RIGAULT DE GENOUILLY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23514, 31 May 1938, Page 6

RIGAULT DE GENOUILLY

VISIT OF FRENCH SLOOP EXPECTED HERE TO-MORROW ' ' J In the course of her annual cruise to the South Pacific, the French sloop Rigault de Genouilly, which has been making calls at various northern ports, will arrive here tomorrow morning, and will berth at the Birch street wharf, near the Otago Harbour Board’s offices. She will remain in port until June 6. One of the Pacific Squadron based on Saigon (French Indo-China), the Rigault de Genouilly visited Auckland in March,' 1937. She was specially designed for tropical , service and was launched in 1932. Her displacement is of 2000 tons, and her speed is 15 \ knots. Her armament consists of three s.sin.guns, four 37millimetre anti-aircraft guns, and six machine-guns. The sloop carries a small seaplane. On her present voyage the Rigault de Genouilly is commanded by Captain Plante, who has with him 11 officers and 128 men. ' ;</,;>■.{s UNUSUAL ARRANGEMENT A departure; from the ? usual etiquette observed by the ‘'authorities when a warship, visits, the port will take place when the Rigault de Genouilly. arrives. Usually, when a British warship arrives, the Mayor and representatives of various. public and private bodies go aboard to call on the commander, : who later returns the calls ashore. To-morrow, this arrangement will be reversed, and the commander of the visiting vessel will first make his official calls, and these will be returned later.

ENTERTAINMENT OF VISITORS To-morrow afternoon, after 'the official calls have been made and returned, Captain Plante will lay a wreath on the fallen soldiers’ memorial in the Queen’s Gardens. The only other official functions arranged so far are a luncheon for the commander and officers at Femhill Club on Thursday, when they will be the guests of the French Consular agent, Mr S. D. Neill, and a dance for the ship’s company, arranged by the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Otago branch of the Navy League, to be held tomorrow evening at the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall. The usual courtesies will be extended to the visitors by the Dunedin City Corporation. Officers, and men, in unform, will be allowed free carriage on the trams, but not the buses, free admission to the Municipal Baths and free bus trips around the city will be arranged. ; The Winter Show will be open to the members of the ship’s company, who may also obtain tickets for the Dunedin Jockey Club’s winter meeting at Wingatui. The local theatres will be open to the visitors at specified times. The Otago, St. Clair, and Belleknowes Golf Clubs have indicated that the officers of the vessel will be welcome to the use of their links during their stay in Dunedin. LIST OF OFFICAL CALLS The order of the official calls will be as follows:—9.3o a.m., Consular Agent for. France calls on board Rigault de Genouilly; 10 a.m., Captain Plante returns Consular Agent’s call; 10.15 a.m., Captain Plante calls on chairman of Harbour Board (Mr W. Begg); 10.30 a.m., Commander of Royal Naval:-:.Volunteer Reserve' (Commander F. Fraser) calls on Captain Plante; 10.40 a.m. Commander of Military District (Major A. Bongard, M.C., N.Z.S.C.) calls on Captain Plante; 11 a.m., Captain Plante calls on the Mayor; (Mr A. H. Allen); 11.15 a.m., Captain Plante returns call of Officer Commanding Military District; 11.30 a.m., Captain Plante returns call Officer Commanding Royal Naval Voluriteer Reserve; 12 noon, the. Mayor returns call; 12.15 p.m. chairman of Harbour Board returns call. THE GENERAL STAFF

The General Staff of the Rigault de Genouilly is as follows: Capitaine de Corv Plante, captain commanding; Capitaine de. Corvette de Bon, second captain; Enseigne de Vaisseau Monot, officer (first class); Enseigne de Vaisseau .Viellard (first class), Enseigne de. Vaisseau De Raucourt (first class), Enseigne de Vaisseau Bossuet (first class), Enseignede Vaisseau Nay (first class), Eriseigne de Vaisseau Van Effehterre (first class), Enseigne de Vaisseau Durando (second class), Engenieur Mechanicien Jauzon, engineer (first class); Gommissaire Ober, paymaster (second class); Medecin Cazenave, surgeon (second class).