The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1915-02-05
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.

vi Wi NdNJ.
Washington.-The largest and most
powerful fleet ever assembled under
the Stars and Stripes is now gathered
off Guantanamo, on the North coast OF
Cuba, for a month OF the hardest kind
of drilling. 1t will be a great spectacle
for the few civilians who will see 1T,
but for the more than one thousand
officers and $4,000 enlisted men II
means work, unceasing labor, to fit 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 a 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 crew Business is
pleasure when the heart is in it.
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 If
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 am time do q
great deal toward making it possible
to answer ia the affirmative. The navy
needs maneuvers, just as an army
needs drills. \ leet viii be awkward
in forming in battle line in time Of
war IL the superior officers have not
performed all the evcluticns often in
time of peace.
Much Practiein1 Necessary.
Partly due to the use Of the big
ships off 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 rs de-
veloring. Just to mention one item
Naval guns Of ff-inch caliber We're car
ried on no ship in the world three
years ago. Now the Texas ard the
New York carry these mammoth
rifles, and it is currently reported
that Great Rritainss 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, it is easy to see that
the United States must do a lot Of
praeticing even to approximate the de-
gree of efficiency to which the fighting
navies of the world are arriving.
The Guantanamo maneuyers will be
the most extensive target and fleet
pIdllINC III 1AA4Cl ila1 id9S Ids " til
gone through. They will last through
the greater part of the month, and
will be followed by the Panama canal
opening exercises. which may involve
ome maneuvers of value, too.
The armored fleet dhe biggest
shipsl will be in four divisions OF q
vessels. Ten will be of the so-called
"dreadnaught' class and II of the pre-
d~readnalght type. Besides these. two
Of the four armored cruisers of the
feet and all of the. torpedo flotillas,
except those in reserve. will be pres
ent.
Never before did the feet contain
practically two complete divisions OF
the dreadnaught class. The first diyi.
rion consists of dreadnaughts of the
most powerful type and the second
livision is made up Of these powerful
vessels except one battleship.
In addition to the battleships. five
of the seven divisions Of torpedo.
boat ~destroyers will have a part in
the exercises. This means p more
craft. There will be ten al~yiliaries
and the scout cruiser Birmingham
which is the flagship Of the torpedo
iotilla.
Directs 1903 Vessels.
This does not that all the
vessels under Admiral Fletcher's com
mand will be al Guantanamo. There
Will be missing all the submarines,
as we'll as all the smaller cruisers
and guhboats and two divisions of the
destroyer flotilla. Admiral Fletcher
directs 1O3 vessels, Of which SIS will
be at Guantanamo.
1t was figured by a naval officer
here that the Pinch guns of the fleet
can fire a broadside Of 105,4O0 pounds
and the l4-inch guns bring this up tc
1333,4OO pounds. There are 124 IL
inch guns in the recognized fleet
Ill of which r placed SO that they
~ou he fired IN i cin01n hrnadcidA