ISLAND CRUISES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 221, 15 June 1936, Page 5

ISLAND CRUISES

Itinerary of Warships On their annual winter cruise to the South Sea Islands, 11.M.5. Dunedin, flagship of Commodore the Hou. E; R. Drummond, and the sloops 11.M.5. Leith and H.M.S. Wellington will leave Auckland this week. The flagship will sail this afternoon at 2.30 and the sloops are scheduled to leave on "Wednesday. H.M.S. "Wellington, which is in dock for overhaul prior to the cruise, will leave dock to-day.

The itinerary of the flagship has not been completed, as foreign Governments have still to approve certain proposed calls in their territories. From Auckland, however, the Dunedin will proceed to the Kermadccs, Niue Island and Vavau, in the Tongan Group, in that order, making a brief stay at each, before arriving at Suva on June 26. Short cruises to islands within easy reach will probably be made from Suva, which will be the flagship’s base until July 20, when she will continue to Apia. It is possible that firing practice will be carried out before the Dunedin returns to Auckland on August 28. The two sloops will be away from Auckland until October 2. The Wellington’s schedule provides for bombardment practice between June 22 and 29, on the voyage from Lautoka to Suva. It is expected that Bishop Kempthorne, of Polynesia, will be a guest on each of the warships in turn in the course of a tour of his extensive diocese. He will probably join the Leith at Nukualofa on the first stage of the journey. The naval minesweeper, H.M.S. Wakakura, returned on Friday from a week’s cruise with a party of Royal Naval Volunteer Reservists. She is now at sea with another class, and will dock next month.