The Progress., 1893-04-29
YOUNG MEN NOT IN 1T.
Our Naval Officers As Com pared with Those
of Foreign Powers.
special Correspondence.l

of Foreign Powers.
Especial Correspondence.l
ANNAPOLIS, April 2i-Perhaps the most
striking difference between the persOnne
of the foreign naval officers and our own
as at present exemplified lies in the com
parative youth ofsthe men in responsible
command among the foreigners and the
large number of grizzled subordinates on
board the American men-of-war A lieu-
tenant in the United States service put il
pithily the other day when he said, at is
easily possible that my son might go
through the naval academy and become a
commissioned watch officer before | reach
the rank that would exempt me from watch
duty
Any landsman who visits the wardroom
of United States man-of-war and glances
at the double row of heads down the dinner
table will be surprised at the number of
grizzled men who are yet lieutenants, called
by no higher title than Mr." and still
years from responsible command. 1t is
lucky American naval officer who COM
mands n ship at 45 and reaches his cap
taincy under 80.
As matter of fact men become lieuten-
ant commanders nowadays after at least so
years in the service. and few men are then
under As years of age, while many are close
to 80, and only few of the "A lieutenant
commanders on the active list can expect to
command ships Meanwhile there are $50
full lieutenants and as lieutenants of the
junior grade, many of whom will, in the
ordinary course of events, never attain com
mand. 1t requires from IS to 81 years serv-
ice for man to become a full lieutenant, or
bull" lieutenant, as the slang phrase of the
wardroom is, and from 13 to Is years more
for him to become lieutenant commander
Compulsory retirement at 62 overtakes
some before they get beyond this grade and
many before they have held their commits
sions as captains so long as three years.
The last man in the file of As captains has
been "a years in the service, and he attained
his captaincy only last year. He had the
advantage, too, of rapid promotion from en-
sign to lieutenant commander during the
civil war when officers were scarce As to
the commodores and rear admirals, the
youngest of them has been in the service
since 1880 Some of them entered as poor
little midshipmites in 1916.
In every important foreign navy men
come to command in the prime of life
Many a British officer attains the rank of
commander at 35, and there are plenty of
young men commanding the great battle
ships of France, Germany and Italy. This,
say the American naval officers who vainly
await promotion, insures the commanders
the dash, energy and confidence Of youth.
The sight of young heads upon shoulders
bearing the insignia of high rank will make
American naval officers more than ever
anxious to obtain legislation that shall
hurry promotion by removing from the
path of energetic and ambitious men those
who are content to do their work just so as
to escape court martial and pass the neces-
sary examinations when by seniority they
are entitled to higher rank. The English
system involves retiring man after he has
remained certain number of years in a
given grade, and something like this is
what the 325 waiting lieutcnants and the
others who find stagnation the curse of the
navy are advocating
L. y. VALLANDIGHAM.