On Saturday last the King, who was accompanied by the
Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Princess Victoria, inspected the Home Fleet in the Solent. The Fleet mustered in all nearly two hundred vessels manned by thirty-five thousand officers and men, and was arranged in eleven lines. After the inspection the flagship signalled : " His Majesty the King is greatly pleased with the efficient condition of the Home Fleet, and is very glad to have had the opportunity of inspecting it in such glorious weather." Later the King conferred several Orders on officers. We do not doubt for a moment that the review was a thoroughly impressive one and that the duties required of the Fleet were perfectly carried out, At the same time as the King's message and the fact that several Orders were con- ferred on officers in high command in the Home Fleet are being cited as proof that there can be no possible fault to find with the administration of the Navy, it is necessary to point out that a review in the Solent is no test of fighting efficiency.
Previous page
