The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-01-31

Vers and target practice OF the COM
hined North Atlantic feet:
While TOgos s. feet sweeps clear the
Eastern seas of hostile warships, no
waT game can attract the undivided
attention of naval officers. but, never.
theless. the great feet of American
warships now assembling in Porto
Rlcan waters has important work TO
perform in winter maneuyers. For
the third time since 1902 the North
anC' South Atlantic and European
sQuadrons have been merged into a
single feet at Culebra to carry out an
extended series of drills and tactical
problems. In the spring Admiral Dew
ey will go to the Caribbean to inspect
the fleet.
The winter mancuvers are held IL
the Caribbean because the weather is
mild and because these waters viii be
the fielC Of greatest naval activity in
any war the United States may have.
They are close enough to the coasts
of the United States TO afford a most
convenient base for attack when once
within the hands of the enemy, and
Cuba or Porto Rico is the natural KEY
to the Panama Canal.
Ships to Take Part,
The general board Of the navy, of
which Admiral Dewey is the president.
is the tactical body of the service anil
has planned these maneuvers for the
latter part of February. IN them will
be engaged the entire force under
Rear Admiral Barker consisting of
the North Atlantic feet and its com
Donent parts and the European and
South Atlantic squadrons These
ships will be engaged: The Kearsarge,
Illinois, Alabama. Maine. Iowa, Ken
lucky and Missouri. comprising the
North Atlantic battleship squadron;
the Texas. Massachusetts anG' the mon
itors Florida, Arkansas and Nevada
comprising the coast squadron of the
North Atlantic fleet, commanded by
Rear Admiral SanGs; the Newark, Ia
coma, Chattanooga and Denver. con-
stituting fther Caribbean squadron of
the North Alaptic> feet, under Rear
Admiral Sigsbee; the training squad
ron, including the cruisers Columbia
and Minneapolis, under Rear Admiral
2. B. Bradford the cruisers Cleveland
and Des Moines, of the European
squadron which has been without a
flag officer since Rear Admiral Jewell
hauled down his flag and was retired
in Italy; and the flagship Brooklyn, of
the South Atlantic squadron. There
will also be several smaller cruisers
and auXiliaries and the second TORPEDO
fiotilla under Lieut. Marbury Johnston,
consisting of the destroyers Whipple.
Worden, McDonOugh and Stewart
This is probably the most formidable
fleet that has ever been assembled
under the Stars and Stripes in West
Indian waters.
Rear Admiral Barker win begin the
winters work with extended drills.
There has been some criticisms aimed
at the signal book. That is the waltz
able volume which officers use in rum
ming yari-colored flags up and down
the signal arm in communicating be-
tween ships in Daytime, while red
white and green lights strung aloft
serve the same purpose at night In
stead of appointing a board to change
the signal book. Rear Admiral Con-
verse, chief of the Bureau of Nayiga-
ton, and one of the best all-aroundI
officers in the service, resolved that
the system should be given 4 thorough
test before il was discarded This will
be one object of the early drills. The
battleship Texas carries an electric
semaphore. which is said to have serv-
ed excelleDtly in signaling, and many
officers prefer il to the flags.
Use of Wireless Telegraph.
Each of the large ships now in the
West Indies is equipped with wireless
telegraph apparatus, and it will be an
important feature of the winter drills.
It is rigid test the navy gives wire
less telegraphy, for there are no high
~ trained experts on the battleships,
The men who operate the wireless are
the bluejackets, who have been in
in it since their enlistment
The types of apparatus in use are not
he same, for the navy department
has declined to adopt one system until
[ has investigated the merits of all.
Certain ships will be toled off to at |
.empt to interrupt the messages be-
.ween other ships, or, failing to inter-
,ept them for purposes of their own in |
to release so much disturb |
ng electricity that there will be no i
possibility of any intelligent commun!-
,ation between any other ships.
The war game will take the form of
search problem, Rear Admiral Bark
II has instructions to divide his fleet
nto two squadrons. One squadron,
which must be composed of both
ruisers and battleships, will proceed
O sea with sealed instructions drawn
n Washington and known not even to
Rear Admiral Barker. This squadron
will simulate hostile fleet attacking
he United States from some Europe
n country. II will be proceeding sup
osedly from a base either at the
-zores, the Cape Verde Islands, or the
'anaries. It's object will be to capture
ither Culebra, P. R., or Guantanamo
'uba, the site of the New American
avail station. Either point would af-
ord an excellent base for further OPP
rations against the United States.
Rear Admiral Baker will know that
he enemy will strike at one of these
laces and he will also know that III
be hostile feet sails into either port
nd remains there six hours without
piup met by a Of r0nOpT force of his