CRUISE IN PACIFIC

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 June 1937, Page 2

CRUISE IN PACIFIC

A• . V

LEITH LEAVES AUCKLAND.

( PEI! PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

AUCKLAND, June 1.

Bound first for Suva, where she is to embark the High Commission for the Western Pacific (Sir Arthur Richards), the Imperial patrol sloop Leith left the Deyonport Naval Base this morning to make her annual winter cruise of the South Pacific islands. The ship will be away from Auckland for about three'months, and will visit, nine island groups.

During her last winter cruise to the Pacific, the. Leith paid a special visit to the Phoenix group and look possession of five of the islands. Last December she. left on a. special service mission, the destination of which was kept an official se’eret, but this winter’s cruise is entirely a routine matter and the only extraordinary duty to be undertaken is the conveyance of Sir Arthur Richards for the first, inspection of the islands under his jurisdiction since he assumed office last year. He will visit the New Hebrides, the Solomons, Nauru, Ocean Island, Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Rotumah, and will be on board the Leith for a. little more than a month.

On Saturday the flagship of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, the Achilles, will leave Auckland for her winter cruise to the islands, this being the first time she has been away from New Zealand since she joined the station last year. The cruiser will go as far as Honolulu and Fanning Island, and will return on August 27, in time for the arrival of the new cruiser Leander from England.