The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-08-21
(By Staff correspondent.)

(By Staff Correspondent)
 At Sea- On Board the U. s. s. Ken lucky Wednesday, Aug. IS. -eAction for the Third Division Naval Militia from Bridgeport who had been Joined early, Tuesday morning. by the mem bers of the fourth and fifth divisions from Bridgeport, Norwa1k and New Haven, began shortly after o'clock Monday when the U. s. S.. Kentucky was sighted off Branford point As the big battleship swung at an chor in the off1ng, bearing the Maine and Rhode Island naval reserves. her boats were immediately launched. It was relief to the anxiously wait-g ing militia on shore to see the steamer the orders of the officers to stand by their dunnage were obeyed with alac- rity.
 with a. slightly choppy sea running beyond the, New Haven breakwater the transfer of the 290 nlilitiamen and officers was accomplished in less than three hours. At six o'clock, her decks lined with double rows of sail ors the Kentucky observed the usual lforfnaHty of getting under way and slowly steamed past the U. S. s. Mon tana, at torpedo practice. off Branford-
 On board the Kentucky with the IConnecticut naval mi1itiaN are 1 30 men
 
 and Is officers from Rhode Island and a ships company of 260 men and 8 officers of the U. S. navy who have been picked for the present trip
 The ship was put into commission especially for this service and had previously been laid up at the Phila- delphia navy yard. She is of the bat tleship type, with double turret fore and aft, mounting four thirteen inch guns and equal number of eight inch On her gun decks she carries IS 5-inch guns. These are to be op- l erated nearly continuously when Tan gier bay on the, Chesapeake is reach led.
 Reference to the navy list shows the Kentucky to be 368 feet on the swater-line, with an extreme beam oA i 72 feet and a draft of 24 feet She 1 is steaning at, an average Nof between l 10 and Il knots per hour. Though the Maine and Rhode Is- land militiamen had been shipped prior to reaching New Haven, watches were not established until l the arrival of the Connecticut contin-' gent on board when sbi1lets were post ed by Commander Douglas E. Dis l mukes, U. S. N., who had been es- pecially relieved of duty at CristobaI. in the Canal Zone that he might aid in the instruction of the navtl reserves.
 The brunt of detailing the various 1 militia organizations into the four ships watches fell upon Lieutenant Commander Raymond s. Reyes as the ship swung due east on its course l through the Sound around Montauk- point, enroIIte to Cape Charles. Hardly had momentum been ac- quired before the various militia, of fcerse acting in conjunction with the regular officers were assigning their
 
 l which resembles, a floating city and miniature fort. From the keel of the huge structure to it's fighting l tops, men were swarming with the unity of thought which marks the efficiency of tn etrained American sea- fighter.
 Dunnage was slowed on the main, gun and super-decks while the ham noes were swung in readiness of the nights rest. Ships divisions were established and the Bridgeport con tingent found themselves mixed with ous stations to which they belonged. l Officers took their places from the naxagating bridge to the depths of the hold, and the life at sea began in earnest for the ship is to be com manded and run by these reserves which Uncle Sam is slowly weaving into the big system of defense. sConnTnander Eben Hill, oks Norwalk, in command of the Connecticut rniIi- tia was at once placed in charge of the navigation and gener1tl conduct of the ship. Leutenant Albert J. Merritt was given command of the fourth ships division, including the
 militia from South Norwalk and. oth- CT executive officers belonging to the fourth shore division finding respon- stbIe duties awaiting them were John A. Carlson, assigned to the hospital, Louis A. Joyce, chief wireless eIectrt- clan and John Ross, warrant nachin- ist-
 By midnight the Kentucky passed Nontauk Point, heading straight for Cape Charles. Under a sky which was dotted with myriads of brightly shining stars, members of the Bridge-~ port division were either standing their first watch or sleeping in their hammoeks swung between decks. The Park City was also represented on the bridge.
 As the sun rose Wednesday, land was cut of sight and said to be some