Royal Voyage

For weeks workmen have swarmed over the battle cruiser Repulse, painting, polishing and refitting cabins, preparing her to take King George and Queen Elizabeth on their visit this month to Canada and the U. S. Last week Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced a sudden switch of plans: Their Majesties would travel not on the Repulse but on the prosaic, old, German-built liner Empress of Australia, known as the Tirpitz before she was handed over to Britain by Germany as part of reparations payment after the World War.

Mr. Chamberlain's excuse for the change in plans was simply that the British Admiralty had decided that the Repulse was too valuable to be spared so far from home. There were, however, other more specific reasons. A German war fleet was last week prowling off the coast of Spain. In that fleet were two 10,000-ton "pocket battleships" which, in case of war, would make ideal commerce raiders. In all the world's navies there are but five ships that could catch and sink a pocket battleship and one of them is the Repulse. The others are the Renown and the Hood, both of which were last week laid up for repairs and renovation, and the fast, 26,000-ton French battleships Strasbourg and Dunkerque. Moreover, if war caught the Repulse on the wrong side of the Atlantic, a couple of destroyer flotillas would have to hurry over to escort her back. Battleships are too clumsy and slow to fight off attacks from submarines. Destroyers are needed for that purpose.

The King and Queen will be more comfortable on the Empress than on the Repulse. Only passengers will be Their Majesties and their retinue of 30 persons. Since the vessel's passenger capacity is 1,200, Their Majesties can voyage expansively. Specially outfitted suites were being built amidships last week for the King and Queen. To lessen rolling and pitching the ship will carry additional water ballast. The westbound voyage to Quebec is expected to take nine days. The 9,100-ton cruisers Southampton and Glasgow will act as escort.

Badgered about the choice of a German-built ship for the King's trip, Prime Minister Chamberlain answered: "In the circumstances we had to take what liner was available. It may be some satisfaction to know that the engines of the ship were built in Glasgow."

Acting as a Regency for the King in his absence will be a Council of State composed of those adults next in line of succession to the Throne. Under the Regency Act of 1937 these would be the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester, the King's brothers; Princess Mary, the Princess Royal, sister of the King; and Princess Arthur of Connaught, granddaughter of Edward VII, cousin of George VI. Queen Elizabeth will also nominally be a member of the Council according to the Regency Act, even though, as in this case, she is absent from Great Britain with the King.

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