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1931. NEW ZEALAND.

NEW ZEALAND NAVAL FORCES. REPORT OF THE COMMODORE COMMANDING THE NEW ZEALAND STATION FOR THE PERIOD 1st APRIL, 1930, TO 31st MARCH, 1931.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency the Governor-General.

REPORT.

The Hon. the Minister of Defence, Wellington. Sm,— H.M.S. " Diomede," at Moorea, 20th July, 1931. I have the honour to address to you the following report on the Naval Forces of the Dominion and the proceedings on the New Zealand Station during the year Ist April, 1930, to 31st March, 1931. I. State. The New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy on 31st March, 1931, consisted of: —■ H.M.S. " Diomede " (broad pendant of the Commodore Commanding the New Zealand Station), H.M.S. " Dunedin" (on passage to England to undergo large repairs), H.M.S. " Philomel" (non-seagoing depot ship and training establishment at Devonport, Auckland), H.M. Trawler " Wakakura," and R.F.A. " Nucula." 2. H.M. Ships " Veronica " and " Laburnum " are also employed on the Station under the orders of the Commodore Commanding, but at the expense of the Imperial Government. 11. Personnel. On 18th September, 1930, Commander Horace L. Morgan, D.5.0., Royal Navy, relieved Commander Gerard W. T. Robertson, Royal Navy, in command of H.M.S. " Veronica." 2. Lieutenant-Commander William H. Bremner, D.5.0., D.S.C., Royal Navy, relieved LieutenantCommander Cyril J. M. Lang, Royal Navy, on the Bth October, 1930, as Staff Officer (Operations and Intelligence) and Staff Officer (Intelligence) at the Navy Office, Wellington. 3. Captain Martin J. C. de Meric, M.V.0., Royal Navy, recommissioned H.M.S. " Diomede " at Chatham on 16th October, 1930, for further service on the New Zealand Station after completing large repairs. 4. At the end of January, 1931, while at Auckland, a partial reorganization of personnel between " Diomede," " Dunedin," and " Philomel " took place, and a final one between " Diomede " and " Dunedin "at Russell on 25th February. This was necessary as the result of the return of H.M.S. " Diomede " to the Station with a large number of new loan Imperial officers and men on board, also owing to the impending return of H.M.S. " Dunedin " to England with time-expired Imperial officers and men, New Zealand ratings due for training and certain ratings who were required to complete her complement while on passage home. 5. On 20th February, 1931, Commander Edward L. Berthon, D.S.C., Royal Navy, relieved Commander Nelson Clover, Royal Navy, in command of H.M.S. " Philomel," Naval Officer in Charge, Auckland, and as Superintendent of Training and Director of Recruiting. 6. On Thursday, 26th February, 1931, Captain Martin J. C. de Meric, M.V.0., Royal Navy, succeeded me in command of H.M.S. " Dunedin," and I transferred my broad pendant to H.M.S. " Diomede." 7. On the concluding day of this report there were 382 ratings on the active list who had been recruited in New Zealand ; of these 292 were serving in ships of the New Zealand Division on the

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