Evening star., 1916-09-10
NAVAL BATTALION
OFF ON LONG CRUISE
U. S. S. Sylvia to Be Gone
Fifteen Days Without Defi-
mite Destination.
IF WEATHER is GOOD
MAY GO TO NEW YORK
Commander Brummett in Full Charge
Will Order Drills and Put
Through Ropes.

Bound out on the longest cruise she
has ever taken since being assigned to
the Naval Battalion of the National
Guard of the District of Columbia, the
U. S. s. Sylvia left her dock at o'clock
yesterday afternoon. She had aboard,
in addition to Lieut.. Commander Ran
dolph B Brummett, her commander,
four officers and thirty-six men COM
posing that part Of the command
which did not take the cruise aboard
the battleship Illinois in the early part
of the summer
The ship will be gone fifteen days,
being due back at dock on September
23. Where she is going not even her
commander knows, for he has orders
to cruise. He said he probably would
go down and cruise around in the Ches-
apeake bay for awhile, and then, if the
weather conditions were favorable, he
would haul out" through the Virginia
capes and head up the coast for New
York. where liberty would be given the
men.
However. this all depends on the
weather conditions. For the Sylvia is
little vessel anS needs fair weather to
cruise around on the outside"
Stop at Colonial Beach.
short period the vessel will steam
for Tangier sound. the navy's target
grounds. There Commander Brummett
will Swing Ship which means that
he will turn the ships nose to all
points of the compass to get the devia-
tton OF the compass. Once he gets the
deviation table. he will be ready to go
anywhere. relying on the fact that his
compasses are true.
Tne Sylvia then will go to Old Point
Comfort for mail, and thence to the
Norfoik NOT, navy yard. where her stores
coast. Mail for the men aboard NAV
De sent to either place
during the cruise Comma nder Rrurn-
f1ett Will put the officers and men
through all kinds of drills known to
gun drills. fire drills, collision drills
abandon ship and small boat drills.
Get Off Is Quiet.
There was no fanfare Of trumpets
TO mark the departure of the shin.
Only the warning signal of the siren
as she backed into the stream an
nounced that the voyage had begun.
ohiy a Few wives and sweethearts
were on the dock to bid bon voyage"
TO the sailor men
Probably more experience will be re-
ceiVed by officers and men on this trip
than on the big battleshipS II is said.
because they will be thrown entirely
On their own resources No Inspector
Instructor from the regular army was
assigned TO the voyage. Full respon-
sibility for the safe navigation of the
vessel rests on Commander Brummett,
himself an experienced navigator The
officers viii receive training in handling
naval vessels under way under Com
Eander Brummett's direction
The vessel has just been thoroughly
overhauled. Before she left dock two
new whaieboats were dashed to her
daEIts and the old ones thrown on the
dock The abin has been thoroughly
oyerhanled and every part of the ship
screened. The men now, instead OF
swinging in hammocks at night will
sleep In built-in hunks.
Officers and Men.
Officers and men on the ship are:
Lieut.. II. J.. Crawford, executive officer;
Lieut.. Albert r. Tibbets. surgeon: En-
sign J. j. Porter. engineer; Ensign
Dean r. Van Kirk: f J. Lancaster
chief master-at-arms; G. V. Armstrong
chief boatswain's mate; J. W. Rabbit.
chief gunners mate: j. II. Sandberg
1880 IAtRi Nti 4a4sioEci. II.
chief machinist's mate; T VI. Franklin
inachinist's mate. first class; W. r
Jarlest, machinists mate, first clas
II. I. Cros!er. yeoman, first class: II. $
Wilson, yeoman, first class; II. X
Dinsn. electrician. first class: W. H
harrington, blacksmith. G. C. Yoder
boatswain's mate, first class: Il. Right.
er, machinists mate. second class; w
NJ. Merchant, fireman; =. A. Hurley
oiler; j. T. Slattery, .coxswain; j. p
Iahofish. quartermaster. third class
o. L. Erdman, bugler: J. II. Lee
r T. King. seaman: A. X. Cavennaugh
fireman. first class; J. +. O'Brien, fire.
man, second class: A. ]. Natho. ordinary
seaman; j. w. Duty. apprentice seaman
= h Stanton. apprentice seaman; F. J
keene, apprentice seaman; ID. S. Barnes
apprentice seaman: A. NJ Warner. +. l.
Dunn. Z, j. Leohmann, c. A Clements
r. H. Moran and e. A. Campbell, al
coal passers; q. S. Lands, apprentice
seaman. and G. A Robinson, mess at.
tendant. first class.