ARRIVAL OF WARSHIPS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4608, 12 March 1902, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF WARSHIPS.

The warships of the Australian Squadron arrived in harbour yesterday morning from Lyttelton. It was a picturesque sight to see tho flagship Royal Arthur, followed by the third-class cruisers Ringarooma, Mildura and Phoebe, sailing up to the anchorage. The warships left Lyttelton on Monday morning, and came up the coast under easy steam. „ Of the above vessels the Phoebe is a stranger to Wellington, she having only recently been transferred from the South African station. She is a twin-screw steamer of the third class; of 2575 tonnage. She is almost a duplicate of the Ringarooma, but has only two torpedo tubes. Her dimensions are—Length 255 ft, beam 41ft, _ depth of draught 15ft Gin. Her armament consists of eight 4.7 in quickfiring guns, eight 3-poundors, four machine guns and one light gun. She was built at Devonport in 1890, and cost £161,114. Her complement consists of 217 officers and men. _ Commander : Addington has under him the following officers:—First-lieutenant, Mr Beale; second-lieutenant, Mr Campbell; navigating lieutenant, Mr Dunn; lieutenant (R.N.R.), Mr Pearson; sub-lieu-tenant, Mr Stahl; paymaster, Mr Claxton; engineer, Mr Venning; surgeon, Mr Dodd; assistant paymaster, Mr Catfield; gunner, Dixon; carpenter, Weston; artificer engineer, Yenner. According to the programme arranged when the squadron left Australia, the warships are a day late in reaching this port. From Wellington the vessels will go to Picton, Pelorus Sound and Nelson, leaving the latter place on the 31st inst for Auckland, the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Islands, sailing theqee to Australia on the 30th April. The Hons. W. C. Walker, W. HallJones and J. McGowan went off to the flagship in one of the now harbour defence steamers,', and paid their respects to Rear-Admiral Sir Lewis Beaumont, who will return the visit to-day. • The Harbour Board launch Uta took off some members of that body and also the Mayor (Mr J. G. W. Aitken) and some of the City Councillors. Courtesies were exchanged in the Admiral’s room. His Excellency will return the visit at half-past eleven o’clock this morning at the Corporation offices. The squadron is expected to remain in Wellington till the 19th or 20th inst.