The Washington herald., 1911-02-27
FLEETS EFFICIENCY
TO BE INCREASED
Reorganization Will Iron Out
Wrinkles in System.
SAVE BY NEW REPAIR SCHEME
Ships of Atlantic Squadron in Need
OF Overhauling viii Visit Home
Yards in Rotation After July L.
Frequent Changes in Commissio oned
Personnel Will Be Expected.

Frequent changes in the commissioned
personnel of the Atlantic Fleet are to be
expected from now until July L These
will be incidental to the reorganization
of the feet itself, which will go into
effect on that date. The fleet will then
be composed Of twenty-one battle ships,
a division of four armored cruisers, four
battle ships in reserve, three scout crrIis-
ers, five feet auxiliaries, with the usual
number Of gunboats for police and sur
vey duty, and the torpedo boat and sub
marine fleets
1t was originally planned that the
Florida and the Utah. now under con-
struction. respectively, at the New York
Navy Yard and at the New York Ship
building Company's plant at Camden, n.
J., would be two of the vessels. under
the reorganization, In the first division.
It was definitely learned to-day, how
ever, that while these vessels will be
practically completed, they will not be
ready by July l to take their places,
which will have to be filed by two other
vessels.
Distribution of Ships.
Just how the vessels will be shifted
around will be decided upon later, but
as originally planned the reorganization
provided for the distribution OF the YES
sels as follows:
Flagship of the commander-in-chief
home yard, New York-Connecticut
First division home yard, New York
Florida, Utah. Delaware, North Dakota,
and Michigan.
Second division, home yard, Norfolk
Louisiana, South Carolina, Kansas, Yer
mont. and New Hampshire
Third division, home yard, Boston
Georgia, Nebraska, New jersey, Virginia,
and Ohio.
phia-Minnesota, Mississippi, Idaho,
Maine, and Missouri.
Fifth division (armored cruisers). home
yard, Portsmouth-Tennesse Washing
ton North Carolina, and Montana
In reserve-BattIe ships Rhode Island,
home yard, Boston, and Iowa, Massachu-
sets, and Indiana, home yard, PhiIadeI-
phia-
Scout cruisers. home yard. Boston
Chester Salem, and Birmingham
Auxiliaries, home yard, New York-Cel-
tic, Culgoa, Panther, Solace. and Yank
ton
In addition to the above, there will be
five battle ships, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ala
bama, KearSarge, and Kentucky. being
overhauled; eight gunboats, and a long
list of torpedo boats, submarines, yachts,
&c. The Atlantic feet is at present made
up of sixteen battle ships, four armored
cruisers, fleet auxiliaries, torpedo boats,
submarines, &c.
Save by Repair Scheme.
The prime object of the reorganization
of the fleet is to keep seventeen battle
ships actively employed at all times. the
remaining four, one from each division,
being ct its respective home yard for
repairs and overhauling. Under this plan
1t will never again be necessary for the
fleet as a whole to disperse to the various
home yards of the vessels for overhauling
and repairs. When this has been done
heretofore, the country has been left
entirely without a feet in the Atlantic.
Ships OF a division requiring repairs
beyond the capacity of their crews will
visit their home yards in rotation, the
order Of rotation depending upon the rela-
tive condition of the ships. Thus each
yard will usually have one battle ship
under repair, which will result in prac-
ticalIy uniform distribution of work
the year at each yard.
Among the benefits Of the reorganiza-
ton will be increased strength and ef-
of the active feet, due to keep
ing a larger number of battle ships en-
pIoyed with greatly Increased oppor-
tunity for maneuvers and exercises, and
the certainty that operations of the feet
will not be interrupted by the necessity
for navy yard repairs.