The Australasian Squadron in New Zealand Waters.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXX, Issue X, 7 March 1903, Page 654

The Australasian Squadron in New Zealand Waters.

The squadron that has lately arrived in Auckland is the largest that has visited New Zealand for some considerable time, and quite alters the aspect of the man-of-war anchorage, which on former occasions has only held at the most five or six ships. Since the visit of the flagship Royal Arthur to Auckland in April of last year the command of the squadron has been transferred from Vice-Admiral Beaumont to Vice-Admiral Fanshawe, the change having been effected so recently as last January, when Admiral Beaumont i eturned to England by the mail steamer Sierra. This is Vice-Ad-miral Fanshawe’s first visit to New Zealand. A portion of the squadron, under the command of Captain F. C. M. Noel, of the Wallaroo, consisting of the Wallaroo, Archer, Sparrow and Lizard, has been in New Zealand for some time, and joined the commander-in-chief with his division at the Bay of Islands last week, the combined fleet then carrying out manoeuvres under the immediate direction of His Excellency the Admiral. The men of the fleet also took part in the Russell regatta. The fleet will remain in New Zealand for over a month, but the final disposal of the ships appears to be still a matter of doubt.

Many longshoremen, who only see the jolly jaek-tar rolling ashore sun-browned and happy, think the fleet has nothing to do but make holiday in the many ports of call in the sunny South Pacific. In fact the writer has heard even merchant captains grumble and say that with sueh a number of warships about there are far too many places on colonial charts marked “P.D” —position doubtful. It is not all gold lace and champagne, however, for the splendid fellows who officer our squadron—it is not all picnics and parties- If the longshoremen alluded to could see some of the ships’ crews hard at work they would quickly change their tone. A trip or two in a surveying ship would soon undeceive them. Let them toss about for months at a stretch in a small King’s ship in some out of the way spot, painfully and laboriously charting the coral isles of the Pacific, so that the merchant ships of the Empire may sail free, and they will agree that that old sea ditty,

‘•How merrily we live, that sailors be” (of course written by a landsman), does not always apply- And think of the “policing” done by the ships of the squadron in the South Sea Islands, which is not the most pleasant work n the world- Then again the task of keeping up a state of proficiency worthy of the traditions of the navy is no light oneThev are always hard at drill, and the British taxpayer can rely upon the truth—as far as the navy is concerned—of the saying that Britain “is ever ready at sea, but never on land.” With their multifarious duties in such a big station it is not often that the squadron can mobilise to carry out fleet manoeuvres, but judging from the remarks of Vice-Admiral Fanshawe at Russell. he is fully alive to the benefits of such movements, and he intends to carry them out when practicable- There are now seven warships sailing round with the Admiral’s flagship—a larger number than has previously acted in concert for a long time in New Zealand waters, and the training they will receive cannot fail to have good resultsTHE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. A typical man of the sea is VieeAdmiral Fanshawe, the new Commander-in-Chief of the Australasian Squadron. He is a man of whom it was said that “he commenced to fly his pennant from his cradle.” Determined of face and genial of heart, with a keen eye and firm carriage, he is such a man as might be pictured doing gallant deeds at a Trafalgar. The new commander formerly served under Sir Harry Rawson, who' is now Governor of New South Wales. He does not lay any claim to oratorical powers; when he does speak he always lias something to say. and says it frankly. Sailors are only human, and have their likes and dislikes, and. if the truth must be told. Admiral Fanshawe’s two predecessors have not been what is called “popular” among officers and men. No one would for a moment doubt their ability on the success which followed their commands, but personal popularity is another thing- Judging from quarterdeck gossip, the new commander is likelv to be more successful in winning what is very dear to men in high places. Vice-Admiral Arthur Dalrymple Fanshawe is the son of Sir Edward G. Fanshawe. G.C.8., a senior Admiral of 89 years of age, on the retired list. ViceAdmiral Fanshawe was educated at a private school at Blackheath. Ho entered the service in 1860 at the early age of 13. and has since served throughout the world. Ho was made sub-lieu-tenant in _1867. lieutenant 1868. commander 1874, and took command of the Australasian Squadron on January 19. 1903. having been appointed successor to Vice-Admiral Beaumont on October 8. 1902. He was A.D.C. to the Queen from 1895 to 1897. and assistant to the Admiral Superintending the Naval Reserve from 1894 to 1897. He acted as umpire in the naval manoeuvres in August. 1900. Tn 1874 he married Miss Fox. of Hants, and at present his wife is in Sydney. Ho has four children, one daughter being married in England, and one in Sydney. One son is a lieutenant in the Scots Guards, the other a lieutenant in the navy. SHIPS OF THE SQUADRON. The Australasian squadron consists of thirteen vessels—the cruisers Archer, Katoomba. Mildura, Phoebe, Pylades, Ringarooma. Royal Arthur, Wallaroo, the sloop Torch, the torpedo-gunboat Karrakatta. and the gunboats Lizard and Sparrow—with a gross tonnage of 32.980. total horse power 38.070. and carrying a total of 85 guns, in addition to torpedoes, etc. The fastest boat is the torpedogunboat Karrakatta. which ean log 20 knots, and the slowest is the old Pylades, launched in 1884, whose speed is 12.6 knots. The Pylades is a shapely barquerigged craft, with a big spread of canvas. and forms one of the fast disappearing links which connect the present useful but unromantic steam-propelled floating arsenals with the grand old “wooden walls.” The Royal Arthur is flagship of the station, and the Katoomba acts as her tender. The Ringarooma was launched in 1890, and the others mentioned were launched a year earlier. An idea of the size and armament of the squadron can be gathered from the appended list: Archer, six guns, 1770 tons, 2200 h.p., third-class cruiser. 16.5 knots. Katoomba. 8 guns. 2575 tons, 4000 h.p., third-class cruiser, 19 knots. The Ka-

