New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-21
NAVAL DEMONSTRATION
IN LEVANT NEXT WINTER
Greatest in American History,
with Tonnage in Excess OF
1907 World Fleet.
AS EDUCATIONAL MEASURE
Will Give Men Both Technical
Practice and Advantages
of Travel, Says Secre-
tary Daniels.
Iron The Tribune Bureau J

From The Tribune Bureau
Washington. April Ca three months
cruise in the Mediterranean for the At
lantic fleet next winter was promised to-
day by the Secretary of the Navy. who is
planning the greatest naval demonstration
in American history.
Secretary Daniels said that the pro-
posed cruise was in furtherance of his
policy Of making the United States navy
in times Of peace a great educational
school, where thousands Of young men
could receive thorough technical knowl-
edge and al the same time enjoy the ad-
vantages Of first hand knowledge of .le
principal countries Of the world.
In point of total tonnage and strength
of armament the fleet TO so TO the Medi-
terranean Will be much greater than THAI
of the fleet which went around the world
in 1907. Present plans are TO send the
Nyomins the Florida, the Arkansas. the
Delaware, the North Dakota, the Utah,
the Vermont. the Louisiana, the Michi-
gan. the New Hampshire. the South Caro-
lima. the Virginia. the Georgia. the Ne
braska the New Jersey, the Rhode Island.
the Minnesota. the Connecticut, the Idaho
and the Kansas on the trip which will
begin on January /.
Comparing these batteshps with the
feet which went around the world, they
aggregate a tonnage of $4,000 as against
22S.5OO. while their muzZle energy is o.
550.00O-foot pounds. as against the $500
c0O-foot pounds of the 1907 fotilla.
The tentative programme is for the feet
to start January / for Gibraltar where
il will divide and make a leisurely tour,
stopping at practically all the important
ports of the Mediterranean. Ii will be
some time before the itinerary is COM
plcted.
Daniels Would Broaden Men.
Explaining the object Of the cruise, Sec
Ietary Daniels said
81 have decided TO send the Atlantic
squadron on a winter cruise covering the
most interesting ports OF the world be-
cause believe that we should offer to the
enlisted men every opportunity which lies
in our power TO secure from personal OBJ
seryaticn that knowledge of countries
which i'm every rank of life gives to the
travelled man an advantage over those
who have spent their lives at home in the
upward struggle. The cruise this winter
VIII be so timed as to give every man in
the fleet shore leave in every port Of in
;erest
Il, of course. am firm believer in the
general theory that the best way t. find
out if anything will work is to try it and
see. and | appreciate from the technical
side the advantages thar the officers Of the
Meet will gain m a long cruise of this
kind, where various manUuvres can be
carried on. at SEA and many experiments
IN communication between ships and SINH
lar matters carried out under actual SER
vice conditions.
But what seems to me equally If not
more important is the educational value
of this trip to the man behind the guns.
nope before my administrator is ended
that the public VIII have a clear under
standing Of the splendid training in me-
chanics which the modern battleship
offers 10 enlisted men. No man who has
served i'm the navy leaves the service
without being far better equipped to earn
his living than ne was before he en-
listed"
The white squadron" was the first Of
the new navy TO cruise in foreign
waters. The cruise was made in 1890. I'M
der the command OF Rear Admiral j. G.
Walker. The vessels We're the three pro-
tcctcd cruisers Atlanta. Boston and Chi
cago and the gunbOat Yorktown. Their
total tonnage was 1920. just that of the
Connecticut. Admiral Evans's flagship in
the 1907 cruise. The total muzzle energy
Of the squadron's main battery was
10000 foot tons.
Cynosure Of Entire World.
From its departure from Hampton
Roads. December IS. 1907, until its re-
turn from its journey around the world
February %. 1909. the battleship fleet oc-
cupied the worlds attention. 1t was COM
posed OF the Atlantic fleet Of sixteen
battleships. five auxiliaries and the sec
ond torpedo fotilla. The feet called at
Trinidad. Rio De Janeiro Puenta Arenas.
Callao and Magdalena Bay. and arrived
at San Francisco May 6. 1905 having
covered a total distance Of fifteen thou
sand miles
Thence the fleet visited Puget Sound.
returned to San Francisco and sailed on
July !. via Honolulu. New Zealand. Aus
tralia and Manila. for Yokohama. ar
irving October IS. 1905. after a journey Of
sixteen thousand miles. and spending
there a week of courteous exchange Of
compliments. The fleet assembled at
Manila departed thence December. via
Ceylon. Suez and Gibraltar, and anchored
In Hampton Roads February q. 1909, a
y 455 miles sail from Manila completing
what probably is the greatest practice