Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-05
NAVAL MANEUVERS
The Probable Program Of Acting
Rear Admiral Bunce.
fHE NORTH ATLANTIC SQUADRON
Ten Modern War Vessels viii
Probably Participate.
THE SECRETARY's INTEREST

North Atlantic squadron under COM
mand of Acting Rear Admiral Buncc. The
recent Homecoming of the cruisers New
York, Columbia and Montgomery from for
eign ports completes the splendid fleet
that will participate in these exercises.
Secretary Herbert has taken a deep in
terest in the subject. and is doing all he
can to aid Admiral Bunce in the success
full execution of his program. In his last
annual report to Congress he said: ut
had been the intention of the department
to supplement and connect the course Of
instruction at the Naval War College with
practical exercises afloat on the vessels
of the North Atlantic squadron, but the
exigencies of the service in foreign waters,
and the fact that many of our new YES
sells are not yet completed, compelled the
department to forego this desirable prac
tical cooperation. 1t is .he intention of
the department to have such cooperation
when possible in the future
Secretary Hcrberts Interest.
Since his recent departure from Washing
ton on the Dolphin on his annual tour of
inspection Of the navy yards. Secretary
Herbert said that the principal purpose of
his visit to New York was 70 consult with
Admiral Bunce regarding the coming feet
maneuv ers, which. he said would begin the
early part of next week. Il expect" he
said. ito have both the Maine and the
Texas ready in time to join Admiral
Bunce's fleet before the evolutions are fin
ished. 1t is now simply a question of put
ting the crews aboard, and | am glad to
say we have enough men for this purpose,
although neither Of the ships will have
their full complement. After visiting the
War College, training school ard torpedo
station at Newport. l expect 20 join the
fleet and spend some time in witnessing the
maneuvers. A Secretary of the Navy should
know as much as possible. not only of the
ships and their armament but of every
thing that pertains to the equipment and
discipline of the navy. All sorts of ques-
my decision, from the cdiiber of the main
batteries of battle ships TO the character of
sailors ratfons and trifttng details In uni
forms and equipments, and it Is only by
personal observation that l can be guided
to a correct judgment"
1t thus appears that the present Secre-
tary of the Navy intends to make the pro-
pc sed maneuvers feature of his admin
istration.
Ten Vessels to Participate.
In former years there have been some
such exercises. particularly with the so
called squadron of evolution under Admiral
Walker, but they were conducted on
small scale and under obvious difficulties.
Until very recently the pressing demands
on our limited navy for active service en-
foreign stations, especially in Asia and in
Central and South America, have left very
little opportunity 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 sta
tions. but the actual presence of an unpre-
cedented number of available vessels in
home waters. Admiral Bunce can now de-
pend upon the actual participation of at
least ten vessels, including the dispatch
boat Dolphin as a spectator Of part of the
maneuvers. There is the flagship New
York, an S,209-ton armored cruiser; the
7.3T5-ton protected cruisers Minneapolis ard
Columbia; the 3,213-ton protected cruisers
Raleigh and CINCINNATI. the 3,925-ton pro-
tected. cruiser Atlanta; the 2,074-ton Mont
gomery, and, finally if they are commission
ed in time. the 6,6S2-ton battle ship Maine
and the 6,315-ton battle ship Texas. 1t is
and the torpedo boat Gushing will join the
squadron. The Dolphin, carrying the Sec
retary of the Navy, will. of course, be
only a looker-on, while the other vessels
are conducting the maneuvers.
Value of Squadron Evolutions.
While this is small array compared
with British and French naval maneuvering
fleets, yet every ship participating is a
modern steel vessel, armed with modern
guns, with the created part of the fleet
remarkable for speed. There can be no
lutions in increasing the efficiency of indi-
vidual ships and their commanders. Re-
Gently naval expert said, in commenting
on the British maneuvers, that "the units
| of a fleet require exercise together for the
same reason that such training is reuur-
ed by the units of a regiment before it can
be classed as superior to mob. The in
dividual worth of the men of regiment or
the ships of a fleet may be great, but if
they lack the training which would enable
them to act in concert their value is lost.
should the warfare extend beyond guerrilla
work in the one case or single-cruiser raids
or scouting in the other"
To Rendezvous at Newport.
| The fleet soon to be assembled at New
port for drill and exercises will be the most
formidable ever gathered under the United
| States flag. The program, so far as it is
| completed, is for the New York and her
consorts to leave the port of New York
next week and take the outside passage for
Newport which has been selected as the
| Admiral Bunce will confer with Captain
| Taylor, president of the War College, about
| maneuvers, and will, it Is expected, take
scne of the members of the class out to
| sea to work out some of the tactical prob
| lens which have been brought to their at
| tention.
| When Admiral Bunce's fleet assemblies it
| is expected at the department that it will
be divided into two divisions, one of which
will be led by his flagship, the New York,
and the other probably by the Columbia or
Minneapolis. The senior officer in the
second division will, in all probability, have
| charge of it. AS the vessels are all of
different displacements and different
speeds, their officers are green in maneu-
vering, AID as they have never sailed un-
der their present commander-in-c chief the
proba biIities are that the early evolutions
will be of the simplest character.
! Extent of the Cruise.
| From Newport 1t is Admiral Bunce's s
intention to proceed up the coast to Port
lard, Me-, exercising the vessels in steam
fleet tactics en- route. From Portland the
fleet will go to Bar Harbor and thence to
| Halifax. Then either Portland or Boston
will be visited on the return trip. Hamp-
ton Roads is the next stopping place on the
| program. The fleet is expected to arrive
there early in September.
| While there it is expected the battleships
| Maine and Texas will Join IT. Neither of
these vessels has as yet been commissioned,
but they are nearly ready for service
| An extensive series OF maneuvers will be
| begun after the fleet has been assembled
in Hampton Roads The field of opera ton
will extend from Cape Hatteras to the