The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-08-28
MANEUVERS IN
THE ATLANTIC
By Ernest a. walker.

.
WASHINGTON, August 1O.--That
portion of the Atlantic Ocean between
the New England coast and the West
Indies will probably be the scene next
winter and spring of the greatest navy
maneuvers the world has ever known
in peace times. The admirals at the
Navy Department, whose Judgment
guides the administration in such mat
tiers, have already been asking them
selves what shall be done with the bat.
tleship fleet when it returns. The sug-
gestion for extended maneuvers to de.
velop further the fighting efficiency of
officers and men and to keep the big
ships acquainted with one another
is taking root.
Probably the battleship feet in the
Atlantic next winter and spring will
be even larger than the fleet that is
now voyaging round the world, which
means that it will be the largest fleet
ever assembled under the stars and
stripes. A few of the ships are to re.
main in the Orient, but most of them
are coming through the Suez canal and
will be met at Gibraltar along in Jan.
uary by the newly organized Atlantic
fleet, now under the command of Adj
miral Arnold. 1t will be comprised, as
already announced, of such ships as
the New Hampshire, the Mississippi
the Idaho, the Montana. and the North
Carolina. The wisdom of keeping the
bulk of the navy in one fleet has now
been so fully demonstrated that here
after all the ships on this coast will
undoubtedly be under single com
mand
The voyage around the world is in
reality only first step in furthering
the efficiency of the navy. 1t has al.
ready proven what the ships can do.
In score of ways the trip has been
beneficial to the navy personnel. 1t
has been to the navy what the assem-
bling of the entire regular army in
brigades and divisions and the maneuv.
ering of the force as one unit would
be in preparation for hostilities. Such
a movement of the army, of course,
would not be feasible in time of peace
Now the best expert authorities want
the navy in one fleet, drilled to the
pink of perfection in problems that ap-
proach war conditions. That is what
the suggested maneuvers are intended
to accomplish. One of the very best
officers of the navy said recently that
our fighting force afoat was very much
like a man who had developed only the
of his right arm. Great adj
vance has been made in, target prac-
tice. The gunners can fire the giant
weapons of the ships of war and hit a
mark. He likened that to the strong
right arm.
But shooting the big guns is not
everything necessary to dispose of an
enemy before he 'disposes of you. The
navy has left arm, which is weak
and fabby from want of exercise. 1t
is the torpedo. Something has been
done in recent months to build up the
torpedo service. There is room for
much more development. That is one
of the things to which officers hope
great attention will be paid forthwith.
The development work will be done
very largely on, the Atlantic Coast,
probably with the New England Coast
as the chief theater of operations.
"The legs of the feet' are being
developed in the globe circling cruise
of practically all the fighting ships
that were in commission on the Allan
tic Coast last December. The develop
ment Of this portion Of the fleets
anatomy, TO continue the smile, is far
from what it can be made. That is why
the maneuvers on a grand scale are
under consideration and promise to he
come part of the permanent annual
The field for such operations is very
large. One feature might be the di-
vision of the feet into two squadrons,
the first of which would be dispatched
from Boston or New York and the
second from Hampton Roads or Balti-
more, the friend and enemy to vie in
which should first locate
the other. There is large opportunity
for the ships to drill in lodging an
enemy as well as to drill in finding an
enemy. There are also important
problems to demonstrate what ship
can do with limited quantity of coal
in her bunkers and under other condi-
tions that would be encountered in time
of actual war.
These and many other problems are
in mind for the suggested maneuvers
of the greater feet in the Atlantic
within the next year. For all technical
purposes 1T means virtually a great
naval war in the North Atlantic for a
of months after the ships re-
turn from the Pacific. OF course, there
will be an interval of few weeks for
the ships to be docked and given re-
pairs, which will necessitate period
of rush work at the Portsmouth, Bos-
ton, Brooklyn, League Island, and Nor
folk yards. The maneuvers will I'M
doubleday take the fleet to the West
Indies. and might take them across the
Atlantic. For there will be plenty of
cruising in this development of the
navy athletes legs, and the ships will
be required to keep out at sea. If the
old admirals have their way, in all
there will be less time in
port and less visiting in the big cities
for the officers and the 10000 jackies.
Guardian Of His Children.