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
Thirty-two great. grim ships OF war
battleships, cruisers, submarines, de-
stroyers-plunging and churning
through the water. almost invisible
In gray and drab against the drab and
gray OF the ocean-except when 12-
inch guns belch forth horizontal vol
canos-this Is the superb prospect
which will make Hampton Roads the
spectacle center OF the naval world
the two weeks beginning June II.
Maneuvers. mimic war, they call IL,
In the broad OF strategy. Yet II actual
war were In progress between Amer
lea and a great foreign power the
sight would be little different.
The repainting OF the ships from
their white coats OF peace TO the gray
OF 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 thep lace OF the old slender steel
masts, and are made OF galvanized
iron piping. arranged In lattice work
fashion These masts will have to be
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
1lrh IL ha
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 Hampden Roads
will be stripped down TO 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 the action
with the exception Of the Kear-
sarge, Kentucky and Alabama. the
Hampton roads feet will be the same
one which encircled the globe. In the
place OF the three which nave dropped
out will be the New Hampshire, of the
Dreadnaught type. and the 13,0OO-ton
Idaho, and Mississippi, whose size was
limited by congress.
The Hampden roads squadron, &C
cording TO ex-President Roosevelts
plans. will We commanded by younger
men that the ieets of the old days.
The average age Of the captains IS
551=2 -Years.-They- haze six years and
seven months TO. serve.
Commander VIM s. 8ms, in COM
mand of the Minnesota! only 81. The
youngest full captain. w. |. 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 fleet, Rear Admiral Schroeder,
In command. has two years ahead.
Rear Admiral Wainwright 80 months.
Capt. Hugo Osterhaus and Samuel p.
Comfy, In charge OF divisions. four
years and 25 months, respectively.
In one particular the fleet is behind
the world leaders--the number of guns
None Of them carrier more than four
12inch guns. This will Der emedied
before 1910. The Michigan and South
Carolina, now almest-eempieted, ear
ry 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
TO be started. will carry 2. Big guns,
and lots of them. Is the keynotes OF
new naval construction, and America
Is showing more ingenuity In concen.
trating them than any other nation In
the world.
With the 80 big boats will go a
great swarm Of Golfers, provision:
boats and tenders.
The feet will assemble I'm Hampton
Roads June IL and mass the follow
ing day at the drill ground outside
Capes Henry and Charles. They VIII
finish the maneuvers on June 81. and
cruise through New England waters
during July On Aug. they will again
assemble at -Hampden roads for a sec
ond drill and target practice