The farmer and mechanic., 1915-06-01


ughtful cruise to the various interest |
ing ports Of the Mediterranean Sea |
IN the fall Of 1913. Thanks to Secre- |
;ary Daniels educational policy which |
ordered the fleet to foreign waters in |
order that we might re benefited in |
an educational way. The Secretary
had just inaugurated a system Of
education whereby all the enlisted
personnel were being daily instructed
by commissioned officers aboard all
navy ships, and this cruise was well
coined most heartily as it enabled the
sailors to visit some of the places
they had been studying about. The
entire fleet were granted plenty of
liberty and furloughs in order to jour
ney inland by rail to visit towns and
cities Of interest.
During this cruise I was aboard
the battleship Florida, a super-dread-
naught, which was, at that time, flag
ship Of the first division, Atlantic
fleet. and flying the flag of Rear
Admiral Beatty.
Ii was on October 25th, Saturday,
al one p. m, when a squadron of
nine battleships, including the flag
ship Wyoming, steamed out of Hamp-
ton Roads in perfect fleet formation,
each ship three hundred yards astern.
We had just completed our annual
fall target practice in the southern
drill grounds and all hands were over
loyed and excited at the thoughts of
visiting ports Of sunny Italy and
France after having been around home
waters for so long. AS we sailed in
front Of the Hotel Chamberlain at Old
Point crowds of civilians on the beach
cheered and waved handkerchiefs. The
weather was perfect and the sea calm
us the long line of fighting ships
swung out through the Virginia Capes
bound East on a long trip across the
bag pond. as the sailors calls the At
lantic. at speed Of fourteen knots.
The battleships were accompanied by
the fleet hospital ship Solace and two
coal Golfers steaming miles abreast
all the way across the Atlantic to Gil
braltar, where the fleet separated to
proceed to their various anchorages
or ports Of visit assigned them by
Admiral Badger.
The fleet spent two weeks en- route
10 the different seaport cities o.
France and italy. We didn't endeav
or to break any speed records across
the sea. hut drilled and maneuveret
most Of the way over at tactical sig
nails and war maneuvers. When th'
fleet is cruising they are continual.
drilling in all kinds of fleet exercise
that the men and officers may be KEEP
In high state of efficiency.
bad rolling of the ships in mid-At
lantic, we had fine weather goin
across to Gibraltar. When we reach
ed Gibraltar mid night on "wednesday
November 5th, 1913, I received
wireless message on the Florida fror
the flag ship Wyoming to all ship
present. The message ordered US t
proceed on duty assigned. When W
left the States we had a draft of re
cruits and, as usual, the old-timeI
began to kid them as they usually d.
In this instance they told them
look for the Prudential Life Insurane
sign on the big Rock A number {
them fell for it and were vainly lool
ing for the sign when we steame
through the straits.
The different ports visited by tf
United States fleet included the pril
cipal cities of France and Italy bo
dering on the Mediterranean. 1 W.
aboard the Florida and went with II
Florida and Arkansas to Naples. TT
Mediterranean Sea is subjected
sudden squalls at a moments noti
with very choppy seas then clearil
up rapidly. We ran into a sea of tn
kind early Saturday morning just ou
side the Bay of Naples. l was CALI
out of my hammock for the mornil
watch in the wireless station just
the Bosns- mate was piping all han
10 muster on OecR IOT d sea- WdICH
bells (four a No. While under w
the sailors of man-of-war sta
what is termed a Sea-watch, that
they stand by for four hours to re
der any necessary assistance whi
may even be to man a life boat
case a man falls overheard, which
not a rare occurrence. When l sto
cd my hammock on the berth de
that morning go on watch in
station.
hatch to the gun deck, the ship h
taken seas badly through the fiji
inch gun shutters of the seconds
battery on the port side. The dec
were flooded, the sailors had to t,
out of their hammocks to avoid bel
drenched by the heavy seas. and dit
boxes "a sailors handy chest W.
floating all about the compartmer
The seas moderated considera
about IA .l;ul,4 o,,a LILO coilod into