The Portland daily press., 1895-08-13
COMING FLEET MAOEUyERs,
From Virginia to Halifax and to In
clude Portland.

be the naval manoeuyers of the entire
North Atlantic squadron under the
command of Acting Rear Admiral Bunce
The recent homecoming of the cruisers
New York, Columbia and Montgomery
from foreign ports completes the splendid
fleet that will participate in these exer-
cises. In former years there have been
some such exercises, particularly with the
o--csalled squadron OF evolution under
Admiral Walker, but they were conducted
on a small scale and under obvious diff
culties. Until very recently the pressing
demands on our limited navy for
active service on foreign stations
especially in Asia and in Central and
South America, have left very little oppor-
tunity for squadron drills and exercises,
even had there been enough vessels to
take part in them. But at length the
time has come when not only is there less
need of reinforcing foreign stations, but
the actual presence OF an Unprecedented
number of available vessels in home
| waters.
| Admiral Bunce can now depend upon
| the actual participation of at least ten
vessels, including the dispatch boat Dol
phin as a spectator of part of the maneu-
vers There is the flag ship New York an
| 7S20-ton armored cruiser; the 7375-ton
protected cruiser Minneapolis and Column
| bia: the 3213-ton protected cruiser Raleigh
and Cincinnati; the 3025-ton protected
cruiser Atlanta the. 2074-ton Montgomery.
and finally If they are commissioned Id
time the 66S2-ton battle ship Maine and
the 6315 ton battle ship Texas. 1t is also
possible that the monitor Amphitrite
and the torpedo boat Cushing will join
the SQUADRON. The Dolphin carrying the
secretary of the navy, will of course, be
only locker on, while the other vessels
are conducting the maneuvers. While
this is a small array compared with Brit
| ish and French naval maneuvering fleets,
yet every ship practicing is a modern
| steel vessel, armed with modern guns,
| with the greater part of the fleet remark
able for speed There can be no question
4 as to the value of the squadron evolutions
in increasing the efficiency of individual
ships and their commanders. Recently a
naval expert said, in commenting on
the British manuevers, that "the units of
a fleet require exercise together for the
same reason that such training is required
by the units of a regiment before it can
be classed as superior to mob. The in
dividual worth of the men of a regiment
or the ships of a feet may be great, but if
they lack the training which would en-
ttDlO Uu5lU w AL SohOOlU ulOII foluO 10
lost, should the warfare extend beyond
guerilla work in one case or single
crusier raids or scouting in the other. y
The fleet soon to be assembled in New
York for drill and exercise will be the
most formidable ever gathered under the
United States flag. The program, so far
as is completed, is for the New York and
her consorts to leave the port of New
York this week and take the outside pas
sage for Newport which has been selected
as the rendezvous of the feet. While
at Newport Admiarl Bunce will confer
with Capt. Taylor, president of the war
college, about maneuvers of the class out
to sea to work some of the tactical prob
lens which have been brought to their
attention When Admiral Bunce's feet
assemblies it is expected at the department.
that it will be divided into two divisions,
one of which will be led by the flagship,
the New York, and the other probably by
the Columbia or Minneapolis. The SEN
ior officer of the second division will, in
all probability, have charge of it, AS
the vessels are all of different displace-
ments and different speeds, their officers
are green in maneuyering, and as they
have never sailed under their present com
) mander-in. chief, the probabilities are
that the early evolutions will be of sim
plest character.
From Newport it istAdmiral Bunce's in.
| U6nGlOn GOsprOCoeu up ullo coetSu W oruldIiti,
Me-, exercising the vessels in steam fleet
tactics en- route. From Portland the fleet
will go to Bar Harbor and hence to Hal
flax. Then either Portland or Boston
5 will be visited on the return trip. Hamp
ton Roads is the next stopping place or
the program. The feet is expected tx
arrive there early in September While
there it is expected the battleships Maine
0 and Texas will join it, Neither of thest
= vessels has as vet been commissioned, bu
, they are nearly ready for service. An ex
1 tensiye series of maneuyerS will be begun
] after the fleet has been assembled il
+ Hampton Roads. The field of operation
: will extend from Cape Hatteras to thu
eatern end of Long Island. In addition tx
drill the men in the exercise of landing
on a hostile shore and in the face O
/ the enemy. to exercise them at large
) practice, both with small arms and with
) the main and secondary battery guns
/ signalling by night and day, clearing fol
action and abandoning ship, coaling a
sea, and the many other drills in which
the modern man-o-W wars manfs required t(
beprofcient.
"Although we have no definite nkowl
edge of Admiral Bunce's program, Essays
| an official of the nvay department., there
is little doubt that in it's early stage al
least it will be confined to simple evolu
tons. so tndU UD6 Cdl
form some conclusions as to what thu
vessels can do. If he were to attempt any
difficult evolutions at the start there nigh
be a repetition of the Victoria Camper
: down accident. No, Admiral Bunce i
, too level headed an officer to attempt t.
solve heavy problems unless he has led III
to them by series of maneuvers which
have thoroughly trained the fleet unde
r him There is little doubt in my min
that he will have easy formations durin
, the first part of the cruise, such as lin
ahead. column Of sections and other sim
ple evlutions and after he has gauge
: what the vessels can do he will then go
3 little deeper into maneuvers and b
9 gradual stages lead up to the more difficul
s drills. The drill will wind up in Oct
Der with great practice and the feet wi
then disperse;
lone of the intentions of tine secre
tary in these maneuvers is to have tn
: new tactical drill book followed so that
4 may be able to ascertain what it's value is
4 This book has just Undergone revision a
: the hands of board of officers, assemble
Q IN Washington, upon which were som
of the best tacticians in the navy. Copie
e of this book will be furnished to each c
: the commanding officers of the vessels j.
: the squadron, and they will be require
= To Give stIldy TO it, Tn manv noints