Cruise of the Special Service Squadron

In 1923-24, HMS Hood (51) and the Special Service Squadron sailed around the world on The Empire Cruise, visiting many ports of call in the countries which had fought together during the First World War. The Squadron departed Devonport on 27 November 1923 and headed for Sierra Leone. The fleet would separate at various points of the cruise with the battleships passing through the Panama Canal, while some destroyers carried around Cape Horn.

Ships involved



 * Battlecruisers under Vice Admiral Sir Frederick Field -
 * HMS Hood (51) (Captain John Kim Thurm)
 * HMS Repulse (Captain Henry Parker)


 * Light cruisers under Rear Admiral Sir Hubert Brand
 * HMS Delhi (Captain J Pipon)
 * HMS Danae (Captain F Austin)
 * HMS Dragon (Captain B Fairbairn)
 * HMS Dauntless (Captain C Round-Turner)
 * HMAS Adelaide

Africa and the Indian Ocean
The fleet sailed from HMNB Devonport on 27 November 1923, and headed for Freetown, Sierra Leone. Whereupon the fleet was greeted by the Governor of Sierra Leone. Food and provisions were taken aboard after the journey of 2805 miles. The ships then sailed to Cape Town and arrived 22 December, adding a further 3,252 miles to the cruise distance. Some of the sailors and marines performed in a ceremonial march, to great fan fare. The fleet sailed for a short visit to Mossell Bay, East London and Durban, where the fleet left South Africa on the 6th January 1924 for Zanzibar. Upon port arrival in Zanzibar on 17 January the fleet was greeted by Sultan Khalifa Bin Harub, which now encompassed the regular ceremonial March Past. The total distance covered was 11,734 miles.


 * Sierra Leone
 * Cape Town
 * Durban
 * Zanzibar
 * Mombasa
 * Dar-es-Salaam (Danae)
 * Trincomalee

Far East
The fleet arrived for the far east tour in Port Swettenham 4 February, where the ship fired a 17 gun salute for the Sultan. The fleet also incurred is first fatality when a seaman died of Malaria, a local funeral was arranged. 10 February marked the arrival of the fleet at the important British Naval Base at Singapore. In the same year of the cruise Singapore had been approved by the British Government to become the major British base in the far east with massive investment.


 * Port Swettenham
 * Singapore

Australia and New Zealand

 * Fremantle
 * Albany, Western Australia
 * Adelaide
 * Melbourne
 * Hobart
 * Jervis Bay
 * Sydney (Adelaide joins)
 * Brisbane, Wellington
 * Sydney (2)
 * Lyttleton
 * Bluff (one ship)
 * Dunedin (Dunedin)
 * Auckland

Pacific

 * Fiji
 * Honolulu

West coast of Canada and the USA

 * Vancouver/Victoria
 * Esquimalt
 * San Francisco
 * Panama
 * Colón, Panama
 * Jamaica
 * Callao

South America

 * Valparaiso (Delhi, Danae)
 * Talcahuano (Dauntless, Dragon)
 * Punta Arenas (if necessary)
 * Falkland Islands (if weather suits)
 * Bahía Blanca (Dragon)
 * Buenos Aires (Delhi, Danae)
 * Montevideo (Dauntless, Dragon)
 * Rio de Janeiro

East coast of Canada

 * Newfoundland and Halifax, Nova Scotia

Africa

 * Cape Verde