Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-14
ANNOUNCE PLANS
FOR FLEET WEEK
BATTLESHIPS WILL ANCHOR
TODAY
ARMADA DUE AT CORONADO AT
I O'CLOCK
Governor GiIett and other State Off
cials Are In the South to Pay
Respects to Admiral
Thomas
CONTINUED from Page One,


here and which will be repeated when
the fleet reaches San Francisco.
The San Diego parade will be held
next Wednesday afternoon, beginning
at 2 o'clock. 1t will be the initial step
In the formal ceremonies of welcome
which have been arranged here in be-
half of the state and city, Governor
Gillett and Mayor Forward being the
principal speakers at the exercises to
be held in the city park.
In order to assemble this great
marching force it will be necessary for
the sailors and marines to embark in
small boats from their respective ships
at IL o'clock noon. The maneuvers or
landing the 5000 men, after a journey
of some ten or twelve miles from the
open sea into San Diego bay, will be
spectacle in itself and will be watched
with keen interest as an evidence OF
small boat drill efficiency in the fleet.
All of the men will be landed with
arms and in light marching order. The
small boats of each ship will be loaded
TO their utmost capacity, the sailing
launches, the largest of the boats now
carried on the battleships, each con-
tanning from l.xty to seventy men,
The handling of these frail craft
in divisional and flotilla formation and
towing them into the harbor by means
of the stalwar little steam Launches,
hooked up in tandem pairs. Will be
fraught with many difficulties. But
American naval men are skillful at
such things and 1t is believed the or
ders issued by Admiral Thomas will be
carried out without the slightest hitch
at any point.
To Land Big Force
The force to be landed at San Diego
has officially been designated as the
fleet naval brigade" It's formation was
a task of no mean proportions, the de-
tails occupying the attention of the
staff officers during q large part of the
Journey from Magellan straits to the
northward. The fleet brigade has been
divided into five divisional brigades,
the first being the marine brigade and
the others being known as first, second,
third and fourth division brigades, the
latter being composed of blue Jackets
from the ships of the division from
which the numerical order is taken.
Sixty-four separate companies of blue
Jackets and sixteen companies of ma
rines compose the total forces. These
figures quickly convey an idea of the
extent of the parade and give to 1t his
tory-making proportions. Each battle
ship of the fleet will contribute four
companies OF blue jackets and one COM
pany of marines All sixteen bands of
the fleet are to be combined and then
divided among the five divisions, Civ
ing about seventy-two pieces to each
Organization. This feature of the dis
play also has :ts notable side to 1t.
AS commander of the fleet brigade.
Rear Admiral Thomas has selected
Capt. Seaton Schroeder, commanding
the battleship Virginia. Capt. Schroe-
der is soon to be promoted to flag rank
and will command one OF the divisions
of the battleship fleet when 1t starts
on its cruise around the world from
San Francisco in July next. The ad-
jutant of the brigade is Lieut. Com
mander Ridley Mclean, fleet ordnance
officer; the signal officer is Lieut.. c. r.
Train, flag lieutenant to Rear Admiral
Evans; the quartermaster is Pay In
spector H. A. Dent; commissary, Assis-
tant Peymaster H. Z. Collins; surgeon,
DR.. L. w. Curtis of the Connecticut.
Marine Brigade
The marine brigade will be command
ed by Maj. Dion williams, u. S. M. c.,
fleet marine officer. The first division
brigade is to be commanded by Capt.
Charles E. Vreeland of the Kansas; the
second by Capt. w. II. H. Sutherland
of the New Jersey; the third by Capt.
Charles w. Bartlett of the Ohio; and
the fourth by Capt. John M. Bowyer or
the Illinois. Each divisional COM
mander will select his personal staff
Each company of blue Jackets will have
it's full complement of three officers
Officers for the marine brigade will be
somewhat scarce, as each ship carries
but two marine officers. The brigade
to be landed here includes also large
force of auxilaries, such as signal men,
ammunition party, mess men, pioneers
and hospital corps.
Commander v. S. Nelson of the repair
shin Panther has been designated as
beach master of the brigade, and will
have charge of the landing of the men
on shore.
An escort of honor battalion of
coast artillery from the army post at
Fort Rosecrans. local companies of the
California National guard and Naval
reserves, posts of the G. A. r., Con-
federate veterans, Spanish War veter-
ans and uniformed civic bodies will also
have place in Wednesdays parade.