Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-07-16
FLAGOFFCERS
YOUNG in THE
BRITISH navy

There has been recently phenon1
email run of promotions to the flag
rank in the British navy. No fewer
than twelve captains have been made
rear-admirals since January /, the
latest being Captain William c. Pack
enham, an observer from Admiral To.
COS flagship of the battles of the
Russo-Japanese war and now fourth
sea lord of the admiralty, whose pro-
motion is just announced.
Eleven of these twelve new flag
officers owe their promotion to volun-
tary retirements of admirais. This
flow of promotion has naturally tend
ed to reduce the average age of off
GERS on the flag list. It is the policy
of the admiralty to provide a plenti-
full supply of young admirals for com.
Land in case of war, and thus, al
though promotion to flag rank is still
by seniority and not by selection, the
retirement regulations for age and for
non-seryice are calculated to insure
that officers shall not be too old for
their best work. The average age of
the twelve rear admirals is below
fifty-to be precise it is forty-nine
years, six and one half months. Rear
Admiral Horace L. A. Hood, the young
est, is only forty-two years and is sec
old youngest flag officer on the list.
Rear Admiral David Beatty, who is
also forty-two and was made a rear
admiral at the early age of thirty.
eight, holds the record in this respect.
u y
The assignment of ships for the
summers maneuvers. of the British
navy presents some interesting fig
Tres. In England when they do any
thing maritime they do it on a large
scale. They have the resources nee
essary for making, at short notice, a
wonderful exhibition Of Britannia's
ability ito rule the waves. Three
hundred and forty warships, of all
classes, exclusive of air craft, will
be concentrated, and the flags of
twenty-three admirals will be shown
in this vast fleet, navy in itself.
The van will consist of forty-one
Eattleships, six super-dreadnoughts,
ten dreadnoughts, and twenty-five
pre-dreadnoughts. Five ""battle-cruis-
ers'' and thirty-seven cruisers Will
form the second line. The nimble
quality will be furnished by eighteen
| light cruisers. The remaining divi.
sions comprise: 13S destroyers, TWEEN
lty torpedo .boatG and forty-,wo subma-
rines. Auxiliary craft, depot ships,
etc., bring the number up to the total
of 344.
| In addition to the entire home and
channel fleets with all ships that are
in full commission, the third battle
squadron and the first cruiser squad
ron will be. withdrawn from the Med
Iiterranean, Leaving but one armored
ship, the Inflexible, in those waters.
Such q gathering of war. vessels is
equivalent in demonstration to the
mobilization of one of the great con-
tinenta1 European armies. The entire
naval strength is by no means shown
in these maneuvers for they will not
-exhause the list of available ships
There are others which in reserve are
as impressive as if they were present
at the mobilization The personnel of
the British Navy exceeds 10000, all
ranks, and the naval reserves aggre-
gate $4,000. No other nation approx
| mates this total. The newest Ameri-
can battleship sjust laid down is num-
bered "39" and Of "battle-cruisers"
there are none under the American
| flag. The American authorized per-
sonnet is nearly $4,000, about half the
number of those over whom floats the
white ensign