Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-04-23
NAVY READY FOR ACTION.
1t Numbers Nearly One Hundred
Vessels, Including WarShIps
and Auxiliary Craft.

Washington, April 17.-The navy
with it's great fleet at Key West, the
flying squadron at Hampton Roads.
The mosquito fleet" to be distributed
along the coast, and the commerce
destroyers, comprising the big Amer
lean liners and the Morgan ships, is
probably constituted now as it will
be when action begins, and few if
further additions are to be made I'M
less it becomes advisable to add more
tugs.
There are yet twelve vessels of very
light draught to be bought for oper
alton in the shallow bays and waters
of Cuba, in which small gunboats
might seek safety and out of which
it might be difficult to dislodge them.
except with vessels of light draught
and high speed. These ships are to
be bought this week and assigned to
the Key West fleet on being equipped
with rapid fire guns the navy has at
its disposal. Exclusive of these ships,
there are now available and ready
for action all of the American war
vessels on the home station that
could possibly be pressed into service.
The navy is now represented by
fleets believed to be far more formid-
able than those of the combined
Federal and Confederate navies at
the close Of the war; not so numer-
Gus, but in fighting power vastly SUI
perior. 1t has been estimated that
the squadron DOW under Captain
Sampson could alone have whipped
the Federal fleets thirty years ago,
although at the end of the war the
navy had on its register the names of
625 warships OF all types, mostly
wooden, and many of sail power
alone. The American navy in home
waters to-day comprises this formid-
able array of fighting craft:
Under Captain Sampson at Key
West are the New York, flagship and
armored cruiser; the Iowa and Indi
AMI, batt!eships; the Puritan, Am
phritrite and Terror, monitors of the
first class and of the highest fighting
efficiency; cruisers, Cincinnati, De
troir, Montgomery. Marblehead, Dol
phin; gunboats, Wilmington, Helena,
Nashville, Castine, Machias, Vicks
bury and Newport; dynamite cruiser
Vesuvius, transport Fern, and these
torpedo boats: Gushing, Ericsson,
Foote, Rodgers. Winslow, Porter,
Dupont; tugs, Peydon and Samoset.
Five hundred miles north is the
flying squadron, under Commodore
Schley, composed of the quick NOV
ing vessels, capable of proceeding to
any port on the coast threatened by
an attack in a short time, and held
in Hampton Roads so as to be con.
venient for service either North or
South. Six ships compose this
squadron, headed by the armored
cruiser Brooklyn, from which the
Commodore's flag flies; next in point
of strength are the battleships Massa-
chusetts and Texas, the twin tripe
screw flyers Columbia and Min
neapolis and the ram Katahdin.
Eight vessels on the station are I'M
assigned, but will soon join some of
the squadrons in few days. The
most effective of the number is
the flagship San Francisco, just back
from the European station, and her
consort, the New Orleans. n recent
addition through purchase in Great
Britain. Each mounts quick firing
gus. and after some slight overhaul.
ing at New York will be commissioned
and sent South. The Bancroft, at
Boston, in dock, is also unattached
to any station. She, too, will soon be
with one of the fleets. The May
flower and torpedo boat Gwin come
in for assignment this week, while the
Topeka will be here in about three
weeks from Great Britain also in
readiness for active duty The monitor
Miantonomah at League Island and
gunboat Annapolis at New York are
other ships of the navy which will
take part in any fight, but which are
yet unattached to fleet.
Aside from the training-ship OF
which there are three, come the aux
Hilary fleet, with the four vessels OF
the American Line, the four big
Morgan liners, newly named; six
revenue cutters ready at Norfork;
four Lighthouse tenders, also at Nor
folk; six fast steam yachts practically
ready, and most of them in COM
mission; sixteen large ocean-going
tugs; the ambulance ship Solace; six
golfers and one repair ship. Brazilian
cruiser Nichtheroy, the Red d
steamer Venezuela and the Old
Dominion liner Yorktown.
In all there are now on the home
station war vessels anu others at
tached to the navy nearly one hun
dred vessels, representing the finest
battleship type, the tleetest cruiser,
the most formidable monitor, the
most sumptuous yachts and the fast
est of merchant steamers. One half
of the present available strength Of
the navy was purchased in the last
four weeks. Added to this fighting
strength must be included the big
battleship Oregon and the gunboat
Marietta, now on their Way around
Cape Horn for service with this
station.