The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-09-27
1871 !?
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as second divisional officer without a
rumor would be different. ais DatrIe
station, as he had said to Starnes.
would be to command No. 2 turret-the
great turret. housing three fourteen.
inch guns-just forward of the bridge
and the coming tawar Iia,.tAs---A
or run rank, with lieutenant of jun
Tor grade, like Wendell, or with an en-
sign as second In command, belonged
at such battle station. Wendell had
realized, therefore, that his order to
report for duty as watch and division
al officer was proof of lack of officers,
enough, in battle practice, he had been
senior divisional officer In command of
a turret. But Ii Varney's loss meant
that he was to have no junior In the
turret who had been trained at the big
guns the weakness in battle might be
serious indeed
Wendell, finishing dressing, hurried
to the captains room, where, formally
reporting himself for duty, he was or
dered to Mr.. Stacey, the executive off,
Ger, for assignment to his division.
Cries and commotion came from
about the ship. and as Bob turned
from the executive officer to inspect
No. turret, which he was to COM
mand I'm action. the Arizona left the
navy yard. He went out to the quar-
ter deck as the battleship headed to
Hampton Roads and increased speed
as 1t steered into the wide water. A
number of the ships which had been
in the roads when he had crossed from
Newport News in the launch now were
in the bay and headed out to sea.
Two light cruisers, a half dozen de-
stroyers and the great dreadnaught
Pennsylvania were In motion. The
yellow haze of powder smoke. putting
from the Pennsylvania's forward tur-
rets and blown swiftly back by the
breeze. told that it was the battleship
which was firing, and now a squirt of
spray, dashing up a hundred yards
ahead Of the Pennsylvania and half as
high as her foremost. told that some
where out at sea ship of the enemy
was returning the fire. The Arizona
steamed more swiftly after her sister
ship, and now as the vessel rose anG
| fell to the swell rolling in from the
Atlantic the alarm bells doomed be
low and the bugles called all men tt
battle stations.
The upper works Of three vessels
| the masts and fire control tops and
tunnels of a first line dreadnaught OF
battle cruiser, the masts and tops an6
| tunnels of two other large war vessel:
| showed above the horizon to the east
| Twenty-Five thousand yards. Or more
than twelve miles, was the estimate
| Of the distance as Bob Wendell wa!
standing on the quarter deck with 9th
er gunnery officers ready for battle be
| fore the bugles called them to thei
/ battle stations.
The bulls of the enemy's ships were
then entirely invisible. and the officer:
on the quarter deck of the Arizona
could see nothing at all of any hostile
/ vessels except the three. Only Starne:
and the other men in the Arizona.
tops-a hundred and twenty feet high
er-could make out the bulls of the
larger vessels of the enemy and coult
i see, besides. that they were accompa
| MED by smaller craft. Yet the Penn
sylvania. now barely 1900 yards aheat
/ of the Arizona. already was engaged
Great geysers of spray spurted III
abeam the Pennsylvania where the en-
emy's shells were striking in the wa
ter, and gun in the forward turre
of the American dreadnaught was max
ing reply.
1.-THE leading ship of the enemy's linz
is an armored cruiser Of the Per;
class" the information came dow
from the tops. A Pera cruiser meant
as every one knew. a ship Of thirt.
knots speed and four eleven-inch guns
fourteen Of seven inch. mo. 2 is
battle cruiser Of the Carthage class.
That meant eight thirteen-inch guns fl
an armored vessel of twentyeigh
knots. "No. 3 is another Pera. The.
are attended by eleven destroyers nov
In sight. The Pennsylvania is testin
the range of the rear ship. and tina
vessel and the Carthage are replying.