The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-06-15
81 WARSH|PS
WILL PLAY WAR
Great American Fleet of Fighting
Machines to Engage in Maneuvers
at Hampton Roads for Two Weeks.

HAMPTON ROADS Va, June Is
Thlrty-two great. grim ships OF war
Dattieships. cruisers, submarines, de-
stroyers- plunging ana churning
through the water, almost invisible
IN gray and drab against the drqb ana
gray OF the ocean-eXceDt when II.
men guns belch forth horizontal vol
chnos-thls is the superb prospect
whlch viii make Hampton Roads the
spectacle center of the naval world
the two weeks beginning June II.
Maneuyers, mimic war. they call H.
In the board Of strategy. Yet II actual
war were in progress between Amer
lea and great foreign power the
sight would be little different
The repainting OF the ships from
their white coats OF peace 10 the gray
or war. Is only one OF the changes this
year. The men who must command
the fleet In war and the men who aim
the guns must get used to finding and
locating the range for ships which are
half concealed by their color.
In the maneuvers the basket masts
will be seen for the first time. They
take the place OF the old slender stec,
masts. and are made of galvanized
iron piping. arranged In lattice work
fashion. These masts will have to b.
literally shot to pieces before they
will fall.
The basket masts rise 10 feet
above the water-30 feet higher than
the old steel masts Thirty feet in
diameter at the bottom. they support
an -eight-foet platform at the very top
where the spoilers. way above the
smoke, find the range and watch the
battle. giving the word TO the gunners
below
Also the ships at Hampton Roads
will be stripped down 20 the last thing.
The fighting tops are gone, the admir-
ais bridge also. and all other ma
terials which can be DISPENSED with.
The ships will go into the mimic bat
tie with decks cleared To- action
With the exception OF the Kear'
sarge, Kentucky and Alabama. the
Hampton roads fleet will be the same
one which cUCirCled the globe, In the
place OF the three which nave dropped
out will be the New Hampshire, OF the
DreadnaHght- type, and the l3000.ton
Idaho. and Mississippi, whose size was
limited by congress
The Hampton Roads squadron, ac-
cording 20 cX-President Roosevelt
plans. will be commanded by younger
men than the fleets OF the old days.
The average age OF the captains -
IS ID years They have six years and
seven months TO servo.
Commander VIM s. Sims, in COM
mand Of the Minnesota. Is only 81 The
youngest full captain, w J. Chambers
OF The Louisiana So
or the admirals who started around
the world Sperry the youngest, has
81 months before retirement, while
the average was one year. In the At
lantic feet. Rear Admiral Schroeder,
IN command. has two years ahead.
Rear Admiral Wainwright 30 months,
Capt Hugo Osterhaus and Samuel =.
Comfy. in charge OF divisions, four
years and % months. respectively
In one particular the fleet is behind
the world ieaders-the number OF guns.
None OF them carries more than four
I2.inch guns This will be remedied
befcre 1910 The Michigan and South
Carolina. now almost completed. car
nv eight Of the big guns The $4,000
ton Florida and Utah. now building,
will carry 10. These will raise the
average. The two new ships. about
10 be started will carry - Big guns
and lots OF them, is the keynotes os
new naval construction, and America
IS showing more ingenuity in cOHCeu-
trating them than any other nation in
the world
With the 80 big boats will 20 o
great swarm OF Golfers. provision
boats and tenders.
The feet will assemble in Hampton
Roads June II. and mass the follow
Ing day at the drill ground outside
Capes Henry and Charles. They will
finish the maneuvers on June 27 and
cruise through New England waters
during July. on Aug they will again
assemble at Hampton Roads for sec
ond drill and target practice.