The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-05-28
AUGMENTATION
OF OUR NAVY

its ineipiency q century and a quarter
ago, has been wholly officered by Amer.
| leans. with rare exceptions native
born. its enlisted force during long
periods, especially in time of peace.
was composed Of representatives OF
nearly every nationality upder the sun.
It was particularly an alien navy. as
far as its forecastles We're concerned,
during the period succeeding the civil
War and nearly up TO the time of the
war with Spain. With the Inaugural
ton OF the New Navy in 1855 steps
which were taken some years previous
| " to increase the percentage Of Amer
leans in the crews were prosecuted
| with greater viger. and an additional
impetus to the characterization of the
Navy was given by. the Spanish war
Since that time this America nization
| has gone on apace, thanks to the bril-
liant achievements OF the Navy during
that conflict and TO special efforts made
| by tiia Navy Department. including
| some which we're in a new field. with
| the result that at the present tirne so
per cent of the enlisted force of the
United States Navy are native born
Americans and IL per cent naturalized
citizens, the remaining nine per cent
OF aliens being almost wholly confined
TO bandsmen and measmen. as the offi-
| GERS servants are called.
TO one who recalls an American man-
| of-war's forecastle of twenty years ago.
with its Babel-like assortment of lam
guages and accents. ifs denizens who
sometimes THEMSELVES did not know the
place of their birth, and the mongrel
| aspect generally, the contrast afforded
by visit to the twentieth century
nlan-of-war is striking one. Bright,
intelligent-faced respectable respected
and self-respecting young Americans,
from all parts of the country. are now
the rule. The interior states, q rep.
resentative Of which was formerly
scarcely to be found on board of our
nen-of-war. have of recent years con-
tributed a goodly quota TO the crews
of our new ships, and the United
States Navy can now be said to be
nearly as completely manned by genu-
inc Americans as 1t has always been
Differed by them.
AS said above, the achievements of
the Navy during the Spanish war have
served to a large extent to attract
Americans from ali parts of the coun-
NiS LO t4lG QetA VI It's SLIPS Duts IN Stt-
dition 10 this. the Navy Department.
shortly after the close of that war,
made a new departure in its recruiting
system by sending recruiting parties
broadcast Throughout. the country. not
only over all the seaboard states, but
into the interior, from the Rio Grande !
TO the Great Lakes and from Florida |
to Idaho These itinerant recruiting
parties generally consist of one line Of |
ficer, one medical officer, a warrant Of /
ficer and two or three petty officers of |
the Navy. They go from place 10 place. |
taking up temporary quarters. and en-
listing as many likely applicants as |
they may find whom they send to the |
various depots in seaport towns, thence /
to be sent OH board some vessel Of the |
training fleet.
This training fleet is necessarily "a /
large one. In former years, before /
naval science had taken the enormous
steps in advance that it has during the
past generation, almost any sailor or I
inteIligen. landsman could be converted
quickly into a man-of-warsman for
old weapons We're simple and man
of-war was but little different from a
merchantnsan Nowadays this is all
changed. "A man-of- war is SIS unlike a
merchant vessel as locomotive is un-
like a furniture van. AS for modern
weapons. ammunition and the number
less other details of the equipment of
a nian-of-war. their handling can only
be performed by men who have been
specially trained in their use Conse-
quently a long course of rigid training
is essential before men can be entrusted
with the duties nowadays required on
a man-of-warsman.
Accordingly, the training feet of the
United States, exclusively of the sta
tionary depot ships at Newport, r. l.,
and San Francisco, Cal, is composed
of no less than twelve vessels. Three
more training ships, which viii be sail
ing vessels, are now being constructed
to be added to this feet The larger
training squadron is that on the At
lantic coast, and 1t is composed of the
flrst-class cruisers Minneapolis and
which are particularly de-
voted to the training OF prospective
members of the engine-room forces;
the historic old Hartford, the sloops-
1f-war Essex and Alliance, the sailing
ship MonongaheIa, the gunboat Tope- ]
"a and the converted cruisers Yankee,
Prairie and Buffalo On the Pacific
Coast the slcops-of-war Mohican and
1
De relieved by the Albany.
Upon these vessels the newly enlist
d landsmen and apprentices are taken
and given periods OF actual sea SER
see under careful. thorough instruc-
ion before being drafted to regular
ea-going men-of-war. After they have
.cquired a certain degree Of proficiency :
hey become fuIl-fiedged men-of-wars-
men. and to the credit of the lntelli- :
,ence of the average young American,
# the type that Il now enlisting so
in sts Navy. be it said
hat they acquire mis- proficiency with
,reat alacrity. there being numerous
asses where but a few months train
ng have suff7ced to make excellent pet
y officers out OF youths who left the
and the farms Of interior
tates but short time before.
lar ATTN ~ he AIoxrxyl