Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-09-08
GRANT ELEVATED TO
Rear ADMIRAL RANK
viii Perfect Submarine Branch Of
the Naval Service.
TO REMAIN IN SEA COMMAND.
Development Of Undersea Boats Task
Of Exceptional Difficulty.

With the retirement yesterday. under
the age limit regulation. of Rear Ad-
miral Alfred Reynolds. Capt. Albert
Weston Grant. in charge OF the United
States submarine service. is raised 90
the rank OF rear admiral.
The name Grant has played am inn
pOrtant part in American army affairs.
and now IL is expected TO sllumine the
American Navy. TO the new Grant has
been allotted the difficult task of per
fecting the great feet Of submarines
which will serve as a vital wing OF the
protective measures for the long coasts
of the United States and for itsdistant
possessions and protectorates.
It is doubtful whether an American
officer ever tackled more dimcult
problem The first stroke has already
been registered in the survey of the
submarines already i'm use and lbe de-
termining Of their faults With the
navy under fire from politicians.as we'll
as from earnest advocates Of better dc.
fense, and the submarine the newest
wing OF naval warfare, Secretary Dan
iels chose Captain Grant as the man
best fitted to handle this pressing diff
ficulty for the government
It is the avowed policy of Secretary
Daniels to develop the greatest sub
marine notilla service in the world.
He was led to this view, first by the
lessons of the European war, which
have demonstrated the value Of the
submarine as an element Of naval de
| fense, and, second, becaues of the les
| ser cost of building and maintaining
these fast little under-sea craft
There has been no swivel chair ad-
ministration of the submarines bvCap-
tain Grant, and as rear-admiral ii is
| expected he viii continue the activity
which has already brought remarkable
| results He is utilizing the Prairie as
his notilla flagship and viii continue
in actual sea command Of the Atlantic
submarine feet He has, in addition.
the general supervision over all the
submarines of the navy, whether in the
Atlantic on Pacific, on at Panama. Hon
olulu or Manila, so that all may be
brought to the highest state of eff
cheney under his superintendency.
improvements, changes in type and
| equipment, and the many other i'm
portant questions involved in the con
struction Of the new boats will also
| figure in the work of the submarine
| commander The American submarine
has come in for more abuse than any
other arm of the service. Many critics
declared that the American submarines
1 ~, hi 4of b
undertook his duties, he investigated
things generally.
In his first report, he stated that
more than so per cent. of the difficult
ties experienced with the submarine
was due to the ineXperience Of the Of
fcers in charge Of the boats. He found
that the boats were well built and were
turned over to the government in per
| feet condition, but that those in charge
were not so familiar with their work
/ ings as they should have been, and
| consequently, accidents have happened
which have been blamed on the boats
| themselves.
The campaign Of training naval mer
in submarine warfare is, therefore, the
first results Of the submarine commau-
der's work. This will mean high train.
ing for a vast number Of skilled me
| chanicians. Here the schooling which
Uncle Sans Navy has given its men
will come into great advantage, and be
fore each squadron Of submarines fe
launched in future. trained men Hill bC
Iready to man them. Credit for the new
American submarine plan is given r
Rear Admiral William S. Benson. the
new chief Of naval operations Com.
mander Yates Sterling is assistant Il
Rear Admiral Grant in the big under
taking. Commander Sterling was e0r
merly in command Of the Atlantic sub
marine flotIla, and has made a Close
study of the su5ma rine.
The new Rear Admiral was born il
Maine and was appointed TO the Nava
Academy from Wisconsin. He serve,
a1oat ard ashCi With high distinction
and in 1908 was made chief IF staff o
the Atlantic feet He was later com
mandant Of the League Island nav
yard, at Philadelphia and then serys
IS commander Of the Atlantic Reserv
feet. In July, 1913, he was assigned t
duty in connection with the buildin
Of the dreadnaught Texas, and com
manccd that ship until re wes assign
ed to his present duties