Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-03-28
TAUGHT BY YANKEES
GERMANY's FIRST INSTRUCTION
IN NAVAL WARFARE.
American Man-of-War Was School
Ship That Turned Out Kaiser's
Sea Fighters-Who the
Men Were.

meets lnat Sne a constructed and of
the still greater armada which she has
planned. the statement that the nav
of the United States was the nursery
of the German navy may come as one
too surprising to gain ready credence,
says the New York Herald.
But the statement is true. The story
of how it came about runs back in
the last century, but not SO far back
that it cannot be recalled by American
navy officers now living. One of these
is Rear Admiral Henry Erben, now on
the retired list and residing in New
York.
ut was an absolute fact" the ad-
miral said. "The first navy officers
that Germany ever had received their
naval education on board an American
man-of-war, and received it, more
over, through the courtesy of our own
navy department. More than that, it
was an American navy officer that or
gained Germany's first naval estab-
lishment or department or bureau
whatever name it had in the begin
ming. That officer was Capt. Foxhall
A. Parker. the elder, who entered the
service in 1903. He received permits
sion from our navy department to per-
form this outside duty. At least he
had an implied permission, for he had
asked and obtained leave of absence,
ard 1t was known that it was for this
purpose that he had requested such
leave.
"Old days!" said the admiral, remin-
iscently, as he leaned back in one of
the comfortably cushioned chairs of
the New York Yacht club. Back in
AS. My heart. how long ago! I was
a midshipman then on board the frig-
ate st. Lawrence, attached to the Eu-
ropean station.
Good old days!" continued the ad-
miral. But to get back to this nursery.
The four midshipmen who subsequent
ly formed the nucleus of the German
navy-two of whom only recently died
as German rear admirals after long
and distinguished service-joined us on
the European station. Four of the
officers were Prussians who had been
graduated from the artillery school, but
had never seen salt water before they
came aboard the st. Lawrence. The
fifth officer was a German, Fouste by
service. He only needed to learn navy
ways and gunnery. But the others
were so green that they Immediately
became the joy Of the whole steerage.
But they had been sent on board the
st. Lawrence to learn their business
of us, and, make no mistake about it,
they did.
Capt. Hiram Paulding, who was in
command of the st. Lawrence at the
time, put all five of these alien new
Corners under the immediate charge of
Foxhall A. Parker, Jr.. who then held
the rank of master, and IA navigating
officer of the frigate. They were set
to every duty that the rest of us were,
and it was only a little while after
they had come on board that we young
sters of the Storage mess gave over
guying them and began admiring the
energy and aptitude which they dis
played. They spoke English fluently,
were highly educated, and long before
the war with Denmark. which came
about a year and a half after they
had Joined us, they had acquired about
all the navy knowledge that was ex-
tant among midshipmen in those
days.
"War between Denmark and the Ger
man confederation came along and the
five left us, all taking service in what
was then known as the navy of the
German confederation. The navy,
such as it was, consisted OF a few pur-
chased merchant steamships and one
frigate which had been captured from
the enemy. All these ships were under
the control of Capt. Foxhall Parker,
and these young men, who formed the
nucleus of the trained service and who
had received all of their naval train
ing at the hands of Capt. Parker's son
were assigned by the father to their
several duties in this little navy of
Germany.
"This, you may take it, was the he
ginning of the German navy-an Amer
lean navy officer head of the establish
ment and its only trained personnel
coming from the American frigate st.
Lawrence. and from under the tuition
of the son of that officer. Then, when
the various segregated German stages
became known as the German empire,
two names were conspicuous in the
navy of that nation, those being
Bartsch and Berger. both of whom
were my old shipmates on the st. Law
renee. Hoffman was drowned, bat
what became of Barent do not know.
Fouste, l heard, was drowned many
years ago"
Russian Public Schools.
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