toomba acts as tender to the flagship Royal Arthur. Mildura, 8 guns, 2575 tons, 4000 h.p., third-elass cruiser, 19 knots. Phoebe, 8 guns, 2575 tons, 4500 h.p., third-class cruiser, 19 knots. Pylades, 14 guns. 1420 tons, 950 h.p., third-class cruiser, 12.6 knots. Ringarooma, 8 guns, 2575 tons, 4030 h.p., third-class cruiser, 19 knots. Royal Arthur, 13 guns, 7700 tons, 10, 000 h.p., first-class cruiser, 18J knots. ■Wallaroo, 8 guns, 2575 tons, 4000 h.p., third-class cruiser, 19 knots. Torch, 6 guns, 960 tons, 1100 h.p., sloop, 13} knots. Karrakatta, 2 guns, 735 tons, 2500 h.p., first-class torpedo gunboat, 20 knots. Lizard, 6 guns. 715 tons, 600 h.p., firstclass gunboat, 13 knots. Sparrow, 6 guns, 805 tons, 720 h.p., first-class gunboat, 13 knots. There are also in Australasian waters the Boomerang, 2 guns, 735 tons, 2500 h.p., first-class torpedo gunboat, 20 knots, for protection of floating trade in Australasian waters. Penguin, 2 guns, 1130 tons, 700 h.p., sloop, 11 knots, surveying service. Tauranga, .8 guns, 2575 tons, 4000 h.p., third-class cruiser, 19 knots. LIST OF OFFICERS. Royal Arthur.—Vice-Admiral a. D. Fanshawe and staff; Captain Thomas P. Walker; Commanders Lawrence, E. Power, Walter Lumsden; Lieutenants Charles C. Borbett, Pasfield, V. Oliver, Vernon H. S. Haggard; Major R.M., William S. Cumming; lieut. R.A.M., William S. Poe; chaplain, Rev Frederick

