SLOOP IN PORT

Southland Times, Issue 21649, 10 March 1932, Page 8

SLOOP IN PORT

LABURNUM ARRIVES OFFICIAL CALLS PAID AT BLUFF WELCOME TO SOUTHLAND In the course of her southern cruise, the naval sloop HALS. Laburnum arrived at Bluff yesterday afternoon and for the remainder of the week will remain at Southland’s port. Official visits were paid to the vessel by representatives of the Blufl Harbour Board, the Bluff Borough Council and the Invercargill City Council and were returned at the Harbour Board’s office by the commander of the Laburnum, Commander R. Ramsbotham. The commander will return the call of his Worship the Mayor of In-vercargill (Mr John Miller) this morning. The Laburnum, in company with the other sloop of the New Zealand squadron, H.M.S. Veronica, has been engaged in exercises at Stewart Island and is now about to proceed north to Wellington for the annual musketry course of the New Zealand naval ratings which will take place at Trentham during April. The Veronica will visit Timaru, while the Laburnum will visit Dunedin, Oamaru and Lyttelton before proceeding to Wellington. Both sloops were engaged in exercises in the vicinity of Stewart Island during the past week or so, and the annual regatta between the two vessels was held at the Island. After an interesting day’s sport, the Veronica won the competition by 46 points to 41. The Laburnum left Kawhia harbour on February 7 and proceeded down the West Coast, calling at Westport, Greymouth and the W'est Coast Sounds en route to Stewart Island.

Commander Ramsbotham, who recently arrived from the China service, has associated with him six officers (and. 98 other ratings. The officers include LieuLCommander D. Hammersley Johnston, Lieutenants Lewis and Milne Home, Surgeon-Lieutenant A. JBurden, Commander Engineer Robins and Gunner Tolliday. H.M.S. Laburnum was built in 1915 to last two years or the duration of the war, but is still in service after 17 years. ’She carries eight guns, two four-inch, two twopounder anti-aircraft and four three-pound-ers. She Is a single-screw vessel driven by triple-expansion engines with two boilers. She was built for general service. The sloop presented a striking appearance as she came round the point and up the harbour shortly after three o’clock yesterday afternoon, and there was a large crowd of adults and school children on the wharf when she berthed at 3.50 p.m. Immediately after the vessel berthed, the official call was paid by Mr W. B. Dixon (chairman), Captain G. N. Lindsay (harbourmaster) and Mr H. C. Gimblett (secretary), representing the Bluff Harbour Board, Mr T. F. Doyle (Mayor of Bluff), Mr A. 11. Ferguson (Town Clerk), his Worship the Mayor of Invercargill (Mr John Miller) and Mr C. L. Grange (Town Clerk). Mr Dixon extended to Commander Ramsbothani, the officers and crew of the sloop a hearty welcome to the port of Bluff. He said that the Bluff Harbour Board was always pleased to welcome any unit of the Royal Navy to Bluff. He hoped that the stay of the sloop in the port would be a pleasant one, and that they would enjoy the entertainments which had been arranged for them. He was sure that ere they left Bluff, they would have made many cordial friendships in Southland. Mr Doyle also extended a welcome on behalf of the Bluff Borough Council. He said that while Bluff did not offer the facilities for entertainment which Invercargill did,'all the citizens of the port town hoped that the officers and crew of the vessel would enjoy themselves. In reply, Commander Ramsbotham said that he had been looking forward to his first visit to Bluff and he was sure that he and his officers and the crew of the sloop would enjoy their stay. He safrjj he was extremely grateful for the arrangements which had been made for the entertainment of his officers and men. He was particularly pleased with the weather which had been encountered since he had been in the extreme south of the Dominion, which was much appreciated after storms experienced on the voyage south. ■ The commander, with Ueut-Commander Johnston and Surgeon-Lieutenant Burden, returned the call at the office of the Bluff Harbour Board later in the afternoon. In addition to the local body representatives who paid the official call, there were present Mr J. A. Hamilton - (Bluff Harbour Board) and Councillors W.H. Johnston and U. S. Joss (Bluff Borough Council).. Tho commander will visit Invercargill this morning to return the call of his Worship the Mayor at 11 o’clock.