Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-05-31
TO VISIT maine.
U. S. batt|eships Will
Cruise Along the Coast
Officers and Men Will Be BUSY
Drilling and Maneuvering.
Headquarters Will Probably Be at
ProvincetoWn harbor.

washington, ID. c., May 3d.
(SpeciaD.-The summer plans for the
battleship fleet in the North Atlantic
make it certain that the Maine coast
Will see something occasionally be-
tween now and next October of the
floating fortresses that returned a few
months ago from voyage around the
world. The summer resorts and
fashionable folk generally, all the way
from kittery Point to Bar Harbor,
however, will have less of the Navy
this year than heretofore. There will
be little lOafing around resorts and
very few navy social functions aboard
ship and on shore.
That is because hereafter the De-
partment has decided that the 1G
battleships and the 10000 officers and
men aboard of them must fill the
summer months with constant drilling
and maneuvering. There will be /,
series of battle drills, for about the
first time in the history of the Navy;
also target practice and search prob
lens. These activities will take the
ships occasionally far out to sea.
perhaps half or two thirds the way to
Europe. All the time the base of
u,
Mass. on the tip of Cape Cod within
which there is a fine and safe harbor.
But in the course OF their voyages
PACK and forth certain of the battle
ships, it is said at the Navy Depart
ment, will be dropping into Maine
ports occasionally and sometimes will
be seen steaming on their courses not
far from the Maine shore. 1t is even
| likely that some of the warships may
put into Bar Harbor, or Rockland Jr
Portland for day or two at a time,
to give the men shore liberty, to coal,
or otherwise to make ready for fur
| Their sea practice.
This kind of a programme will be
| followed for many summers to come.
For battleship fleet of at least six
| teen big ships will be kept in the
| Atlantic, going South to the West
Indies in winter and coming north to
Provincetown and the New England
| coast in summer. According to the
new ideas of keeping a fleet on fight
ing edge the drills and battle maneu-
| vers will continue summer and winter
with an enterval when the ships nut
into the Navy yards for repairs and
| for docking.
This promises to be an improve
ment upon the old order of things.
The Department has found that the
summer visits to resorts and the teas,
receptions, dances and social festiyi-
ties are not desirable. They do not
increase the fighting efficiency of the
officers and men. even though the
presence of warships in port and the
consequent gayeties make an attrac-
ton for visitors and increase the re-
ceipts of innkeepers
On the other hand, it is the nurnose
OF the Department to give as many of
the American people as possible an
opportunity to become acquainted
with the battleships and to see what
they are getting for the millions of
their money spent upon the navy.
Residents of the Pacific Coast were
given their first chance last year to
see big naval fleet. although an oc-
caslonal warship or even an oc-
casional squadron had been off that
coast. Very recently the battleship
Mississippi has been sent up the Mis-
sissippi River to receive a silver
service. While she was sent there for
that purpose, the Department was
more intent upon giving the people up
the valley, an opportunity to see and
admire a modern ship of war. Com
paratively but a small portion of the
people OF the United States know
what warship looks like from
observation of the real article.
Residents along the Maine coast
have been much more favored for
they have had views of the American
navy during it's entire upbuilding and
are likely to be thus favored during
many years to come, when our SQUAD
rons OF dreadnaughts will be upon the
water Some of the ships will be re-
paired annually at the Kittery yard,
which is called Portsmouth in spite
OF the fact that the yard is not in New
Hampshire but in Maine But for it's
good New England friends i'm Con-
gress. the kittery yard probably
would be due for closing within a
year or two. But Senators Hale and
Gallinger. both of the naval COM
mittee, have been influential in get
ting money for such extensive i'm
provements to the yard that it can be
utilized extensively in the mainten-
ance of the new navy.
A torpedo flotilIa is to he sent north
soon to cooperate with the battleshins
IN maneuvers. 1t is altogether pro-
bable that some of those small but
very interesting ships will be seen in
Maine ports before the summer is
over. 1t is not a long voyage from
ProvincetOwn to Rockland or Portland
and the torpedo boats and the de-
stroyers will be operating in that
vicinity often. The purpose is to have
extensive practice cruises during
which the battleships shall have ex-
perience in taking care of the torpedo
boats and also during which the tor
pedo boats shall have practice in TAX
ing care of the battleships. The
operations are to simulate as closely
as possibly actual warfare.
President Roosevelt almost every
year had big review of Warships
near his summer home. off Oyster
Bay. President Taft has no plans in
mind for such a spectacle In fact he
will probably be away on his trip
into the West before the time has
come around when such review