The New York herald., 1876-09-25
EFFEGT OF REGENT RETRENcHMENq
ShrinAage Of Rank in the Command OF
The Various Yards.
LIST OF OFFICERS And POSITION OCCUPIED
Station and Condition Of United
States Vessels
WASHINGTON. Sept. %. 1SI6.

average OF Important naval changes since January
last-upward Of 800 orders affecting officers having
been issued-thc Navy Department, pleading poverty
excuse, Will not publish the scm-annua Register,
which, since SC2, officers Of the navy have been
toned TO receive some time between July 10 and Sep
tember 80 Tho following Register has therefore been
carefully prepared for the naval readers OF the HERALD
and their friends and will also be found TO contain
formation acceptable to all who take interest IN the
welfare and movements of gallant little national
feet which, If the late cutting slashng and econ
omizng permitted to continue, will not much
longer be entitled to the dignhed appclaton of Oar
Navy" In looking over the numerous changes that
havc recently been made the idea ola
GENERAL sHRISKAGE OF THE NAVY
forc,bly suggests itself In the lrst place Congress
cut down the force OF enlisted men from $500 to
7500 which necesstacd the closing OF nearly all naval
rendezvous This was followed by the relief of many
officers from special and other duties and by the
placing of unemployed officers "furlough" instead
Of waiting orders pay" The effect of this pay-p,r-
ing process shown in the HERALD OF tho 2lst ut
Since that date Admiral Porter, not rcshing tho re-
duction of his pay from 81, ,OS3 SO to s541 &c per
month, has obtained order from the President
excmpting him from the provisions OF Robeson' 5
,urlough.p pay order No. ZIG that he now waiting
orders iul pay, the law not making any distinction
between the "sea pay" ''shorc duty pay'' and wang
orders pay'' OF the Admiral o! the Navy.
Following up the general plan of contraction the
status OF certain commands have been reduced, nd
mras giving way TO commodores and captains, and
commanders and lcutcnants relieving captains
and commodorcs The only navy yard now
considered entitled to rear admiral as its
commandant tho Pacific yard at Mare
Island, Cal. where the flag of the veteran John
Rodgers, hero OF for,y-eght years active SER
,annot compare in completeness and Importance with
eur Atlantic yard at BrooSyn 1t retains its ad
mral, while the latter has been reduced from a vice
admiras command to a commodore's
The Portsmouth yard Is now classed a naval sta
tion, making 1t the appropriate command Of captain
instead OF a commodore, as hercloforo
The naval station at League Island, which, with the
exception OF few months in 1872, has always had a
comnodores services has recently been placed under
the supervision OF n captain.
The naval station at New London seems to have
shrunk into such comparative insigudcance that when
the commodore ommandant relieved a warrant
officer was left IN charge until lieutenant could be
assigned to it.
The Pensacola Navy Yard is In charge OF junior
commander. who relieved junior commodore.
The South Pacific fleet sails under the broad pennant
OF commodore instead of the plain blue rectangular
on the Rio Grande takes It's orders from lieutenant
commander instead of commander.
The following Register, besides giving the Names
duties and stations Of ali the senior officers in the SER
vice. contains summary OF the personal changes that
have occurred during the last eight months
ApMRALs-1l
Admira. Porter has been relieved from tho especial
auy" on which ne has been engaged since lS1U and
placed on waiting orders. This Will make no prac
tioal difference 10 the service, the nominal head of
Unlike tho General OF the Army, who not only issues
orders himself, but through whom. since the exodus
OF Belknap, ali orders TO the army have been promu-
gated, the Admiral OF the Navy can neither assign
onlccr 10 duty nor relieve hun IRON 1t, qrant
one days leave TO petty officer.
Wee Admiral Rowan has also been relieved from
sctivc service and on leave OF absence Under the
act o June 80 1876, these officers together with the
senior rear admiral, Charles H. Davis and others
not yet selected, Will be appointed board 10 deter
mHc whether any OF tic navy yards eau be dispensed
with, and whether any naval rendezvous shall be
tsblishcd at Iybee Island Cockspur Island, any
other point on the coast of Georgia south Carolina
Rear Admiral Pennock, who with Captain J. H. Rus
cell has been Tor some time past engaged in revising
the Navy Regulations. sadly in need OF revision, has
been transferred 10 the waiting orders list and will be
retired October /.
Rear Admiral John J. Amy, who goes the retired
lst IN April, le1 has relnquished the command OF the
North Pacific station 10 kear Admiral Murray, pro-
NOTED from commodore, vice strong, retired
Rear Admiral lie Roy, who last January was In COM
mand OF the South Atlantic staten. relieved Rear Ad
mira Mullany OF the charge OF the North Atlantic
mral rrenchard on the 18Th ult.
Admiral Muilany was then detailed as Governor of
the Naval Asylum at Philadelphia. vIcc Commodore
Bach, position somewhat analogous to the Governor
ship Of the Soldiers Home near Washington, which is
considered TO be equivalent 10 sea captains com
msnd
On the South Pacific station Rear Admiral Reed
Wcrden hauled down his nag in iavor of tho broad
pennant OF Commodore Caldwell ana the salutes nrcd
on that and similar occasions cost about as much as
ordinary edition of the supplementary Navy Regis
ser' which the department cannot afford 10 publish
admiral
David D. Por,er-watlng orders.
Tcs admiral
stephen Z. Rowan--On leave OF absence.
Rear AdD,irdts
Charles II. Davis superintendent Naval Observatory.
Jonn Rodgers, Commandant Navy Yard, Marc Island,
Alexander NJ. Pennock-wating orders.
John /. Wordcn, commanding European station.
John j. Aimy, returning from North Pacific st ltion.
William Reynolds, commanding AsIatic stsion.
William h. lie Roy, waiting orders
J. r. Madison Mullany, Governor Naval Asylum,
Philadelphia.
c. p Rodgers, SUPERINTENDENT Naval Academy
Reed Wcrden, waiting orders.
stephen d. lrenchard, commanding North Atlantic
station.
Non.
cosMopoRss-25
Captains Edmund K Colhoun and Charles r. Bald
win have been added to the list of commodores, vice
Murray promoted and Clay retired.
George H. Prebe has been placed on special duty
collecting material Tor detailed history OF the old
Kntery ard, from It's establishment to the present
time
Thomas H. Patterson will turn over the command OF
the Washington Yard to John G. fcbigcr tho 10th
prox
George H. Balch, being relieved Of the Governor.
shp oil the Pbiladcphia Nava Asy lum, appointed
y member oil the Lighthouse Board, vice Alexander
Murray
Thomas II. Stevens has been relieved from the COM
nand OF the Norfolk Yard, but continues duty there
N relation to the iarbor.
John VI. b. Clitz been transferred from the wait
ing orders list TO he command OF the storeship New
Hampshire at Port Royal, where, in tho absence Of
Admiral Trenchard. he is the senior naval slicer.
John Guest, Andrew Bryson and George II. Cooper
waiting ORDERS having been relieved as iolowss-
Guest IRON duty senior member OF tho Board OF
Inspectors; Bryson comnandant OF the Portsmouth
Yard.
foxan A. Parker, chief signal officer since July l.
1873 will be relieved from that duty on the 18th nst
by Com modore Beaumont, and Will assume command
oil the Boston Yard ou October 2 relieving Cnmmo-
dore Edward I. Nichols, who bss been there since
April, 1878.
i " A Nichnaan rcIir,cd from dniN Prs ident