New-York tribune., 1908-08-09
MANNING II VAR FLEET.
Landsmcn Practise NaUal Game 10
Be Ready IN Emergency.

The cavalry, the infantry and the coast de-
Tenders of the militia reserve having had thelr
innings in the game of warfare. the menhers OF
the naval militia are about to have theirs
Yesterday a fleet of war vessels. lnclucihg the
United States ships Yankee, Prairie, Machias,
Portsmouth, Gloucester Wasp, Inca and Hist,
and fotilla of torpedo boats, including
several submarines, sailed into GARDENERS
Bay at the eastern end of Long Island
On board Of these vessels was the naval
militia of the states of New Jersey tfto-
boken Givison), New York Gncludins the dIV1s-
ions from Buffalo, Brooklyn and New YORK;
Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and
Maine For one week they are to practise the
art of war In a manner as near to the actua! as
possible following in this respect the example
set by the land forces. The officer of the naval
reserve who the other day talked about gong
ashore occasionally to play golf doubtless Will
discover that the manpuvres are to represent
work There will be no medals for wearing gold
lace presented at the end of the cruise So far
ss possible the vessels and their equipment VIII
be operated by the officers and men of the re-
serve
The manpuvres are a part of the work lald
out for the naval militia throughout the At
lantic and lake states. Those of the militia OF
North Carolina, the District of Columbia and
the Camden division of New Jersey were held on
Chesa peake Bay between July is and - Be
tween August II and IS similar mandeuvres will
be conducted on Lake Michigan, off South Mani
tou Island by the reserves of Michigan, Mime
sofa, Illinois and Ohio.
While the reserves will not learn all about the
roanagement of fleet in the course Of the week
that will be spent at the eastern end of the
Sound, they will become somewhat accustomed
to working together, and will learn the tech
nique of feet evolutions, something about the
scheme of coast defence from the naval point of
view and have real target practice with 3-lnch
guns The amateur tarS Will learn, for instance,
that il is not good form to drop anchor or hoist
IT without first mentioning the fact that 1t IS de-
sired to do so to the senior officer in command
Of the fleet The officers of the militia will learn
how to manage the fleet when in column forfna-
ton and what to DO when q man falls over
boar or for any other cause it is necessary for
n vessel to leave the column There will be
daily practice in giving and receiving signals by
flag and every night there will be drills with
the Ardos light signals and the searchShts.
Umfires on the flagship Yankee, il command Of
Commander C. c. Marsh, i. S. N, will take note
of the vessels which score the mos: frsts in
sponding to the signals There will be boat
drills
Some time in the course Of the week the tor
pedo fotilla will test the quality of the fleet
a. a coast defence by attempting to enter Il
harbor through the line. This attack the
port to be defended will be made under the
cover of night. If two of the torpedo boats or
submarines succeed in eluding the searchlights
and pass the line into the harbor the defending
feet viii 5e considered losers and the port it is
defending at the mercy of the invading enemy
PERHAPS instead Of the searchlight method of
discovery the dark method will be used.
This consists of shutting off all the lights and
trying to learn the whereabouts of the torpedo
boats in the darkness
Target practice will be an important part of
the drills. The naval militia will be divided
into squads of fifty. Each group of fifty will
have gun pointer. The target practice will