The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-20
PRIZE SEA. 'II ROVER. TO. LEAD FLYERS. BACK TO. ). AMERICA
Cruiser Richmond, To
 Venture Into Northern Waters On Convoy Duty
1. By OTIS PEABODY SWIFT
 fInased Wire to Age Herald ]

Lo4SoU WIIO .bO fABO HUI oAu'J NEWPORT, R. I. July 19.-Bound | flor her mission of protecting the Ameri-
 can 'round-the-world fliers when they saF skift the northern rim of the earth, the !. F. us. S.. Richmond, prize scout cruiser n of sthe, American navy, will sail from , r hare Monday morning for the other side
 Of the Atlantic. - ~-'.-, i, .,.sa.' ,.. Arriving at Rosyth. Scotland, about ~. Iuly 2s, the Richmond will then pro = .caAd Ia Kirkwall, port in the OrKness
 .stfhe northern tip of Scotland: Here ., che will establish her first contact with F.. tbe American navigators and begin ner
 sneedy dash through northern waters aac. as q patrol snip. ,t1.,, ..o sz4 , Assisting in the patrol Will pc tne , ,Srssfser Raleigh and. two destroyersi q which the Richmond will probably meet sn at Kirkwall. as. S.
 r, , As Lieut.. Smith and the other Amer llts .;csn Sirmen hon off for their final dasn T r "A the homeland, the four warshlps VIII Eo' farm their convoy from northern scot, -cet Isnafto Greenland, ready to lend nano 1ce ahnsId nishap befall the fliers n, thelr through the ice-laden mists or the = Arctic. The fliers are expected 10 hop off from the Orkneys for lcelaho .,, aoous Iut 'F August 1. Part of the convoy VIII see '5- the airships safely away. The otner sa .z rraft will speed ahead and await the sai sirnsen's' next jump This patrol system -7t' yrill he employed as far as the western :',, ,,tin of Greenland. During all this tune nl$ fhe cruiser Richmond will be the cen
 tat nf communication until the alrmen -- gre safely away on their flight to Lao' ~s5or the last hop to the American .ti mainland. s@
 n ns Seaplanes On Deck e,, Two seapIares rest alertly on the -- deck of the Richmond ready to pc
 sprung from their catapaults at any
 stare of the vessels plunge through the
 Arctic ice, should a danger call come
 from one of the world tcircling planes
 0r one of them lose it's way and fall be-
 hind schedule. Skilled navy flers are
 among the Richmond's complement
 equipped with all the necessary gear TOT
 manning the seaplanes in the htlhg
 gales of the North Atlantic. >-
 Rear Admiral Thomas P. Magruder,
 head of the navy's light cruiser division
 is aboard the Richmond, which IS com
 handed by Capt Lyman Cotton, When
 the cruiser reaches the other side, Ger-
 tain emergency supplies will be taken
 aboard. to be held in readiness should
 it become necessary to supply relief to
 the 'round-the-world snavigators.
 Richmond Well Equipped
 The. Richmond, embarking on what
 nav be one of the most adventuresome
 of sea journeys, is fittingly f equipped Ifar her mission. She is the star world
 wide scout of the American navy, all ways ready for arf emergency call, in
 whatever part of the globe she may be
 needed. A long, low craft built for
 apsed. she can make 35 knots an hours 2 the fastest time boasted by any Aneri- can naval vessel. 'Sf sf9i sst'
 The Richmond, new boat and a
 source of pride to the navy, was launch
 ed in 1923, but in the last year has
 travelled 60,000 miles in the path of sea =. romance. Early in her career, she did Y duty off the coast of Spain, later she
 scooted down to the west coast of Afri-
 ca and wound up this European call by
 putting in for aatinie at the Island of
 St. Helena, made famous by Napoleons
 exile.
 Sea Rover Leaves Monday
 After checking in at her home base
 back in the states, she saw service at
 Buenos Aires and Rio De Janeiro.
 Later, she was hurried to Vera Cruz,
 when disaster befell the cruiser Tacoma,
 which went on the rocks off the Mexi- .. can coast. Subsequently, revolutionary ----troubfe broke ont in Honduras. Protec-, ton for AfaAfiEan interests was needed 2 and the Richmond was rushed to the i, scene as the symbol of American rights ' during the critical situation in central ArArica. She has just arrived here from i, New Orleans.
 i As dawn. breaks over this fashionable n resort in its early morning slumber t Monday, the Richmond will lift anchor at $ o'clock, skimming her way through N the sea to her new adventure, that of | guarding the American -airnnen as they | wing their way homeward over the top | Of the world. - @A
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