811.3347/57

The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Howard)

Excellency: I have the honor to make further reference to your note No. 339, of April 3, 1925, making certain observations on behalf of the Australian Government regarding the plans for the proposed visit of a portion of the American Fleet to Australia and New Zealand next summer.

The comments of the Secretary of the Navy on the points raised in your note have now been received.

With regard to visits to Australian ports other than Melbourne and Sydney, the Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet, after a recent conference in San Francisco with Mr. Elder,11 has now determined upon the following itinerary, which has been arranged with a view to meeting, as far as possible, the courteous suggestions of Australian and New Zealand authorities, and at the same time having due regard to the requirements of the Fleet.

One section of the Fleet will arrive at Melbourne on July 23. It will consist of the Fleet Flagship, one division of three battleships, one division of four light cruisers, and two destroyer squadrons, comprising [Page 284] twenty-eight destroyers with a light cruiser flagship. This section will proceed to Wellington, New Zealand, on August 6, with the exception of the division of four light cruisers, which will depart from Melbourne on August 3, visiting Hobart from August 5 to August 7, and arriving at Wellington, along with the other vessels of this section, on August 11.

The other section of the Fleet will arrive at Sydney on July 23, remaining until August 6, when it will proceed to Auckland, New Zealand. This section will consist of the Flagship of the Commander-in-Chief of the Battle Fleet, and two battleship divisions, eight battleships in all. It will arrive at Auckland August 11, and depart therefrom August 25.

The auxiliaries of the Fleet, about eleven in number, will be distributed in accordance with then existing needs.

You will observe that, in accordance with the desire of the Australian Government, arrival at Melbourne and Sydney will be on the same date. It has further been arranged to have the detachment for Melbourne arrive at a prior hour on July 23.

The Commander-in-Chief will be advised to conduct all correspondence relative to the reception of the Fleet at Australian ports through the Prime Minister’s Department. Further, the suggestion of the Australian Government relative to steaming as close to the shore as practicable will be forwarded to the Commander-in-Chief. The Secretary of the Navy expresses the belief that the latter will follow this suggestion, having in view the necessities of the Fleet, the local hydrographic conditions and the weather prevailing at the time.

Accept [etc.]

Frank B. Kellogg
  1. Australian Commissioner in the United States.