Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1898-08-18
A TRYING NAVAL JOB.
WHAT 1T MEANS TO PUT A WARSHlP
IN COMMISSION.

The Enormous Amount of Work That Must
Re Performed and the Ceremonies That
Are Observed Before the Pennant and
the Stars and Stripes Are Hoisted.
In times of peace as well as when
wars 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 mod
ern warship into commission involves
an enormous amount Of work, which
can be fully appreciated only by one
who has observed the process from be-
ginning to end.
When vessel Of the navy is laid up
in reserve, "in 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 a
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 if 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 hoisting 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, flour,
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
strict account is kept of each. Then the
J galley, or cooking stove, has to be ex
amined to see whether it is complete IL
all it's findings. The outfit of a galley
usually consists Of two copper kettles O.
80 gallons each, so gallon kettle. will
cast iron jacket and copper hinged GOV
ers, two steamers for vegetables, eacl
, with a capacity of 80 gallons; two set
/ of saucepans, fine set of tools for lift
J ing and firing and the ordinary cookin,
implements.
, The line officers look after the condi
! ton of the guns, the rigging, the boats
the cables, the anchors, the flags ant
| signals, the charts, the nautical instru
I ments and other parts of the ship
1 euuipment What this means can onl.
l be appreciated by one who has actual.
undertaken the task. A volume Nigh
Q be written in regard to the signals alone
When all this work has been done
] the ship is ready to 60 into commission
s and up to this time everything has bee
under control of the commandment Of tn
t yard, so that when the captain OF tn
q ship arrives and reports himself to tn
S yard commander little remains for hi1
r to attend to. In the meantime men hay
: been brought together to constitute th
8 crew.
Sometimes they are enlisted particr
larly for the ship which is about to g
j. into service, at other times they al
j. withdrawn from other ships which hav
d Just been put out of commission. Th
crew and marines report aboard wit
d bags and hammocks; the captain ordel
% the crew to be drawn up on the spa
l. deck promptly at noon upon the day G
y which the ship is to be put formally
20 commission, reads to them his ordel
IL from the secretary Of the navy detailin
10 him to the command. hoists the con
n mission pennant to the main truck an
Is the stars and stripes to the gait OF sta
at the stern, and all is ready.
J. The ship is now in commissions
IL Francisco Call.