The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-11-10
CRYING
NEED OF
Navy
Admiral Taylor Says Il Is More
Officers to Nan Wdrships.
4 Critical Condition.

Washington. Nov. 1o.--The most crying
need Of the navy, according to the an
nual report Of Admiral H. c. Taylor.
chief of the bureau Of navigation. Is moro
officers to man our warships. He declares
that the preparations now going on for
the mobilization Of the feet for the win
ter maneuvres In the West Indies has
brought the department face to face with
the critical condition due to lack OF Of
ficers which. he says, has reached such
a point as To be dangerous to the efficien
cy OF the fleet
He says that the number OF officers of
our ships Is less than the number on
board the ships of other navies. although
as matter OF fact our ships require
more officers than the ships OF other ma
vies because we are compelled to man our
vessels with green crews having little or
no knowledge OF sea life.
The graduates from the naval academy
during the next four years will be 3b5,
leaving a total deficit OF officers July ],
1906, OF 1905. taking into consideration
the new ships to be built and not count
ing the officers for auxiliaries who would
be required In event OF hostilities. Ad-
miral Taylor recommends further in
crease Of one midshipman for each MEM
ber OF the House and each senator one
from the District OF Columbia and 10 an
nually at large.
A concentration OF the naval force IN
two big lighting sauadrons in the North
Atlantic and Asiauc waters Is recon-
mended. For the present the report says
two squadrons arc all that the present
number of our battleships will permit.
To carry out this policy Admiral Taylor
proposes to transfer the battlesh.ps In the
remaining squadrons TO one of the other
OF these heavy squadrons and compose
the Pacific, European and South Atlantic
squadrons entirely OF cruisers. These
changes will be undertaken as soon as
the winter manoeuvres In the west In
dies are concluded.
After the Encouragement the distribu-
tion OF the fghting force OF the navy will
be as follows:
North Atlantic station: Kearsarge.
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 North Atlantic
station: Olympia. Montgomery, Marietta.
Machias. Panther and Detroit.
Aslauc station: Kentucky, Oregon,
Wisconsin, Monadnock. and Monterey.
The battleships in this squadron are 10
be increased to the number OF six soon
as vessels OF this class are commanded.
The cruiser division OF the Aslatic sta
tion: New Orleans. Yorktown, Whining
ton. Helena, Nicksburg. Princeton, An
napol!s. Don Juan de Austria and Isla
dc Cuba. The Rainbow and large sun
boat division will. as heretofore, be at
tached TO the squadron for service among
the islands and the rivers
Pacific station: New York, Philadel-
phia Boston, Marblehead and Ranger.
European station: Brooklyn, Chicago.
San Francisco and Albany.
south Atlantic station: Newark, At
lanta and Nashville.
IL Is also proposed 20 form additional
torpedo boat fiotillas with a destroyer
as the leading vessel. after the plan OF
the present group now in the West Indies
under the command OF Lieut.. Chandler.
The proposed concentration OF the ma
val forces Admiral Taylor says makes
A desirable to have an officer Of high
rank in command OF each OF the great
heavy fleets. and ne recommends for
these two commands that congress au-
thorizc the creation OF two vice -adfnirals.
or as an alterna tive that "a sanction the
appointment Of two acting vice admirais
Admiral Taylor also urgently recon-
mends further congressional action for
the establishment of n general staff TO
control and administer the affairs OF the
feet No recommends tions are made
concerning the national naval reserve.
Much space Is devoted I'm the report to
the necessity for gunnery training At
tention II called I'm detail TO the opern-
tions OF tho fleets and the work Of our
naval officers and men In the waters Of
the Philippines and Of the West Indies Is