U.S.A. FLEET

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 1 July 1925, Page 7

U.S.A. FLEET

A POPULAR CRUISE

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

V A LUA RLE BRORAG A NDA

BY CABLE —CHESS* ASSOCIATION —COB Y EIGHT

(Received July 1. 10.15 a.m.) FIONOLULU, June 30. The most popular cruise ever made by American warships into foreign waters begins to-morrow, when 57 vessels of the combined Pacific and Atlantic Fleets, carrying approximately 25,000 officers and men, leave here to visit Australia and New Zealand. Months before the date of the departure this friendly invasion of British Commonwealths had gained universal interest, even' exceeding the fame of the world tour of the American naval units iu 1903 under “Fighting Bob” Evans. The present expedition holds the unique position in American naval annals, due to the appeal it has made to the personnel itself. Th© Navy Department lias been compelled to suspend all enlistments and re-enlistments for a period of approximately three months to stem the flow of recruits who wanted to make this great sea trip. It was one of the finest advertisements the navy ever had.

Some 20 civilians, newspaper men, magazine writers, novelists, photographers, geographers and marine artists, and one Congressman, Representative McClintock, will be among th© interested spectators on the fleet, and to them will fall the task of making a permanent record of the expedition. American pressmen, moreover, have been commissioned not only to pay attention to the activities of the fleet, hut also to send or bring back facts about and descriptions of Australia and New Zealand. The fleet, in fact, will carry 25,000 agents to advertise Australia and New Zealand in America. The officers and men are all eager to learn about the new lands they are going to visit and to carry on beneficent propaganda back borne upon their return. They come from every town and hamlet of the United States, where little is known concerning Australia and New Zealand, and will preach the gospel of friendship. There is not a shadow of doubt that every man aboard the fleet is delighted over the cruise.—A. and N. 57. Assn.