The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-11
NAVY NEEDS OFFICERS.


WASHINGTON, Nov. 10.-The most cry
ing need of the navy. according to the an
nual report Of Admiral T. c. Taylor, chief
of the bureau Of navigation. is more officers
to man our warships. He declares that
the preparations now going on for the mo-
bilization of the fleet for the winter ma
neuvers in the West Indies has brought
the department face to face with the crit
ical condition due to lack of officers, which
he says. has reached such point as to be
dangerous to the efficiency of the fleet. lie
says that the number of officers on our
SHIPS is less than the number on board
the ships of other navies, although as
matter of fact, our ships require more Of
hcers than the ships of other navies be-
cause we are compelled to man our vessels
with green crews, having little or no
knowledge of sea life. He submits a table
showing that the needs of the naval serv-
Ice require 1000 officers, while the number
on the navy list, including midshipmen
after graduation is only 1,02l, or 5U short.
Ihls table Is based upon the lowest possible
number of officers needed on our battle
Shlps, seventeen, against an average num-
Der of officers for similar ships in foreign
navies of thirty-three I'm England, twenty
SIX In France and twenty in Germany. he
ngureS that the vessels now authorized py
Congress but not completed will require
49S additional officers, to which is TO be
added rs per cent. for officers sick or on
shore duty and 160 for casualties during
the next four years, or a total for the ves-
sells now building of 7S3. This number,
added to the present shortage, b. Will give
envy during the next four years will be
$780, leaving a total deficit July i, 1906, OF
10O6. not counting officers for auxiliaries
who would be required in the event OF hos
tilities. In addition to the increase OF mid
shlpmen provided for by the last Congress,
Admiral Taylor therefore recommends a
each eSee nd or ds 9ne n tbe House
and each senator. one from the District OF
Columbia and ten annually at large He
also recommends that the number OF lieu
tenant commanders be increased 30, neuten-
ants (senior grade) 80. and lieutenants Gu
Nor grade) and ensigns $50.
A concentration of the naval force In two
big fighting squadrons in the North Allan
tic and Asiatic waters is recommended.
For the present. the report says, two
squadrons are all that the present number
out this policy Admiral Taylor proposes 20
transfer the battleships In the remaining
squadrons to one or the other or these
heavy squadrons and compose the Pacifc
European and South Atlantic squadron en-
tirely of cruisers. These changes VIII be
undertaken as soon as the winter maneu-
yers In the West Indies are concluded.
After the rearrangement the distribution Of
the fighting force of the navy Will be as
follows: North Atlantic acknowledgements.
Alabama, Massachusetts, Indiana, Maine,
Illinois, Iowa and Texas This force
should be in the future maintained at not
less than eight battleships.
CARIBBEAN DIVISION OF NOrtE AbdiitiC etd-
tion-Olympia, Montgomery, Marietta. Ma
chias, Panther and Detroit.
| Asiatic station-Kentucky. Oregon. Wis
| consin. Monadnock and Monterey. The bat
| tleships in this squadron are to be In
| creased TO the number OF six as soon as
| vessels of this class are commissioned.
The cruiser division of the Asiatic station
| New Orleans, Yorktown, Wilmington,
| Helena. Vicksburg. Princeton. Annapolis.
Don Juan de Austria and Isla de Cuba.
The Rainbow and a large gunboat division
WILL as heretofore. be attached 10 the
| squadron for service among the islands
and the rivers.
Pacific station-New York. Philadelphia.
| Boston. Marblehead and Ranger.
European station-Brooklyn. Chicago.
| San Francisco and Albany.
| South Atlantic station-Newark. Atlanta
1 and Nashville.
/ II Is also proposed 70 form additional tor
| pedo-boat notillas with Q destroyer as the
| leading vessel. after the plan OF the pres