Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-08-10
A TRYING NAVAL JOB.
WHAT IT MEANS TO PUT A WARsHiP
IN COMMISSION.

U
IN COMMISSION.
BE Performed aud the Ceremonies That
Az. Observed Before the Pennant and
the Stars ard Stripes Are Hoisted.
II times Of peace as we'll as when
war i dark clouds gloom the nation you
are liable to read in the newspapers an
announcement to the effect that one Of
the vessels of the navy is going "into
commission. 1t is not very impress
i've phrase, but the full meaning Of the
term is something of which few have
any adequate conception. To put a mod
ern warship into commission involves
an enormous amount of work, which
can be fully appreciated only by ono
who has observed the process from be-
ginning to end.
When vessel Of the navy is laid up
in reserve, lin ordinary, as it is call
ed, it is far from an attractive object
and could hardly be recognized as the
same ship when in thorough trim, with
crew aboard. The ship is anchored at
convenient navy yard; the stores are
sent ashore, her engines and guns COW
cred with oil and an antitrust paint;
her decks are allowed to become dirty,
her sides dull and stained from rusty
chains. Thus she lies perhaps for
months, and then an order comes from
the secretary Of the navy, through the
chief of the bureau of navigation, di-
recting the commanding officer of the
yard to get her ready for sea.
The first thing to be done is to bring
as many men as possible from the re-
ceiving ship. which lies hard by, and
these, with the force of the yard, under
the direction of whatever officers are
available, begin at once to put things to
rights and remove the accumulated dust
and dirt from the different parts Of the
equipment; the engineers force goes at
once to the engines and boiler rooms;
the antitrust paint is removed from the
engines; new packing is put in the
valves and joints; the pumps are tested,
the rust and dirt knocked from interiors
of fire boxes, and boiler tubes and CRATE
bars renewed.
Outwardly everything is now in fair
condition, but this is only the begin
ming. 1t remains to get up steam in
some of the boilers, turn over the en-
gines to see il they are in proper trim,
start the dynamos, test the electric
lights and the pilothouse, signals, turn
on the searchlights, start the fans, work
the steering gear and steering engines,
set the hosting machinery in motion
and put the boat cranes in operation.
Every engine, boiler, pipe, wire, tube,
rivet, bolt, nut and plate is carefully
inspected, and if found unserviceable
from any cause repaired.
Next the equipment storehouse is Wis
tied, and full allowance Of beef, pork,
beans, potatoes, coffee, sugar, salt, -four,
meal. clothing, shoes, hammocks, blan-
kets, paint, tobacco-in short, the whole
miscellaneous assortment of the COM
missary department., is placed on board.
The paymaster of the ship is RESPONSE
BILE for every article received, and a
strict account is kept of each. Then the
galley, or cooking stove, has to be ex-
amined to see whether it Is complete in
all its findings. The outfit of galley
usually consists of two copper kettles of
80 gallons each, a 90 gallon kettle. with
cast iron jacket and copper hinged GOV
ers two steamers for vegetables, each
with capacity of 80 gallons; two sets
Of saucepans, fine set of tools for lift
ing and firing and the ordinary cooking
implements.
The line officers look after the condi-
ton of the guns. the rigging, the boats,
the cables, the anchors, the flags and
signals, the charts, the nautical instru-
ments and other parts Of the ships
| equipment. What this means can only
be appreciated by one who has actually
undertaken the task. A volume might
be written In regard to the signals alone.
When all this work has been done,
the ship is ready to go into commission,
and up to this time everything has been
under control Of the commandment of the
yard, so that when the captain Of the
ship arrives and reports himself to the
yard commander little remains for him
to attend to. In the meantime men have
been brought together to constitute the
crew.
Sometimes they are enlisted particu'
larly for the ship which is about to &c
into service, at other times they are
withdrawn from other ships which have
just been put out Of commission. The
crew and marines report aboard with
borxo oud bavprpockc. tho carfaiu ordor,
the crew to be drawn up ON the spal
deck promptly at noon upon the day OF
which the ship is to be put formally il
commission, reads to them his orders
from the secretary of the navy detailing
him to the command, hoists the com
mission pennant to the main truck ant
the stars and stripes to the gaff or stat
at the stern, and all is ready.
The ship is now in commission. -Sal
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