The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1915-03-04
MONSTER FLEET
| NOW ASSEMBLED
FOR MANEUVERS
Tinted States Warships in for
Month of Hardest Kind
? of Drilling.
COMMANDED BY FLETCHER
Largest and Most Powerful Fleet Ever
Assembled Under the stars and
stripes--May Solve Efficiency
Of Our Navy.

Washington. largest and most
powerful feet ever assembled under
the Stars and Stripes is now gathered
off Guantanamo, on the North coast OF
Cuba, for q month of the hardest kind
of drilling 1t will be great spectacle
for the few civilians who will see it,
but for the more than one thousand
officers and $4,000 enlisted men it
means work, unceasing labor, to lit the
American navy for battle.
Yet every Jack Tar is glad he is
there. Great fascination surrounds the
maneuvers, the orderly marching and
counter-marching over the parade
ground of the ocean, dreadnaughts and
cruisers taking the place Of individual
soldiers, but obeying the orders sent
by wireless and wigwag just as i'm
plicitly and readily as squadron OF
well-drilled cavalry.
The firing of the great guns is fun
for officer and man, too. Target prac-
tice is a great game. Every nerve Is
strained to make the enormous rifles
do their best, and hot rivalry Is exhib-
tied by the gun crews. Business Is
pleasure when the heart is in It, b.
The eyes Of the whole United States
are directed to Rear Admiral Frank
Friday Fletcher and his ships today.
A great wave of criticism has swept
over the country. The European war
has created interest in the army and
navy: and every patriot feels that II
not the greatest we should have the
best navy in the world
Is the navy up to scratch?
This is the question the maneuvers
may solve and at the same time do
great deal toward making it possible
to answer In the affirmative. The navy
needs maneuvers, just as an army
needs drills. A fleet will be awkward
in forming in battle line in time OF
war If the superior officers have not
performed all the evolutions often in
time Of peace.
''''-" Much Practicing Necessary.
Partly due to the use of the big
ships of the coast of Mexico, the
maneuvers have been neglected. This
is the first time in three years that the
entire fleet will be assembled for bat
tie practice. Three years means a
long while when one considers how
fast the art of naval warfare is de-
veloping Just to mention one item:
Naval guns of 14-inch caliber were car
ried on no ship in the world three
years ago. Now the Texas and the
New York carry these mammoth
rifles, and it is currently reported
that Great Britain's new Queen Eliza
beth class, now building, will have Is
inch guns.
When one considers that the fleets
of Great Britain, Germany, France
Austria, Russia and Japan are now
engaged in actual war work every
day in the year, 1t is easy to see thai
practicing even to approximate the de
gree of efficiency to which the fighting
navies of the world are arriving
The Guantanamo maneuvers will b.
the most extensive target and fee
practice the American navy has eve
gone through They will last through
the greater part of the month, ant
will be followed by the Panama cana
opening exercises, which may inyolv,
some maneuvers of value, too. s''
The armored feet 1.-THE bigges
ships) will be in four divisions of 2
vessels. Ten win be of the so-callet
"dreadnaught" class and II OF the pre-
dreadnaught type. Besides these, tw,
of the four armored cruisers of tn
fleet and all of the torpedo tlotillas
except those in reserve, will be pres
ent.
Never before did the fleet contain
practically two complete divisions o
the dreadnaught class. The first div
sion consists of dreadnaughts of til
most powerful type and the secon
division Is made up of these powerfu
vessels except one battleship.
In addition to the battleships, fiy
of the seven divisions of torpedo
boat destroyers will have a part i
the exercises. This means 81 NOR
craft There will be ten aIxiliarie
and the scout cruiser Birmingham
which is the flagship Of the torped
iiotilla. .-....
Directs 1903 Vessels.
This does not mean that all tn
vessels under Admiral Fletcher's CON
mand will be at Guantanamo. Their
eWiHcbe missing all the submarine!
as well as all the smaller cruiser
and gunboats and two divisions of tn
destroyer flotilla. Admiral Fletche
directs 1903 vessels, OF, which 55 wi
be at Guantanamo.
1t was figured by naval Office
here that the Pinch guns OF the fee
can fire broadside OF los. 400 pound
and the 14-inch guns bring this up
133,4O0 pounds. There are 124 l.
inch guns in the reorganized fee
all of which are placed so that the
can be fired tn single broadside
The New York and the Texas eac