AUSTRALIAN CRUISERS

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3046, 31 August 1933, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN CRUISERS

ARRIVAL AT AUCKLAND. , “AUSTRALIA” AND “CAN- *• BERRA.” POWERFUL FIGHTING SHIPS. (Special to the Independent.) AUCKLAND, Today. The Australian cruisers, H.M.A.S. Canberra, (flagship of Rear-Admiral R. C. Dalglish C. 8., R.N., commanding the Australian Squadron) and H.M.A.S. Australia, accompanied by the destroyer “Tattoo” reached Auckland at 7 a.m. today after their, manoeuvres with the New Zealand cruisers off North Cape, and their subsequent visit to Russell.

The visiting warships -which are the first of the 10,000 ton “Washington Treaty” type to be seen in Auckland, made an impressive sight coming up the harbour in the early morning. The “Canberra” berthed alongside the Central wharf, the “Australia” anchoring in the stream. H.M.S. Dunedin and H.M.S. Diomede went to their usual berths at Dovonpoft. Arrangements for the entertainment of the officers and men of the Australian cruisers have been made by the Auckland branch of the Navy League, which has received the ready co-opera-tion of the City "Council and Harbour and various other organisations. TWO POWERFUL SHIPS GUNS CAN SHOOT 16 MILES. This is the “Canberra’s” first visit to New Zealand waters. The “Australia” called at Wellington on her way out from England, where she was built, in 1928'. Both ships are of the latest and most powerful typ e afloat. There are 13 of them altogether counting 11 in the Royal Navy, of which four are on the China Station. Each of'the visiting cruisers is over 600 feet long with a beam of 68i feet. Their size will be appreciated when it is realized that if it were possible to place either ship in Victoria Street with- the bows in line with the National Hotel, the stern would block the end of Duke Street. The shapely stream-lined hulls of these ships are capable of driving through the seas at a speed, reckoned in land terms, of 37 miles an hour. Fighting, like everything else having speeded up since the war, their eightinch guns, which are arranged in four turrets are said to be able to pour a iream of shells into an enemy ship at the rate of .112 a minute. The value of super'or speed and gunpoiver was exemplified in 1914 when the presence in the South Pacific of the old “Australia,” a ship with 12inch guns, and displacing 20,000 tons, prevented von Spec’s cruisers from bombarding Auckland, and other New Zealand coastal towns and cities, just as Scarborough and Lowestoft were shelled by enemy ships from across the North Sea.

Both ships were built on the Clyde. On her , trials, the " Australia”, covered the measured mile. "all-out” at a speed of 32.5 knots (equal to 37 m.p.h.) The "Canberra” is equally fast.' Both ships carry 3,400 tons of oil fuel, which is only 600 tons less than the "Nelson” and "Rodney’.’ A surprising fact too is that their 80,000 h.p. engines are 35,000 h.p. more powerful than those of ■ the two great battleships, which are more than three times their tonnage, but slower. From these figures the two cruisers’ groat radius of action can be judged. At "economical” speed, that is the speed at which the greatest distance can be covered with the least consumption of fuel, (in the present case, 13 knots) these ships could steam 10,000 miles, almost from Auckland to England, without refuelling. At full speed, if it were possible to maintain it all the time, they would burn all of the fuel in 2,3.00 miles. The cruisers’ guns are said to have an extreme elevation of 52 degrees, which means a range of 29,000 yards, (equivalent .to 164 miles over land.) The weight of each shell fired is about 2SOJbs. and that of a . full broadside from each ship, a ton. They can fire 14 rounds a minute from each gun. The two cruisers also carry eight 21-ineh torpedo tubes, in sets of four. They are armed with four 4 ; ineh anti aircraft guns for use against air attacks, and aro fitted with "bulges” along the waterline as a protection against submarine attack. y Australian Officers. Although the ships are commanded by Royal Navy captains, the admiral is Australian born, and practically all of the officers, both senior and junior, are Australian-born and Australian-train-ed. while the crews are also thoroughly Australian. Even as recently as 1918, of the officers only the midshipmen and one or two others were Australian, all the others being from the Royal Navy. Of the ships’ crews in those days about a third belonged to the HomG navy.