct communication with Admiral Coontz on the subject, and every effort is being made to achieve this object.

ENTERTAINING THE VISITORS PRELIMINARY STEP§. The suitable entertainment of the 800 officers and 12,000 men who comprise the personnel of the Wellington section of the fleet and the 700 officers and 11,000 men in the battleship section that goes to Auckland is a matter of no small moment to each of the cities concerned, and is already exercising the minds of those in authority. The Government has entrusted the supervision of arrangements to Mr. J. Hislop, L'nder-Secretary for Internal Affairs, and Captain I‘. A. Sommerville, Chief of Staff of the Royal Naval Division in New Zealand, and initial steps arc being taken.

Necessarily on the present occasion, as the Commander-in-Chief of the visiting fleet is coming to Wellington and Parliament will be in session at the time, all Government functions will be held in the capital city. Up to the present any civic action has been delayed pending the results of the municipal elections, but now that these arc settled no doubt matters will proceed apace. His Worship the Mayor of Wellington announces that he will call a public meeting shortly and no effort will be spared to make the occasion of the 1925 visit of the’ United States Fleet to Wellington a memorable one.

The Y.M.C.A., the Navy League, the English Speaking Union, and the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association have intimated their willingness to assist in entertaining the visitors, and it is expected that as soon as a citizens’ committee has been set up, offers of assistance will pour in from all quarters. As it is considered desirable that the visitors she I .ld be given an opportunity to see something of the country, it is hoped to arrange for parties of both officers and men to go to Masterton and Palmerston North from Wellington, and to Hamilton from Auckland. The Mayors of these towns are being com1/iunicated with in order to ascertain whether they will be willing to take the matter up. It is alfo possible that one or more trips may be arranged to Rotorua. In 1908 a party of 200 officers was sent up there as the guests of the Government.

Following the precedent created by similar occasions previously, the Government. has announced its intenlziti to validate any expenses that may be incurred by any local bodies in connection with the reception or entertainment of the fleet.