FIRST SIGHT OF SHIPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18706, 12 May 1924, Page 10

FIRST SIGHT OF SHIPS.

ENTERING THE WAITEMATA! ______ * BROAD PATHWAY OF SILVER. ESCOBTS IN SEA AND SKY. A THRILLING SPECTACLE. "i '• A morning of grey shadows and rata: drift, broken skies, and seas a-dazzle with sudden bursts ?of ; sunshine, provided the setting on i Saturday ; for the greatest naval pageant f ever staged *on the Waitemata. The high hopes of thousands of citizens that Auckland would ! tender to the Special Service Squadron her traditional welcome of sunny skies and -.waterway were doomed to disappointment, and those who braved the threat of stormy daybreak, and h. hurried down to the harhour cliffs ;to await the ' coming •of the ships, looked out with eyes dismayed into a grey pall of mist and rain, wherein land and sea and sky" were merged in sullen shadow. ' : - :'" - By half-past eight there were thousands of watchers on the city's vantage points of hill and harbour headland. But there was nothing to be seen. Bangitoto and all the islands of the Gulf were blotted out; North Shore was but a; darker.shadow in the gloom, and so it was that the Delhi had almost turned North Head before she was seen, a grey . mass looming darkly through the scud ;of a passing rain-squall. The Delhi berthed punctually at nine o'clock, and a few moments afterwards the sun . mounted the rim of a great cumulus cloud lying over the Gulf, and a murmur of relief and gratification , ran through the multitude of watchers as the mist-veil rolled back from Rangitoto, and . the; noble triple-peak showed clear against the sky. Ten minutes later a long, dark prow showed up • behind North Head, and the cry went up, "Here she comes!" Swiftly ' she- came, the mighty Hood, thrusting out through the haze and.'mist, straight into a gleaming streak of silver that lay like a bright slender finger pointing the way. For. a few moments the full majestic length of her lay revealed in that glittering pathway, and the <} watchers " realised, with a sharp intake of breath, that in that j swift-passing moment, they were , looking upon one of the great, modern wonders of the world, one of the greatest of all works of men's hands. .. Through dazzle of silver on steel-grey, seas, she passed in calm,' unhurried gait, and over her, with the sunshine on their wings, two aircraft hovered like great silver birds. ' ,- : Close in to North Head lay the fleet of little vessels that , had gone forth to - give welcome to the mighty sea-monarch ;< they kept a respectful distance as ■ the Hood stood straight out toward the Bean Rock light, swinging in wide sweep ,to take the turn. It was a'magnificent spectacle, the vast grey ship with her escorts in sea and sky, the ■ sheaves of silver) light j oh % the waters, the broken skies with dark clouds s banking the > wide .fields of blue, making a setting far more impressive, more closely in keeping with the majesty and portent of the moment than any summer pageant of blue and gold. _.'' , ; ; ' Gliding in mid-harbour to a broad pathway of silver, all, the awe-inspiring might of her was made visible, the vast conningtower and gun ; turrets, i the '< huge ; funnels, the tall masts, and. fluttering 'proudly from the ensign-staff . aft, 7 the' white -flag, with the scarlet cross .that is the emblem; of the greatest sea-power the world.'. has known. ... A moment ; more of silent wonder and awe, and , then '■ the . skies were rent with the ; din of shrieking whistles, a thousand brazen ; voices shouting;. forth the city's welcome. c Slowly the - Hood passed i to her berth, with the sun shining,; and, a magnificent double rainbow : arching the western sky. " , '■>;■..,.-: . ■,■ ■, : --' ' : .:- ■ i Still the watchers on the cliff remained, i waiting through rain . and wind : for the closing scene ,of v this great pageant. In i stately procession came the four remaining ' ships of the squadron, led by the Repulse, ; ■ with the aircraft overhead, the welcoming ; fleet in close attendance, and, in the rear, i flag-decked r; : ferry boats -thronged with ' • eager ; sightseers. Through the haze that .i lay over . the harbour,; they passed , swiftly, ; like grim grey; ghosts, the fitful sunlight ,- gleaming on pointing guns, picking out in vivid colouring the red cross on the white i ensign. - _ Then the :?. warships - slackened speed, and even as they passed to anchor- * age; a curtain of grey rain shut down ;the 'j' sky, and in the blinding torrents of v■'■_'. , sharp, short shower, the watchers on the , cliff ; turned back from the sea to shelter and the homeward way. , v - • ' SALUTED >IN THE AIR. ; i' AIRCRAFT ESCORT SQUADRON. * ' i * , •"'- ''■v:- V- :-.v<~ ■•.'.' ■.;:.":.•■ -.'■'■:':■-'■• ■:-. [ A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE. : t An ; aerial. welcome was a spectacular , feature lof } the arrival of the British Seri vice Squadron on Saturday moraine;. Soon \ .after,, the appearance of : H.M.S. Hood inside Tiri' Island,' an v i Avro seaplane '$ and! 1 a big flving boat glided out from Messrs.- % Walsh . Bros. % New 'Zealand i Flying School - at Kohimarama, and met ' the .*; battle [ ; cruiser in the Rangitoto Channel. About i . 1000 ft. above . the vessel, i;he i_ aircraft I ' dipped as a salute to the warship, and its ; ; distinguished company, which included the" c Governor-General., Lord Jellicoe, and Vice-j ': : Admiral «Sir -f Frederick L.. Field. The ! salute was -answered ■:/. from -s* the twarship I , by a dip of '-, the -ensign.- ;: t , ,;•■ „r After circling round the. ship as. she steamed swiftly .up the i channel, and, accompainyine her down the harbour, the two. aircraft > out [ hack to their ,-base, and, repeated their performance when the Re- ' pulse. Danae, Dragon,, and Adelaide put [ ; in > their,'appearance, saluting i each vessel | ,in 'turn and obtaining in : each case the , ; r usual courteous response. The ships were'l * escorted up the harbour until they finally. 1 dropped, anchor, in, the stream. ' j > i; Viewed; from the air, the b?ttle cruisers > spd light cruisers presented a magnificent spectacle as they steamed in line, and some excellent photogrp_hs were v secured by a ! Weekly Nhws staff photographer. I? -- —, _— • i - ( I piJNEDIN AND DAUNTLESS : y ARRIVAL YESTERDAY. ! REPLACING THE CHATHAM. I The ;; two ] light cruisers, the Dunedin I and ?'•■ Dauntless, ■ which 1 left Dunedin too . late ; to, enter port with; the rest' of the squadron on Saturday;- arrived at 11 a.m. . yesterday.. They moored on opposite '; sides of the . Admiralty tanker, War J-- Krishna, which lies in the stream west -: of Prince's Wharf.- Both took on. oil ' fuel and late in the afternoon' took up i moorings with the other cruisers :in -the V stream. *r ' - -, [ ..The , Dunedin and :. Dauntless are of the : same ;class /as the Delhi, Danae arid , Dragon. -■ Special interest attaches to the ;• _former, as she ' is to remain in V New j; Zealand, becoming ' the flagship of the . Dominion naval' division in place of' the * Chatham. ; iL The ■-. Dunedin is commanded j: by Captain the Hon. Alexander ; R. M. > Ramsay, : husband >; of :;• Princess Patricia.? ;.: Captain Ramsay : will ? not, ' however, V remain in New Zealand with the Dunedin.