A. Sims. M.A.; fleet surgeon. Henry L. Crocker; staff paymaster. James Maxwell; staff ensign. William G. Mogg: surgeons, Arthur R. H. Skey, M. 8., Cyril Shepherd; engineer, Henry T. Canning; sub-lieut., Eric C. Collard, Francis A. Beasley; sub-lieut. R.N.R.. Henry C. Brewster; assistant paymaster. Ernest G. Chamberlain; assistant engineers. Thomas J. Procter, Claude A. Codrington, Courtney and M. Weeks. Ringarooma. —Captain, Frederick St. George Rich; lieutenants, Herbert J. T. Marshall. Thomas A. Williams. George H. T. Steer, John H. F. Carey, F. W. Hood; staff paymaster, Charles S. Moore; fleet engineer. James J. Walker: surgeon, Arthur E. Kelsey, 8.A.. M. 8.; engineer. Charles E. Stone; sub-lieut.. R.N.R.. Charles T. Keigwin. Wallaroo. —Captain. Francis C. M. Noel; lieutenants, B. W. Drummond. A. M. Dawson. E. H. Rideout; lieut. R.N.R.. Charles Acton; staff surgeon, John C. Ferguson, 8.A., M. 8.: paymaster, F. Belling: chief engineer. A. B. Rolle; assistant engineer. A. J. Mackean. . Phoebe. —Commander. Hon. Francis C. B. Addington; lieutenants, A. F. Beal, A. C. Dunn. G. W. M. Campbell. H. C. Stohil; paymaster, A. W. Claxton: chief engineer. M. Sennett; surgeon, M. L. B. Road: sub-lieut. R.N.R., James Park; assistant paymaster, R. S. Cutfield. Archer. —Commander, J. P. Rolleston; lieutenants, M. Dewis, A. T. Stewart. K. Dixon; staff surgeon, W. J. Bearblock: paymaster, W. F. Wells: chief engineer, J. R. Roffey. Karrakatta. —“Lieut, and commander, J. E. Corbett; lieutenants, A. F. J. MacDermott, W. H. W. Phillips; chief engineer, F. G. Jacobs: surgeon. H. H. Pearse; engineer. F. T. Simmonds. Lizard. —Lieut, and commander, John C. Watson; lieutenants, F. E. Seymour, J. C. T. Glossop; surgeon, Albert X. Lanestine; sub.-lieuts J. P. Green, Charles D. O. Shakespear. Sparrow.—Lieut, and commander. O. W. Coates: lieutenants, G. Mackworth. M. H. Anderson; surgeon. H. J. Chafer; engineer, H. E. Nicholas. Penguin.—Commander W. P. Dawson: lieutenants, F. May, B. W. Glennie, sublieuts., J. C. Edden. H. E. P. Rennick. R. L. Hancock; staff surgeon, A. Maclean; paymaster. R. Moore. DESCRIPTION OF THE FLEET. The Royal Arthur is one of a comparatively common type of vessel in the Royal Navy, and has for sister ships the Crescent, Gibraltar, and St. George. The last mentioned will be remembered as having formed one of the escorting squadron on the occasion of the recent visit of the Prince of Wales to New Zealand. She is a first-

class protected cruiser of 7700 tons displacement, and has a powerful armament, consisting principally of one 9.2 B.L. gun and twelve 6-inch Q.F. guns, all of which are modern weapons, capable of doing an incalculable amount of damage. Probably there is no other type of gun in the service upon which more reliance is placed than upon the 6-inch Q.F., and it is consequently with this weapon that the majority of our modern ships are mainly armed. In addition to these she has a host of smaller fry in the shape of 6-pounders, 3-pounders and Maxims, that are used chiefly in actions with torpedo craft and

smaller boats. The ship is besides fitted with four torpedo tubes. In the matter of steaming capacity it is open to doubt whether there is another ship in either Australia or New Zealand that could compete with her with any prospect of success, for the speed attained on her trial trip when first built has been fully maintained, and it is understood that should the necessity ever arise for her to be pressed for speed it would not be a matter of great difficulty’ for the ship to realise twentyknots per hour. The Royal Arthur has the honour of being the last ship in the Roval Naw that was launched by the

late Queen Victoria, the eereiuony having been ]>erformed at Portsmouth on the 26th of February. 1891, at which time the Royal Sovereign, then considered one of the finest battleships of the day, was also consigned to the mercy of the waves. Although, owing in great measure to the enormous and rapid strides that have of late been made in the art of shipbuilding, more especially in that of constructing warships. the Royal Arthur is somewhat out of date, she may yet be regarded as a serviceable and in all respects efficient ship, and would without the least doubt prove herself to be a very formidable antagonist. It is no exaggeration to say that during her long period of service in the navy the Royal Arthur has been to almost every quarter of the globe, known and unknown, for prior to her assuming the position of flagship on this station she acted as flagship to Admiral Sir Henry Stephenson on the Pacific station for three vears. and has in addi-

tion l>een for a short time on the Home station. It is expected the Royal Arthur will soon be relieved on the Australasian station by a larger and more modern ship, but it is not yet known what this ship will be or when she is likely to arrive. Although the Wallaroo. Ringarooma. and Phoebe do not bear so precise a resemblance to each other as to merit the description of “sister ships," the vessels are none the less so similar as regards their armament and general construe tion that the following information may fairly be considered as applicable to all. With a displacement of 2575 tons they have an overall length of 265 feet and beam of 41 feet, whilst their mean draught is 15ft six inches. They are of the type known as protected; that is to say, they do not possess side armour, as in the case of battleships and heavier cruisers, but have a steel deck varying in thickness from one to two and a half inches, covering the

