The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-10
HISTORIC MEN o. WAR.
Famous American Ships to supply
Names for New Vessels.


Kansas City Star
Mr.. Moody, the secretary of the navy,
will probably adopt a recommendation of
| Real Admiral Bowles that the two train
| ing ships and the training brig author
lied by the last Congress be called re-
| spectively the Hornet, the Peacock and the
Boxer. The three names were made IA
nous in the war of 1872 the Peacock hav-
ing been British sloop Of war that was
sunk in the fight by the Hornet. COM
manded by Capt. James Lawrence. The
suggestion was part of a general plan adj
vocated by Admiral Bowles and other
naval officers that the historic names OF
the ships in the second war with Great
Britain be revived and preserved in the
calendar of the new naval force.
There is much to commend the plan.
though it would seem that it should be
| extended to include those vessels which
won distinction in the war Of the Revo-
| luton. The efficiency of the navy, even
more than of the land forces. is secured
| by the exaltation of glorious traditions
The most admirable esprit de corps
| among a ships is that inspired by
| love and pride in the vessel. 1t is prob
| able that the same crew on the Oregon
| could do more effective fighting than on
another battleship having no acquired
| greatness to emulate maintain. 1t is
also a belief in the navy that the tradi-
| tionary spirit would be protected in ships
| bearing the names Of foreign prizes. 1t
| would be peculiarly appropriate to name
| one of the new training ships Peacock,
| because Captain Lawrence, who sunk her
/ off the coast of South America on Feb. "a,
1913, was the same heroic officer who was
| MORALLY wounded on June 1 of that year
| when the Chesapeake was captured by the
| Shannon. The practice vessel for the mid
| shipmen of the navy now is called the
| Chesapeake, and though that has caused
| some dissatisfaction in the navy for SEEM
/ ing to violate the theory already referred
| to, yet 1t commentaries the dying words
of Lawrence, Don't give up the ship. !.
| That injunction became the .watchword OF
the tackles for the remainder of the war.
as Remember the Maine" served In the
recent, fight with Spain.
| AT this time when the upbuilding OF the
| navy has placed the United States again
among the sea powers of the world, 1t Is
| interesting to recall a few of the ships ana
| the incidents that have given glory ana
| prestige to the American navy In the past.
| Nearly every school boy if asked to tell
| of famous American sea tights and hghters
| could give these instances: The victory OF
| John Paul Jones in the Bon Homme Rich
| ard over the Scraps, Sept. %. l779, In the
revolutionary war; DecaturS burning OF
in 1904; the Constitution cold Ironsides's')
capture of the Guerrero, when Captain
Hull commanded. on Aug. 49,, 1872 and the
on Dec. %, 1872, when Commander Balm
bridge won the victory; Decaturs brilliant
| success in the frigate United States against
| the Macedonian and the victorious night OF
the Wasp, in the same month, October,
| 1872, when Capt. Jacob Jones took the
Frolic; Perry's victory on Lake Erie on
famous message, We have met the enemy
| and they are ours" Macdonough's destruc-
| ton of the English fleet in Lake Champlain
! in September, 1874 when his fleet, the sara
and ten little row galleys turned back the
| British invasion from Canada and prac-
| first of the war of 1872; the battle between
| the Monitor and the Merrimac-which
marked the beginning of modern naval war
great Ship Hartford at New Orleans. Vicks-
burg and Mobile bay, and the sinking OF
| the Alabama by the Kearsarge under Capt
Winslow off the harbor of the French city
of Cherbourg on June 10. 1864. OF course
there could be told the tremendous achieve
ments of the war with Spain, but the YES.
sells which gained distinction then are still
| in commission. OF the old historic names
| that have been given in the list of most
famous exploits the Kearsarge is the only
one that has been revived for a first-class
ship.
But there are many other names that
| ought not to be left wholly to the chroni-
| cles of a former time or reserved only TO
| inferior vessels. Before the close of 1T5
| Congress had authorized the formation OF
| the first American war feet. 1t comprised
| thirteen vessels. They were named Wash
ington Raleigh, Hancock, Randolph, War
| rem, Virginia, Trumbull, bingham, Con-
| gress, Providence, Boston, Delaware and
| Montgomery. Almost every one of them, y
says the Rev. Edward Everett Hale in his
| Naval History of the Revolution" con-
| tanned In the Narrative and Critical His
tory of America" before the war was
| over had been captured or burned to avoid
| capture But the names of the little fleet
| will always be of interest to Americans,
and some of those names have always been
| preserved on the calendar of the navy.
| That record seems to be mournful one
| but that the exploits of the patriots on
the sea in those and other vessels were
worthy of commemoration is shown in
| DR.. Hale's statement that 342 British sail
were captured or destroyed in the eight
! years of warfare. Even cursory and in
complete mention of famous American bat
| tleships could not be concluded without
! reference to three boats-other than the
Bon Homme Richard and the Alliance
which are associated with the name OF
the Providence and the Ranger. Lieut.
G. F.. Emmons, later Admiral Emmons
In his statistical history Of the navy stated
that the colonial flag was raised for the
first time on the sea by Jones In the Alfred
i'm IT'S. That statement is the generally
accepted one, though DR.. Hale makes the
claim for The Ranger. which was no,
f1Oated until, Iii.
The Animals.
think could turn and live with the animals