The San Francisco call., 1898-06-11
ORMIDABLE FLEET
 TO ACT AS CONVOY
Guarding Against Danger of Attack Upon the Transports by Spanish
 ShipS

WASHINGTON, June 10-Another formidable American fleet has been as- sembled, consisting of sixteen warships of various classes, headed by the big battleship Indiana, which, for all-round effectiveness, stands at the head of the navy This fleet Is assembled at Port Tampa, and is to serve as a convoy for the transports from that port. The for nation of this formidable convoy fleet is due to reports, more or less indefinite, that Spanish warships were lurking be- tween Florida and Cuba with view of intercepting the transports. In order to avoid the slightest possibility of dem- onstration by Spanish ships against the troop ships this new fleet of sixteen warships was determined upon.
 This powerful fleet of conveys is strong enough, both in number of ships. also in individual ships and armament, to cope with any Spanish ships that might be at large, and it entirely elim- mates any possible danger that might attend the transporting of the army of invasion to Cuba.
 Captain Taylor, who commands the Indiana, is available as commander of
  closed definitely who will be its chief. Commodore Watson is with the block ading fleet off Havana, and cannot well be spared from that position, which will be maintained efficiently, notwithstand- ing the drafts made to create this large convoy squadron. Captain Taylor Is re- garded as one of the most judicious and capable officers in the service, and should the squadron command fall on Iii f ics fo1 hat xyin he in a hands. The Indiana will probably be the flagship of the convoy squadron. There probably will be other battle ships, but it is not deemed advisable, for prudential reasons, to give the full list.
 The Indiana is one of the most for midable ships af1oat. being regarded by naval experts as superior, as a fighting machine, to the ships of the Terrible class in the British navy. She has displacement of 10,2SS tons and has main battery of sixteen large guns, be- sides many smaller rapid-fire and ma chine guns in her secondary battery. Her largest guns are of the 13-tnch class, four in number, mounted in tur- rets, two forward and two aft.
 The desirability of forming this fleet was suggested by information, coming through official channels, that Spanish ships left Barcelona some days ago, DOunQ TOT CuDdll WdlGIS. IulS lllIOI- nation came to the State Department. It was to the effect that the ships in cluded three Spanish warships and one transport The information was re- garded as trustworthy. It was commit nicated to the Navy Department and led to careful consideration. A little later came the report from the ships off Florida that suspicious looking Ves- sells with military tops had been seen in the offiing. These last reports were re- ceived with some credulity. but naval officers were disposed to dismiss them as myths. They were treated lightly, and some of the officials spoke of the matter as another case of the phantom ship, the Flying Dutchman. But the better advised ones. knowing of the re- ports as to the sailing of Spanish ships from Barcelona. looked upon the mat ter as one which should not be consid cred too lightly. A single troop trans port, carrying no armor, might be at the mercy of some stray Spanish ship, and there was no purpose to hazard the lives of fifteen hundred men on any of our ships when reports came from two widely separated sources, one of them quite in detail, of the approach of the Spanish ships
 Besides the fleet of sixteen convoy vessels there will be from thirty to fifty transport ships, making in all re- markable fotilla.
 The War Department to-day gave out an official list of the transports thus far hired in order to clear up erroneous re- ports. The list shows fifty ships char tered along the Atlantic coast and ten on the Pacific. Those along the Allan tic will be used. in the main, for em- barking troops from Florida and those on the Pacific for the troops going to Manila.