engines and the remainder of the vital parts of the ship. Their chief armament consists of eight of the well-known 4.7 and eight 3-potinders. Little need be said as regards their armament, for the merit of the 4.7 inch gun is such as to need no eulogistic references here, and it is doubtful if for this class of vessel a better weapon for defensive purposes could possibly be chosen. All of these ships are now becoming somewhat obsolete, having been built in 1889. The Wallaroo at present acting as senior officer’s ship on the New Zealand division. her commanding officer, Captain F. C. M. Noel, being the senior officer, he having relieved Captain F. St. G. Rich, of the Ringarooma, in that capacity in November of last year. Both the Wallaroo and Ringarooma have spent nearly the whole of their time on this station, arriving here in 1891, in pursuance of the agreement between Great Britain and the colonies of Australia and New Zealand, but the third, the Phoebe, is almost a stranger to New Zealand. Prior to being sent to Australia early in 1901 she had been for several vears on the West Coast of Africa station, so that during her, for a ship, long life she has seen service in many parts of the world. The little Karrakatta has a displacement of but 735 tons, so that it may be easily seen that should she by chance have encountered foul weather she would have been tn a most perilous state. Fortunately, however, for the ship and all on board of her, this did not occur. The following are her principal dimensions: Length, 230 feet; beam, 27 feet: mean draught, eight feet three inches. For armament she carries two 4.7 and 4 3-pounders, besides having several torpedoes. Her official description is first-class torpedo gunboat, a tvpe well known in the service. The Boomerang, sister ship, is now in reserve at Sydney. Owing to her small displacement and consequent small coal capacity, the Karrakatta has only once hitherto been ordered on service in New Zealand waters. Her safe passage across was on the present occasion assisted by a friendly tow of 500 miles by the Royal Arthur, in the course of which a wire hawser broke, necessitating a short delay whilst a stronger wire was passed between the ships in mid oeean. The remainder of the squadron are of a type that is rapidly disappearing from His Majesty’s service, viz..masted sloops, and it is only on account of the long distances to be traversed between the Islands, which must necessarily be done under sail, that they are retained on the station. A BRITISH WARSHIP. LIFE ON BOARD. FROM THE CAPTAIN TO THE TAR. The visit of the Australasian squadron lends interest to the following article describing life on a British warship. It is taken from the London "Spectator”: As in a town, we have here men of all

sorts and professions, we find all manner of human interests cropping up here in times of leisure, and yet the whole company have one feeling, one interest in common, their ship, and through her their navy. FIRST OF ALL COMES THE CAPTAIN, who, in spite of the dignity and grandeur of his position, must at times feel very lonely. He lives in awful state, a sentry (of marines) continually guarding his door, and although he does unbend at stated times as far as inviting a few officers to dine with him. or accepting the officers’ invitation to dine in the wardroom. the relaxation must not come too often. The commander, who is the chief executive officer, is in a far better position as regards comfort. He comes between the captain and the actual direction of affairs, he has a spacious cabin to himself, but he takes his meals at the ward-room table among all the officers above the rank of sub-lieutenant, and shares their merriment, the only subtle distinction made between him and everybody else at such times being in the little word "sir.” which is dropped adroitly in when he is being addressed. For the rest, naval nous is so keen that amidst the wildest fun when off duty no officer can feel that his dignity is tampered with, and they pass from sociability to cast-iron discipline and back again with an ease amazing to a landsman. THE WARD-ROOM of a battle ship is a pleasant place. It is a spacious apartment, taking in the whole width of the ship, handsomely decorated, and lit by electricity. There is usually a piano, a good library, and some handsome plate for the table. It is available not only for meals, but as a drawingroom. a common meeting-ground for lieutenants, marine officers, surgeons, chaplain and senior engineers, where they may unbend and exchange views, as well as enjoy one another’s society free from the grip of the collar. A little lower down in the scale of authority—as well as actually in the hull of the ship—comes the gun-Joom, the affix being a survival, and having no actual significance now. In this respect both ward-oom and gunroom have the advantage over the captain’s cabin, in which there are a couple of quick-firing guns, causing those sacred precincts to be invaded by a small host of men at “general quarters,” who manipulate those guns as if they were on deck. THE GUN-ROOM is the ward-room over again, only more so. that is, more wildly hilarious, more given to outbursts of melody and rough nlav. Here meet the sub-lieutenants, the assistant engineers and other- junior officers, and the midshipmen. With these latter admirals in embryo we find a state of things existing that is of the highest service to them in after life. Taking their meals as gentlemen, with a senior at the head of the table, meeting round that same table at other times for social enjoyment, onee they are outside of the gun-room door they have no more privacy than the humblest bluejacket. They sleep and dress and bathe- live, in fact, coram publico, which is one of the healthiest things, when you come to think of it. for a youngster of any class. Although they are now officers in H.M. navvTthev are still schoolboys, and their

