WITH A JAPANESE FLEET TO SEA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7800, 3 September 1903, Page 2

WITH A JAPANESE FLEET TO SEA.

OUR FAR EASTERN ALLY. (By ALFRED STEAD, -in the "Daily At a time when' our ally has determined upon a large increase of her na,vy, it may not be without interest to consider what sort of .a navy she possesses. Having been on© of the, very few foreigners permitted Vo take a cruise on a Japanese warship in commission, I may be able id give some idea of how Japan manages her great sea-fighters in calm' and' in storm. It is only by such, practical observation that it is possible to know what will happen, when- "the "real thing" arrives. BRITISH-BUILT BATTLESHIPS. The fleet, with which was the large armoured cruiser Asama, on. which 1 was placed, was in itself a striking demonstration of Japan's naval strength. Ail the ships were new, homogeneous and speedy. To pass them in review. There .vas the ShikishJma,, the flagship, battleship of 14,800 tons; the Asahi, newly come from England, of 15,200 tons, also of tne> line of battle. Of first-class cruisers there were three, the Idzwmo, of 9800 tons, and the Asama andl Tokiwa, of 9750 tons each. Smaller, but more speedy, was the Kasagi, of 4760 tons, and with her were two tor-pedo-boat destroyers. The speed of the battleships was 18 to 18i knots with Welsh coal, op 16 to 16i with Japanese. The large cruisers have speeds of 21 to 22 knots wi»J Welsh, and 18 to 19 knots with Japanese coal. The Kasagi has a speed of 23 knots, and the destroyers of 32 knots. The whole fledfc, even when burning Japanese coal, has thus a speed of 16 to 16£ knots. All of the ships, save the Kasagi, were English built. The Japanese authorities are quite determined that none of their large vessels shall be built elsewhere than in Great Britain. The Japanese war vessels are very similar in appearance to British, ships ; indeed, the captain of the Russian gunboat at Chemulpo told 1 me that, when this" fleet arrived one morning, he thought it was a British fleet come for some mysterious diplomatic purpose. The discipline on the ships is nearly perfect, and everything is kept as neat and clean: as on a British warship. PATENT FUEL. \ On the Asama there were 620 men — in the Japanese Navy there are no marines, the bluejackets being utilised for landing parties and so on. Once at sea, the effect of the Japanese coal when used with Belleville boilers was apparent. On all the vessels, save the Asama and the Tokiwa, whiah have cylindrical Scotch boilers, torrents of smoke poured from the funnels.' Later on the Kasagi was burning a patent fuel, which gave no smoke at all. It is composed of pitch and coal dust, and costs only half as much as Welsh coal. As both soft coal dust tind pitch are found in- quantities in Japan', the fuel is likely to play a great part in the future. The sailors are partly conscripts and partly volunteers, the latter filling all the petty and' warrant ranks. The conscripts serve for four years, the volunteers for seven. In the Japanese Navy the fleet engineer possesses executive power over three divisions of the crew. There are seven divisions, and the captain has supreme power over all. The fleet engineers rank with the commanders, and receive the same pay. .DRESS AND DIET. :■■ At work the bluejackets wear white, a red band being worn on the leit or right arm to signily starboard or port watch. They wear straw hats or caps, almost identical with those in use in the British ,Navy. Many, of the men wear boots, although this is not encouraged on board ship. They eat rice mixed with barley, canned meat and vegetables, and biscuits. It is not permissible for the men to take rice alone, as this has been found' to bring on dropsy. The officers' wardroom has a very British appearance, and the food is European, not Japanese. I can only speak certainly as regards the captain's table, which excellently supplied with wellcooked food. Every Monday general quar-' t-ers are performed, ana well as gun practice. The men are all armed with Murata rifles invented and manufactured in Japan, and short bayonets. For over an hour the work of aiming, loading and cleaning the guns in, the turrets, casemates and batteries was carded on seriously. Many of the commands contain English words, and it is very cur.ous to hear them. Special attention was paid to the cleaning and repairing of the guns, as also to the protection of the gun crews during action. The ammunition hoists are worked by hand, save in the turrets, where hydraulic power is used. The fire drill and torpedo exercises were carried out very thoroughly. At regular intervals in the day the men are allowed a few minutes for a smoke, th« great requisite of the Japanese sailor. On Tuesday mornings comes the washing of the sailors' clothes, and the vessels are hung with drying clothes. Each garment bears the name and number of the owner, so that there is no fear of confusion. LANDING PARTIES. Another manoeuvre which is well executed is the landing-party practice. At a given signal the men pour out on to the after-deck, looking very businesslike in theirblue clothes and caps, their white leggings, and their rifles and bayonets. Some of the men and all the officers carry revolvers. The landing party is under o senior lieutenant and two juniors, and is accompanied by a field-gun and two stretchers. The launch carries a quick-firer in the bows. All the men carry cartridge (belts, with three pouches so arranged as. to fold up neatly. ' After the rifles have been inspected, provision carriers and water bottles are served out. The former are in the shape of a blue sash, worn diagonally over the left shoulder, and contain biscuit rations and spare cartridges. At a bugle call, all are in their places in the boats, and remain at attention until the dismiss is sounded. To see ■ the crew assembled to listen to the explanation of new orders by the captain was to be impressed by the wonderful intelligence and interest of the men, as well as by their discipline. j The whole of the personnel of the j Japanese Navy are filled with prid« in their traditions and their ships, and will do well should ever the occasion arise.