Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-01
DRILLING A FLEET.

The Way i'm Which the English Navy
is Trained and the Need Of 1t.
Naval Correspondence London Times.
The drilling of fleet Is a fascinating
spectacle. suggesting as nothing else can
the subordination of great force to the con-
troll of single will. A few gayly colored
flags flutter to the main truck of the flag
ship, remain for two or three minutes. and
are suddenly hauled down. Instantly the
huge ships begin to turn, to sweep around
in great curves and to rearrange them
selves in a new formation. Or scattered
cruisers nearly hull down on the horizon
respond to summons, and in half an hour
come flying back to the fleet, take up their
appointed stations and conform to its
movements. The ease with which the
A,OOO-ton battleships swing round to their
helms, the speed with which they take up
their new stations, the quick response and
the regularity of movement are extraordi-
narily impressive
For a shore-going parallel to this fleet
one must imagine twenty-one cavalry reg
iments maneuverfng at a cartcr, each in
dividually responsive to orders rapidly
transmissble over long distances. But on
shore it would be impossible, except from a
balloon or a commanding hill, to take in
the movements at glance. At sea one
can follow the evolutions of each ship. A
mistake. loss or gain of distance. a su-
Lerhuous or an inadequate turn is immc-
diately- seen, and such signals as "Retalia-
ton badly executed quickly fly from the
flagship to be read by the whole fleet.
Unquestionably, an admiral Yields a
power for which general cannot hope
A public rebuke is a thing to be avoided,
and even If this is not forthcoming any
small lapse will be noted by a hundred
pairs of eager eyes, Moreover, compar-
atively small mistake may involve disaster.
We may club our cavalry without real
harm. but the contact of two of these
great ships moving at ten knots may mean
the loss of one or both. The drill of a fleet
is an eminently serious undertaking. and
the accuracy of this drill is the measure of
the maneuvering power of the whole as
semblsge of ships. All turns, therefore,
upon the capacity of the captains and their
ing formation, following in the wake of a
leader, is by no means easy.
Attention never for a moment relaxed
and the judgment which comes only with
long experience are alike required. Helm
and speed need perpetual alterations, and
the requisite charges must be carefully es-
timated, or the ship will continuously oscil-
late to starboard or port, in advance or
astern Of her station. In evolutions. how
ever, many more qualities must be brought
into play. The theorist talks glibly Of
turning circles" and affects to believe that
the handling of a ship can be reduced to
mere geometry. The turning circles Of
each ship are, of course, recorded in every
chart house, but a variety Of other condi-
tons arise. The evolutionary qualities Of
other ships must be observed. Wind, tide,
speed, OF even tne Crossing VI the Wake oI
another vessel materially affects the turn
ing circle. Here is no mere question Of re-
ferring to the signal book and giving GER
tain definite words of command. All the
conditions constantly vary; judgment IL
needed at every moment; the education of
the eye in estimating distances and exact
knowledge Of the capabilities of the ship
are alike called for. The mere theorist
will, in fact, find himself hopelessly incom-
petent, and the efficient handling Of a ship
Implies qualities which it is not given to
every one to acquire. 1t is an art rather
than science. and its possession largely
determines the fighting capabilities of a
navy.