education goes steadily on at stated hours in a well-appointed school room, keeping pace with that sterner training they are receiving on deek. The most

GRIZZLED OLD SEAMAN on board must “sir” them, but there are plenty of correctives all around to hinder the growth in them of any false pride. On the same deck is to be found the common room of the warrant officers, such as bo’sun, carpenter, gunner; sages who have worked their difficult way up from the bottom of the sailor’s ladder through all the grades, and are, with the petty officers, the mainstay of the service. Each of them has a cabin of his own, as is onlyfitting: but here they meet as do their superiors overhead, and air their opinions freely. But, like the ward-room officers, they mostly talk “shop,” for they have only one great object in life, the efficiency of their charge, and it leaves them little room for any other topics. Around this, the after part of the ship, cluster also another little body of men and lads, the domestics, as they are termed. who do their duty of attendance upon officers end waiting at table under all circumstances with that neatness and celerity that is inseparable from all work performed in a ship-of-war. Body-ser-vants of officers are usually marines, but the domestics are a class apart; strictly non-combatants, yet under naval law and discipline. ♦ GOING “FORRARD,” the chief petty officers will be found to make some attempt at shutting themselves apart from the general, by arrangements of curtains, etc., all liable and ready to be flung into oblivion at the first note of a bngle. For the rest, their lives are absolutely public. No one has a corner that he may call his own. unless perhaps it is his “ditty box,” that little case of needles, thread, and et ceteras that he needs so often, and is therefore allowed to keep on a shelf near the spot where he eats. Each man’s clothes are kept in a bag. which has its allotted plsce in a rack, far away from the spot where his hammock and bed are spirited off to every morning at 5 o’clock, to lie concealed until the pipe, DOWN HAMMOCKS” at night. And yet by the arrangement of ‘’messes” each man has in common with a few others a settled spot where they meet at a common table, even though it be not shut in. and is liable to sudden disappearance during an evolution. So that a man’s mess becomes

his rallying point; it is there that the young bluejacket or marine learns worldly wisdom, and many other things. The practice of keeping all bedding on the move as it were, having no permanent sleeping-places, requires getting used to, but it is a most healthy one, and even if it were not it is difficult to see how, within the limited space of a warship, any other arrangement would be possible. Order among belongings is kept by a carefully graduated system of fines payable in soap—any article found astray by the ever-watchful naval police being immediately impounded and held to ransom. And as every man’s kit is subject to a periodical overhaul by officers. any deficiency cannot escape notice.

Every man’s time is at the disposal of the service whenever it is wanted, but in practice much leisure is allowed for rest.

RECREATION AND MENTAL IMPROVEMENT.

Physical development is fully looked after by the rules of the service, but all arc encouraged to make the best of themselves, and no effort on the part of any man to better his position is made in vain. Nowhere, perhaps, is vice punished or virtue rewarded with greater promptitude, and since al! punishments and rewards are fully public, the lessons they convey are never lost. But apart from the service routine, the civil life of this little world is a curious and most interesting study. The industrious man, who having bought a sewing machine, earns substantial addition to his pay by making all of his less energetic messmates’ clothes (except boots) for a consideration, the far-seeing man who makes his leisure fit him for the time when he shall have left the Navy, the active temperance man who seeks to bring one after the other of his shipmates into line with the ever-growing body of teetotallers that are fast altering completely the moral condition of our sailors, the religious man who gets permission to hold his prayer-meeting in some torpedo flat or casement surrounded by weapons—all these go to make up the multifarious life of a big battleship.