BIG NAVAL REVIEW.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20503, 3 January 1935, Page 5

BIG NAVAL REVIEW.

Part of King’s Jubilee Celebrations. GREATEST SINCE 1914. (Special to the " Star.”) LONDON, November 15. The King, it was announced by the First Lord of the Admiralty (Sir Bolton Eyres-Monsell) in the House of Commons, intends, as part of the silver jubilee celebrations, to review the Fleet at Spithead. The review will take place on Tuesday, July 16, or, should the weather be unsuitable then, on July 17. The ships to take part in the review have not been finally selected, but in addition to the Home and part of the Reserve Fleets certain units of the Mediterranean Fleet will probably be present. The King, in the Victoria and Albert, would lead the Fleet to sea to exercises on the forenoon of the day following the review. The last Naval Review held by the King was in July, 1924, at Spithead. This Naval Review promises to be the greatest since the Test Mobilisation at Spithead from July 16-20, 1914. On that occasion 200 ships were present, including twenty-four Dreadnoughts and thirty-five pre-Dreadnought battleshins. nearly fifty cruisers and seventyeight destroyers. On July 20 the King led the combined fleets to sea in the Royal yacht Alexandra. A fortnight later the country was at war. Assuming the Home, Mediterranean and Reserve Fleets to be at normal strength next July, there should be present at Spithead about 147 man-of-war pennants, including nine battleships, two battle cruisers, three air-craft-carriers, twenty cruisers, seventyfive destroyers and thirty-eight sub- I marines, besides many auxiliary cratt. It will be the first time since the war that the Mediterranean Fleet has visited home waters, and the first occasion that the Reserve Fleet has been mustered at sea in company with the active fleets.