FAST FRENCH CRUISER.

Grey River Argus, 18 April 1929, Page 7

FAST FRENCH CRUISER.

VISIT OP THE TOURVILLE TO NEW ZEALAND. Details of the New Zealand itinerary of the 10,000-ton French cruise*", Tourville, have been received by the Consul for France, M. Paul Serre The Tourville will arrive at Auckland on 21st July, and will remain until 29t’.i Ju’y. The Wellington visit wi l expend from 30th July to 7th August. These will be the only ports of call in New Zealand. M. Serre said t’le object of the cruiser’s visit to New Zealand was essen ially a gesture of friendship. In the past, only obsolete units of the French Navy had visited these shores, and soon New Zealand was to see a cruiser that was not olny the pride of France, but also was one of the best ships of its knd afloat. The Tourvl’e left Brest on 3rd April on a seven months’ tour of the world. Her ports of cell will include Martinique, Colon, Panama. Callao, Valparaiso, Tahiti, Samoa, Pago Pago, Apia, New Caledonia, and the New Hebrides. From Wellington, the Tourville will visit Tasmania, Sydney, Melbourne and o 4 hen Australian port*, and por*s of the East. She is expected at Toulon early rovt December, where her cruise will tc-nrnate, BuiP under the tcr-r the Washington Treaty, the Tnn-ville i- one of the fastest cruisers in fence, her 120,000 h.p. engines driv n j her ar n speed of 36.2 kno 4 s. !»•» a displacement of 10,000 ton, and has a complement of 21 offi.’O’s aul 600 men. ; She underwent her trials last month, and these realised the liigho<t hopes of A he French naval authorities. The Tourville is comn\an«lol by Captain Abrial, who lias had a di ' inguished career in the French N"vy H-? entered the naval academy in 1896 and was promoted to tho rank o* captain in 1925. A sister ship, the Duquesne, set out on a similar tour in January. The itinerary of this cruiser will be •onfined to Africa.