The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-02-07
II AssoeIated 90.

Gibraltar, Feb. 6.-WitS the bands
on board playing Home, Sweet
Home" the fleet of sixteen battle
ships under Rear Admiral Sperry left
Gibraltar at II o'clock this morning
Tor Hampton Roads on the last lap of
It's famous around the-WOrld cruise OF
AZ 900 miles One hour later the YES
Eels were well clear OF the land and
Bteaming westward in double column
formation at a speed Of ten knots an
hour. rney viii follow the southern
route to Hampton Roads, a distance
o. $500 miles, and about 1000 miles
on the American coast they viii be
met and escorted home 5y the third
squadron fleet under Rear Admiral
Arnold.
Weather Conditions Perfect.
The weather conditions at the time
Of the departure were glorious. The
sky was without cloud and there
was Just enough breeze 10 curl the
csests of the sunfiooded waves. Moth
Ing could have surpassed the beauty
ycf the marine picture as the Ameri-
can armada weighed anchor from the
shadows of the tower rock of Gibral-
tar and moved out anto tAe sea. The
difficglt operation Of getting the six
teen glge battleships out of the mar
ROW basin Of the port and under way.
was accomplished with a skill and
Is.il eetiou n. understanding end detail
which won the admiration OF all the
foreign naval men who Witnessed the
proceedings critically from land and
sea. Admiral Sperry directed the
whole operation from the aft bridge
OF the Connecticut. At half past eight
o'clock the signal to unmoor was Civ
en- and the great chains holding the
ships TO the bouys were loosened one
by one until the vessels We're held to
their anchorage by only a single
strang. At 5: SO a stream of multi-col-
oTed signal flags ON the flagship com
municated the order to get under way
10 the Georgia. the Nebraska, the
New Jersey, the Rhode Island and the
Virginia, lying at the rear of the ba-
sin. As the flags came fluttering
down five minutes later the designat-
ed battlships cast of their last lines.
and like freed leviathans seeking es-
cape, the slowly swung their noses
In the direction Of the breaches in
the breakwater.
Twisting and turning to the elang-
ing Of engine sOngS, they cTept out
the Georgia leading the way with
Lieutenant Commander George W.
Kline on The bridge. Once outside,
Rear Admiral Wainwright's division
fell into formation and waited for the
second and third groups The second
group consisted OF the Vermont.
proudly flying the battle efficiency"
trophy on her fore; the Minnesota,
Kentucky, Ohio and Rearsarge, and
the third was composed of the Wis
censin, Kansas. Louisiana. Missouri
and Illinois. The three groups wait
ed outside and at half past ten the
Connecticut brought up the rear.
Salute Fired.
Although it IS not customary 10
fire parting salutes, the Devonshire.
the flagship of Rear Admiral Sir
James Goodrich, r. NJ. admiral sup
eTintendent at Gibraltar, which had
taken up position at Tle entrance
OF the harbOr. hOisted and ealuted the
American tag as the Connecticut's
hand played the English anthem. while
musicians on the foreign warshfps
played the star Spangled Banner as
the respective enSigns were dipDed
Admiral Goodrich and ADMIRAL Lit
ivinon OF the Russian navy signalled
Good bye; pleasant voyage
Admiral Sperry replied, laconically,
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