Evening star., 1896-08-10
SYSTEM OF RESERVE SHIPS
A Naval Board to Consider Secretary Her
bert's Recommendations.
Prevailing Friendly Relations With
Other Nations Will Justify the
Proposed PeaccfukPlan.

A naval board composed of Rear Admiral
Walker. Chief Engineer David Smith and
Lieut.. Witzel has been constituted by the
Secretary of the Navy for the purpose of
considering plans for laying up in ordi-
nary certain vessels of the navy, in ac-
Cordance with the suggestion made in Sec
retary Herberts last annual report. The
idea is for the reduction of the number Of
vessels i'll commission and the establish
ment of a system of reserve ships. Exist
ing friendly relations with the principal
nations Of the earth is believed to justify
the serious consideration of the peaceful
plan suggested
The Monitors AS the Bnsis.
The board will report on the best place or
places for laying up ships, select the ves-
sells which, in its opinion, should first be
sent to the reserve, and find the number
OF officers and men necessary in each case
to take proper care of them. The United
States may be said to have had the germ
OF such system in the laying up of the
thirteen sihSle-turret monitors. some of
which have from time to time been brought
out lor use by the state naval militia. The
James and the Delaware have been the
rivers most used for this purpose. But
these are vessels not relied upon for reg
ular use, and the project now contemplated
Is different matter.
",
not ships enough for routine and station
service, so that there has been no need
OF reserve. But now that new ships are
CORNING forward in good numbers, some
VI lhem Tar larger than we used to build,
1t Is considered time to introduce the sys-
tenn. The two stations on the Atlantic
coast most commonly spoken of for laying
up shlps are Brooklyn and League Island
anu perhaps II one only is selected 1t may
be the latter. But on this the board will
report, and then a Pacific reserve station
may be selected. 1t is evident that after
the present series of evolutions. the In
dlana, Tor example, will be laid up, where
as the Massachusetts, and the Oregon are
yet to be more fully tested. The Columbia
ana Minneapolis were long ago well tried
in service, and their station duty could now
be done by smaller and less expensive YES
sels There are few monitors of the Mi
ahtohomoh class, and one of them is al
ready laid up. after much service. while
the others can follow in turn. So it IS with
other classes of ships.
Other Considerations.
Probably the present enlisted force of
the navy would be sufficient to give an
initial cruise to every vessel, even when
the six battle ships now building or au
| thoriZed, the nine new gunboats, and the
many torpedo boats shall have been added
to our present force, as wen as the Puri-
tan and Brooklyn, which are nearly ready.
Yet this can only be done by@resort to the
| reserve system. A modern ship Of war is
such complicated structurei especially In
lts machinery. that only thorough test
will make known whether 1t can be relied
upon for actual service. When that point
Ia determined there may be no need of
keeping 1t In commission.zH # should be
said, however, that some clearing up in
our present International troAble is desir-
able before the withdrawal of any ships
to the reserve
In European navies the reserve system
is familiar. and indeed, is regarded as
necessity for reducing what might other
wise be most burdensomes expense.