Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-16


guard cutter. with cadets In
training on board. sailing on
q their annua! practice cruise, is
expected to reach Washington July
rs and remain here until the oSth.
This is the second training cruise of
the coas. guard since the amalgama-
ton Of the Hfe-saving service and the
] revenue cutter service, about eighteen
months ago. when the coast guard: as
a mi-military organization. came into
being.
In case of war. the government has,
in the coast guard. an auxiliary force.
properly disciplined. trained and fitted
to become part of the regular naval
force if called upon to do SO.
Being both civil and military in char
acter, the coast guard holds unique
place among the departments of the
, government. BY law, the body is mill
tary; more than 100 years of practical
experience having proven that il is by
means of military drills, training and
discipline that the service is enabled
to maintain that state of preparedness
required even for civil duties that are
of an emergent nature.
The itinerary of the 1tasca, this year,
is most interesting, and while the
training enroute is the necessary part
of such a cruise. the cadets will be
taken to many scenes which have ever
: delighted the eyes of the traveller.
They left New London, Conn. where
the Coast Guard Academy is stationed,
on June 3.
There they went through a series of
n Il n 1ry11 tcnC
/ Capt. Johnston. who gave out the in
formation sought on the training cruise,
was asked what he meant by shaking
down drills and exercises" He replied
with a smile that seemed to wonder if
a mere civilian might think cadets
were really and truly shaken down and
put away. His explanation is as fol-
lows: Surprising. for instance, that the
1tasca were out on the sea. cruising.
and ran into a bad gale. If she had
aboard a lot of green hands who
didn't know where they belonged, there
would he a commotion, to say the least.
So we have these drills at Block Island,
the first point we stop after leaving the
academy. in order to give the sailors
and cadets systematic exercises, max
ing them familiar with their individual
duties at sea.
Leaving Block Island. the Itasca went
to Culebra, P. R.. arriving there June
IL. and at once practicing boat drills.
because of the unusually good oppor-
n
Culebra on June Is. the cadets arrived
al ST. Thomas. Danish West Indies, the
same day, receiving there coal and
such supplies as necessary. Colon. Ha-
vana, Key West and Jacksonville were
then visited in succession, and several
other ports on the way up the coast to
Washington.
Here in Washington. between the
2Sth and 2Sth, the present first-class
and cadet engineers will be turned
over to an examining board of the pub
lie health service, to determine their
physical fitness for promotion. From
cadets to Winthrop, Md. where course
of instruction al the Marine Corps rife
range is given them and a cruise in
Chesapeake bay follows. Leaving the
bay on August 10, the Itasca will ar
rive at New London on August Is
There the first-class cadet engineers
are to be detached, and a new class of
line cadets and cadet engineers report
September l finds the Itasca leaving
New London for Penobscot bay, where
boat drills, maneuvers and plotting
take them up the coast of Maine, and
they arrive at Portland. Me, about the
middle of September.
New York city is the next point
and from there the tasca sails up the
Hudson to West Point. returning to
September for GARDENERS bay. where
rapid fire gun target practice is held.
New London is reached again Oc-
tober 16.'
The services rendered by the coast
guard are too numerous to mention
more than in word or two. They
cover a broad range of action. little
realized by others than those living
along the shores of the sea or those
whom business or pleasure makes in
in ofes,