The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-02-17
BATTLE MANOEUVRES
BIG FLEET GATHERS AT GUAM.
TANAMO, CUBA.

Admiral Fletcher Now in Command
of Two Complete Divisions Of Bat
tleships.
The largest and most powerful feet
ever assembled under the Stars and
Stripes is now gathered off Guasta-
namo, on the north coast Of Cuba, for
a month of the hardest kind of drill
ing. 1t will be great spectacle for
the few citizens who will see it, but
for the more than 1000 officers and
$4,000 enlisted men, it means work,
unceasing labor, to fit the American
navy for battle.
Yet every Jack Tar is glad he is
there. Great fascination surrounds
the manoeuvres, the orderly march
ing and countermarching over the pa
rade ground of the ocean, dread
noughts and cruisers taking the place
of individual soldiers, but obeying the
orders sent by wireless and wig-wag
just as implicitly and readily as a
squadron Of well drilled cavalry.
Every nerve is strained 20 make the
enormous rifles their best and hot
rivalry is exhibited by the gun crews.
Business is pleasure when the heart
is in it.
The eyes of the whole United States
Friday Fletcher and his ships to-day.
A great wave of criticism has swept
over the country. The European war
has created il terest in the army and
navy; and every patriot feels that if
not the greatest We should have the
best navy in the world
Is the navy up to scratch?
This is the question the manoeu-
vres may solve and at the same time
do a great deal toward making it pos
sible to answer in the Affirmative.
The navy needs manoeuvres, 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.
Partly due to the use Of the big
ships of the coast Of Mexico, the
manoeuvres have been neglected. This
is the first time in three years that
the entire fleet Will be assembled fol-
battle practice Three years means q
long while when one considers how
fast the art Of naval warfare is deVel.
| oping. Just to mention one item:
Naval guns of 14-inch calibre were
carried on no ship in the world three
years ago. Now the Texas and New
York both carry these mammoth rifles
and it is currently reported that
Great Britain's new Queen Elizabeth
class, now building, will have IL
| inches.
| When one considers that the fleets
of Great Britain, Germany, France
Austria, Russia and Japana are now
Engaged in actual war work every day
in the year it is easy to see that the
United States must do lot of prac
ticing even to approximately the de-
gree Of efficiency to which the fight
ing navies Of the world are arriving
| The Guantanamo manoeuvres vii
be the most extensive target and fee
practice the American navy has 9vel
gone through. They will last through
the greater part of the month anc
will be followed by the Panama cana
opening exercises, which may involve
some manoeuvring Of value, too.
The armored feet (the bigges
ships) will be in four divisions Of q
vessels. Ten will be Of the so-callet
"dreadnought" class and eleven O.
the pre-dreadnought type. Beside:
these. TWO Of the four armored cruis
ers Of the fleet and all Of the torpedo
fotillas, except those in reserve, viii
be present.
! Never before did the feet contain
practically two complete divisions O.
the dreadnought "lass. The first divi
sion consists Of dreadnoughts Of thu
most powerful type and the second
division is made up Of these powerful
ships, except one pre-dreadnough
battleship.
| In addition to the battleships, five
of the seven divisions of torpedo boa
destroyers viii have part in the ex
ercises This means 21 more craft
There will be 10 auxiliaries and the
scout cruiser Birmingham, which i:
the flagship Of the torpedo fotilla.
This does not mean that all tht
vessels under Admiral Fletche
command will be at Guantanamo
There will be missing all the sub
marines, as well as all the sn-alle!
scruisers and gunboats and two divi
sions of the destroyer fotilla. Ad
miral Fletcher directs 103 vessels, o.
which SIS will be at Guantanamo,
It was figured by a naval Officer
that the Pinch guns of the feet car
fire a broadside of 10000 pound:
and the 14-inch guns bring this up te
136,400 pounds. There are 124 -
inch guns in the reorganized fleet, al
Of which are placed SO that they Cal
be fired in single broadside.
The New York and the Texas each
have 10 14-inch guns. The projectile:
fired from these guns weigh 1,4OC
pounds each and it costs the Ameri
| cen people s777 every time one is
fired, not counting the deterioration
in the gun.
Fletcher has five rear adnirais un'
der him, one to command each divi'
sion of the feet. There are 25 cap
tains, more than 1000 officers of less
er rank and about $4,000 enlisted
men.
The New York, with its sister ship
the Texas, the most powerful warshiE
| in the American navy, is ordinarily
the flagship Of Rear Admiral Fletch,
er, but his flag been transformed
to the Wyoming. The New York has
been fitted up with luxurious quarters
! to receive President Wilson and his
party at New York after the manoeu,
rres and carry them to the canal. II
has been informally christened "The
Boulder Ship"
WAITING on ADVICE.
Manning Secures Legal advice OF
| NIilitia'S Status.