The Savannah morning news., 1902-08-17
REVIEWS HIS FLEETS
ENGLAND'S FLOATING DEFENSES
PASS BEFORE EDWARDS EYE.
A BRILLIANT SPECTACLE.
BUT INEFFECTIVES, CRUISERS AND
BATTLEsHIPS, DOT THE LINES.

Over n Hundred British Vessels I'm
Review, While Ships of Foreign
Nnvies Join In DispIny-SignaI
Transforms Grim Black Lines Into
Lanes of FIuttering Bunting-Amid
Crash of Naval Ordnance the
Royal Yacht Passed Between the
Lines, From Which Broke and
Echoed the Cheers of Loyal
ThOusands-FIng officers Aboard
Royal Yacht.
completed the programme of the coro-
nation festivities to-day by reviewing
the fleet for the first time since his
accession.
From a spectacular point of view,
the assemblage of a hundred and odd
war vessels in the roadstead off Spit
head was a magnificent show, but
those looking beneath the brilliant
veneer of paint and polish, it was ev-
ioent that the fighting strength of the
fleet was by no means formidable.
The lines of ships were thickly dot
ted with ineffectives. Among these
may be mentioned the third class
cruiser Calliope, of Apia fame, while
others include such relics as the bat
tleships Devastation, Dreadnaught,
Camperdown and Edinburgh. which
are classed by some experts as abso-
lutely dangerous to their crews, while
some of the nominally effective fighters
are still armed with muzzle-loaders.
1t must be- pointed out, however, that
the display represented merely the
home fleet, not a single vessel having
been withdrawn from foreign sta
ton to participate in the pageant.
SOIent Covered With Craft.
The day opened fine. There was an
immense influx of visitors. The wa
tiers of the Solent were covered with
pleasure craft of every variety, from
the tiny canoe to the big excursion
steamer and every vantage point on
shore was covered with spectators.
AT a. M, in response to a signal.
the fleet broke out flags and in the
space of a minute the lines of black
bulls were transformed into lanes of
1uttering bunting. simultaneously
the pennant of Admiral Sir Charles
Hotham, the commander-in-chief at
Portsmouth, was flung out from the
peak of the Royal Sovereign, which
to-day acted as flagship to the fleet.
Five other admirals flags also were in
view in different sections of the pa
rade. The five lines in which the
fleet was moored were located midway
between the Isle of Wight and the
mainland.
Foreign Vessels in Line.
Nearest to the Portsmouth shore
were the special service vessels and
y4CHIS anu d lew QlSllilB NlSIl-
ing vessels, headed by the conspicu-
Gus white hull of the Japanese torpe-
do boat destroyer Asaschio. The next
line was made up of thirty-two Brit
ish torpedo boat destroyers. Then
there was a line of cruisers and gun
boats, then a double line of battle
ships and finally another line of cruis-
ers. Another line nearest to the Isle
of Wight was made up of foreign
men-of-war, including two japanese
cruisers, the Takasago and Asama,
the Italian armored cruiser Carlo AL
berto and the Portuguese cruiser Don
Carlos l.
The precaution had been taken to
compel all the vessels present to burn
smokeless coal, but as the day adj
vanced a haze spread over the water
and scurrying small craft frequently
disappeared in banks of mist.
AT 1880 p. M the lines of the fleet
closed, the guard boats drove all un-
authorized craft out of the forbidden
area and promptly at o'clock the
royal yacht Victoria and Albert, with
King Edward, Queen Alexandra and
other royal personages on board.
slowly got under way. This move
ment was signaled by a gunshot from
the Royal Sovereign and thousands of
jackies swarmed over the decks. SUI
perstructures and fighting tops and
manned ship in honor of their APP
preaching majesties.
Cheers From the Fleet.
Then came the firing Of the royal
salute of twenty-one guns. Amid the
crash of naval ordnance the Kings
yacht moved slowly eastward, accom-
panied by the royal yachts Osborne
and Albert, and three others, and es-
corted by fiotilla of torpedo boat de-
GfrnNcTG Tho ZINC WI he
uniform of an admiral of the feet,
was surrounded by the brilliant staff.
AS his majesty passed each ship the
officers and men cheered, and when
the Victoria and Albert, afterward
traversing the lines, took up fresh
moorings abreast of the Royal Sow
eign, the whole fleet joined in a final
roar of cheers for the King, who then
personally signalled an invitation to all
the flag officers, including those of the
foreign ships, to join him on the royal
yacht.