The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-03-04
SEBREE HAULS
DOWN HIS FLAG
With Solemn Ceremonies GrizzIed
Admiral ReIinquishes His
Last Command.

SAN FRANCISCO. February 20
With the sun flashing from FURNISHED
epaulets and polished belt buckles, ma
rines at attention and fleet officers at
salute, Rear.Admiral Uriel Sebree relin-
quished command of the Pacific feet.
now in the bay, while the two-starred
blue pennant of Rear-Admiral Giles b.
HARDER was run to the peak yesterday
morning, amid the booming of guns in
salute, which were answered from the
West Virginia and from the Goat Island
training station Officers bade pood.bv
to the old commander and gave welcome
to the new, ending one of the simply
beautiful ceremonies of which the NAVY
has many.
Yesterdays incident marked Rear
Admiral Sebree's farewell TO forty
seven years of navy service. He was a
participant in the fighting of the civil
war, was in Cuba and the Philippines
during the Spanish-American clash OF
arms, and has given all the years of his
manhood to valiant and honorable labor
in the navy. AS the boatswain piped
him over the side of the California.
while six vessel commanders of the feet
did him the unusual honor to act as
side boys at the port landing, a film of
tears dimmed the eyes of the old sailor.
for the marine band on the forward
deck was playing "Need Aud Ac-
quaintance Be Forgot and the tackles
were cheering for their retiring. com
mander, whom they have affectionately
known as "the old man,
AT the bottom of the gangway a
launch waited for him, manned by
twelve senior and Junior wardroom offi-
GERS, with their oars pointing skyward
in nautical salute. The coxswain was
the executive officer of the California.
The ceremony of abdication was very
simple. Orders from the secretary of
the navy were read, relieving Rear-Ad-
miral Sebree of his command A rear
| admiral 8 salute doomed out from the
after guns, and the little blue flag at
the peak fiuttered to the base of the
staff, never again to be raised Again
orders were read, appointing Rear.Ad-
miral Harder to command of the feet,
the guns again sounded, and his flag
wavered to the top of the peak, where
Rear-Admiral Sebree's flag had been but
few minutes before. Congratulations
were mingled with coincidence and re-
grets, and the ships settled to the dull
ness of their daily routine.
RearAdmiral HARDER has been con-
tinuously in sea service since August,
1907, and has been in command of the
static fleet since ,June 1908. He will
retire by limitation of law in Septem-
Der, 1911. He was formerly in com
mand of the battleship Maine, and was
} executive officer for Captain Phillips
on the Texas during the Spanish Ameri-
can war. He was a member of the
Jeanette expedition that went to Are
tic waters to relieve belong and his
party, and has seen service Jas attache
at foreign embassies and legations. His
staff will consist of Lieutenant Com
!, mander j. " Chase, chief of staff; Lieu
tenant. Commander F. II. Clark, feet
engineer; nt-Commander d. w.
Knox, ordnance officer; Lieutenant l.. X.
Leahy, flag lieutenant; Lieutenant ID. b.
l Craig. aid The fleet staff will remain
as before. 1t follows: Medical Inspec-
: tor J. w. Gatewood, fleet surgeon; Pay
Inspector E. w. Reynolds, paymaster;
Major G. F. Thorpe, marine officer.
: Six of the cruisers will leave here
0 on March lst for Santa Barbara channel
S for target practice. After the maneu-
vers the Pennsylvania and Colorado will
proceed to Bremerton and the Califor'
: MIA Maryland. West Virginia and Soutu
Dakota will return here.
. --s.<-s----