Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-22
ATLANTIC FLEET
ASSEMBLING FOR
WORLD CRUISE
WILL LEAVE SAN FRANCISCO
JULY 7
ALL WILL BE ANCHORED IN HAIR
Dor BY JULY 8
Vessels of Combined Fleets VIII Take
Part In Celebration of Fourth.
Cruisers Go to Samoa
August 5
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, June 21.-The as
sembIing of the Atlantic fleet of six
teen warships and six auxiliaries in this
harbor for the start on July on the
voyage around two-thirds OF the world,
from San Francisco to Hampton Roads,
has already begun.
Seven of the battleships, including
the flagship of Rear Admiral Charles 5.
Sperry, the Connecticut, are here, and
all of the auxiliaries are in this V1cin-
ity. Besides the Connecticut, the bat
tleships now in the harbor are the
Louisiana, the Ohio, the Minnesota, the
Kansas, the Vermont and the Georgia
The West Virginia is at Mare Island.
Supplies are already being taken ABOARD
the supply ship Culgoa, and the re-
frigerator ship Glacier, and the AJAX
collier; the Panther, repair ship, the
Relief, hospital ship, and yorktown,
dispatch boat, are being put In readi-
ness for the long voyage.
By July 8, at the latest, all of the
warships of the Atlantic fleet will be In
this port, and the ships of the Pacinc
fleet also will be assembled here before
that date, to remain until after the de-
parture of the Atlantic fleet.
The Virginia, which is now at Bremen
ton yard. will arrive here the latter
part of the month. The Nebraska, New
Jersey and Rhode Island are now at
Bremerton, and will arrive here to-
gether June 80. The Wisconsin, now on
Puget sound, Is due June 26; the Illinois
June "a, the Kearsarge June % and the
Kentucky July e.
Celebrate the Fourth
July 4 the combined fleets of the At
lantic and Pacific will take part In the
celebration here, and three days later
the battleships of the Atlantic fleet will
depart for Honolulu, where they are
scheduled to arrive July IA. The aux
iliaries will have preceded them by one
week and will have unloaded supplies
for the fleet and steamed away from
Honolulu before the battleships arrive.
The entire Pacific fleet. under Ad-
miral Swinburne, who will succeed Ad-
miral Dayton soon, will start August b
for a summer cruise to Samoa and the
philippines. The cruisers will take in
tow on this cruise the little black yes
sells comprising the Atlantic and Pa
cific torpedo flotillas.
Previous to the start the torpedoes
will be taken in tow by the cruisers on
a trip down the coast as far as san
Diego and possibly to Magdalena bay,
as an experiment.
At Honolulu plans for the entertain
rnent of the officers and men of the
American fleet are assuming definite
shape. One of the features of the pro-
gram will be an old-fashioned Hawaiian
hookupu. This is a ceremonial be-
stowal of gifts. These may be of
various kinds, but in the present In
stance 1t will be gifts of fruits. From
all over the islands fruits of every sort
which grow there and are ripe at this
season will be sent to Honolulu to ar
rive at the same time the fleet does.
Very great interest is being taken in
this part of the plans by the native
Hawaiians all over the islands, and 1t
is believed the contributions will be
ample and generous.