The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-10-11
big NAVAL REVIEW
PLANNED BY MEYER
1T is EXPECTED TWENTY-FIVE
BATTlESHIPS WILL PAR
TlClPATE IN DEM
oNsTRATIoN.

Washington, oct. 11.-President Taft
mas been invited by the Secretary of
the Navy Meyer To review the most
imposing navy demonstration ever
held in American waters. Il will take
place at New York early in November
The secretary of the navy has written
a letter to Mr. Taft. asking him TO
terminate his present trip in New York
on Nov 1 next instead OF in Washing
ton as is contemplated.
The mobilization of all the available
vessels on the Atlantic coast i'm the
VICINITY OF New York has been decided
ON in lieu of a fall cruise. Recently
there have been many protests from
officers of the Atlantic fleet that they
have been worked too hard by the pro-
tracted foreign cruises during the past
several years. This sentiment led to
the abandonment of tentative plans for
cruise 10 the West Indies and the
Panama canal which has been sched-
uled for oct 10 next. Mr. Meyer feels
that the efficiency Of the navy will be
promoted quite as much by the UNI
expected mobilization OF a large fleet
as by the cruises. For this reason, and
i'm view of the opposition among the
officers and men of the navy to a
cruise, he decided upon the mobiliza-
ton as the proper exercise for this
year
While the list of ships that will par
.ticipate in the great naval demonstra-
ton has not been made up il will be
the aim of Rear Admiral Wainwright
to have as many vessels as possible
present There will be about twenty
five battleships, sixteen belonging to
the Atlantic fleet and nine or ten to
the reserve fleet. Armoured cruisers
gunboats, destroyers and submarines
VIII also take part Both i'm size and
in naval strength the aggregation of
war vessels will be far superior to that
at Oyster Bay on Labor Day, 1906,
when the last naval review was held
At that time n total of about forty
five fighting vessels were arrayed UNI
der the command of Rear Admiral Rob-
ley Evans. now retired, for review by
President Roosevelt. There were then
only seven battleships i'm the fleet
formation. the largest of which was the
Rhode Island of 10000 tons disSace-
ment.
Next month the new dreadnaughts,
Florida and Utah, recently placed i'm
commission, which have displace-
ment of $4,000 tons, will lead in size.
The entire fleet wilr~be i'm command of
Rear Admiral Hugo Osterhaus. The
spectacle will last only about three
days, but the fleet will remain i'm home
waters until early in January, when
it will proceed To Guantanamo for
period of extensive battle exercises. in
conjunction with the torpedo notilla,
which will last until the middle or asst
of February.
a similar mobilization will take
place on the Pacific coast, where the
Angeles. This gathering of war yes
seles, however, will be much smaller
than the aggregation on the Atlantic
coast, because comparatively few nav
al vessels are stationed on the Pacific
coast.
Officers on duty i'm the navy depart
ment have already begun arrange
ments for the mobilization. While it
was intended to keep the matter Sc
cret as long as possible so that it
would be i'm the nature of surprise
test, Secretary Meyers plans leaked
out. All the orders necessary for the
carrying out of the plans for the de-
partment have not yet been sent out.
although the movement is well under
way.
The department, by merely issuing
Geographic orders, could mobilize
fleet of nineteen battleships, six cruis-
ers, twenty destroyers and seven sub
marines. All these vessels are now i'm
commission with full crews, and are
ready for sea at short notice. If as
scmbled in one command they would
comprise a total of ffty-two fighting
ships. In addition to these, there are
eight or ten battleships and cruisers
I'm reserve at the various Atlantic navy
yards, with skeleton crews. which
could be prepared for active service
and placed in commission in few
days.