ELABORATE FITTINGS.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIV, 6 April 1927, Page 2

ELABORATE FITTINGS.

H.M.S. RENOWN.

LONDON, January 5.

A valuable series of old maritime prints has been lent for the voyage of the “Renown” by Messrs T. H. Parker, the historical picture dealers, of 12a Berkeley street, London. For the dining saloon, the Duke and Duchess have chosen a selection of rare coloured aquatints, portraying events in the history of Australia, including a scarce set of four views of Sydney, N.S.W., published in 1810, only a few years after Captain Phillip founded this first Australian British settlement.

The Royal drawing-room on board will be hung with fine lithographs of the old Australian clipper ships—diminishing memorials of the great era of the rush to that country for wool and gold—and among these are the “Murray,” a passenger ship built by Messrs Hall of Aberdeen in 1861; ths “Coonatto,” built by Messrs Bilbe of London in 1863, a fast little ship that was finally lost on Beachy Head in 1876; the

“Yatala,” also built by Messrs Bilbe in 1865, which was the fastest, but went ashore and became a total loss near Cape Gris-Nez, March 27th, 1872. All three were owned by Messrs Anderson, Thompson, and Co., generally known as the Orient Line.

Another is the celebrated Aberdeen White Star clipper “Ethiopian,” built in 1864. She was a fast little ship, and when Norwegian-owned was abandoned in 1894, but was picked up and towed into Fayal, where she was condemned.

A record of the wool and gold clippers, however, would not be complete without mention of the celebrated Black Ball Line. A fitting example is portrayed in the print of the “James Baines,” considered to be the finest of the quartette built by Donald Mackay at Boston, U.S.A., 1854. Her record is well-known during her four years of activity, for she was unfortunately burned at Liverpool in 1858. To complete the collection, a typical example of the Blackwall frigates is included in the print of the “Sussex.” This fine old ship was built and owned by Messrs Money Wigram, of Blackwall; although not so speedy as the later clippers, she made many fine passages until 1871, when she was wrecked near Geelong. There are also a few naval battle prints, all of exceptional scarcity. Messrs Parker have lent the collection to help relieve and brighten the monotony of the bare steel bulkheads, and so make the suite a little more home like for their Royal Highnesses during the cruise.

Very few fresh appointments have been made to the H.M.S. Renown for the Royal tour. The ship will be commanded by Captain N. A. Sullivan, who joined her on July 20 last. A torpedo specialist, he commanded destroyer divisions in the war in the Marksman and other vessels, and in 1917 became a Duty Captain at the Admiralty. He was commended for service at Jutland. Commander N. C. Moore, D. 5.0., is a p.s.c., of Greenwich, and was also appointed to the Renown in July. A gunnery specialist, he won the D.S.O. and Belgian Croix de Guerre for service in monitors off the Belgian Coast. Engineer Commander C. E. Sutton, in charge of tha ship’s machinery of 112,000 h.p., served in destroyers during the war and the flotilla leader Faulknor. He joined the Renown in December, 1923, from the destroyer depot-ship Diligence.

Of the lieutenant-commanders and lieutenants, about a score, of whom five are engineer officers, the first and navigator k .Lieutyrianl-Coinmander G. Curteis, who wa§* in ' the Blonde, Warspite, Boadicea, and Godetia in the war, and joined the Renown in June, 1925, from the staff of the Navigation School. Lieutenant-Com-mander H. H. J. Hodgson, the torpedo officer, was in the Cochrane, Forward, and Indomitable during the war, and his last service was on the staff of the Fourth Flotilla, Mediterranean. The gunnery officer, Lieutenant-Commander J. C. Leach, was rackets champion (Home) in 1919 and 1920, and at Malta in 1922; he also excels at other games. He wa sin the Erin during most of the war. Lieu-tenant-Commander the Hon. C. E. R. Spencer, D.S.C., who last served in the Barham was decorated for service in coastal motor boats during the war. Lieu-tenant-Commander C. H. Drage was in the London and Cochrane during the war, and joined the Renown last July, after a commission in the sloop Bluebell in China.

Engineer Lieutenant-Commander H. E. le Poidevin, who was commissioned at mate (E), served during the war in the Lion and Cumberland, and joined The Renown in March last, after duty in the

repair ship Assistance. Major T. L. Hunton, 0.8. E. in charge of the R.M. contingent, is well known as a cricketer, and was made brevet major for war service in the Minotaur and Lord Nelsou, in the latter of which he was staff officer to the Admiral in the Aegean. Surgeon Commander G. R. McCowen, 0.8. E., is senior medical officer of the ship, and Surgeon-Commander H. E. Y. White, M.V.0., 0.8. E., is attached to the Royal suite. The former was decorated for service in the war on the Somaliland coast and with the R.M.A., siege battery iri Flanders. The latter, after war service in the Commonwealth and Prosperpine, accompanied the Prince of Wales on his tours in 1922 and 1925. PaymasterCommander J. M. Hodge, D. 5.0., 0.8. E., is an interpreter in French and Spanish. In the war he was Secretary to the Com-

modore at Lowestoft, and also in the Admiralty Convoy Section. In 1923-26 he served with the naval Sub-Commission of the League of Nations at Geneva.