Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-15
District Battalion to Join Units
of Other States in Bat
tie Practice.
LEAVES UNDER COMMAND
OF LIEUT.. W. R. HOEFER
Vessels for Eastern Division Rem
devious at Block Island-Pacific
Force Going to Sitka.

Under command of Lieut.. w.
R. Hoefer. senior line officer, the
District naval militia battalion,
comprising lightweight men. left
Washington at 8 o'clock this
morning for participation in the
annual practice cruise Lieut..
Commander B. c.. Brumrnitt
could not be spared from his en-
ployment in. the department to
accompany the battalion Lieut.
F. L. Nudge, engineer officer, and
Ensign Charles S. O'Connor are
the other officers. !
The Washington battalion was Joined
at Baltimore by the Maryland naval
militia, who accompanied them on
special train to Philadelphia. There
they will mobilize with the militia from
Pennsylvania. the LIST and I'd battal-
ions from Michigan. and the South
Carolina contingent. These citizen
"tars'' will fill out the complement of
the second-line battleship Illinois of
the Atlantic reserve fleet, which is now
manned by a skeleton crew of regu-
lars.
About 40 per cent of the District
naval militia are navy yard employees.
1t is said that hereafter navy yard en-
pioyes are not to be allowed to enlist
in the Naval Battalion
Militia Acting in Unison.
The District naval militia Is acting
in unison with the naval militias of
other states, which are starting on the
annual two-week practice cruise. using
nine reserve battleships on the Allan
tic coast and a battleship and two
cruisers on the Pacific. About 30 Off
GERS and 400 militiamen were en-
gagged, in addition to a somewhat
smaller number of regular naval Off
GERS and enlisted men,
Rear Admiral Helm commands the
vessels for the eastern organizations,
which leave Boston. Philadelphia, New
York and Norfolk for Block Island
sound, R L. for maneuvers. On the
west coast the ships will go to Sitka,
Alaska
Rendezvous at Block Island.
The vessels for the eastern organiza-
tions are to rendezvous at Block Is
land Monday morning. They will be
manned so per cent by militiamen and
40 per cent by enlisted men of the navy,
and will be under command OF regular
naval officers. Careful study has been
given to the arrangements by naval
officials in order to instruct the militia
men for the first time under actual war
conditions.
Arrangements have been made for the
organizations of the western and
southern states to return home within
fifteen days after the cruise begins.
They will be disembarked- July 25. but
the others will not be returned to their
home ports until the 2sth- The total
number of militiamen participating in
the battleship cruise will be approx
mately 270 officers and 1900 men
Assignments Of Vessels
The batt1eship Kearsarge has been as
signed to the Massachusetts, militia:
the Virginia to Connecticut. Maine.
Rhode Island and some of the Massa-
chusetts units; the Maine to the sec
ond battalions of New York and New
Jersey; the New Jersey to the Sd New
York Battalion and the LIST New Jersey;
the Kentucky to the LIST New York:
the Alabama to the Illinois and Mary
land; the Illinois to the Michigan,
South Carolina and I'd Pennsylvania:
the Rhode Island to the Minnesota,
Missouri Ohio and LIST Pennsylvania,
and the Louisiana to the Florida, Louis
lana, North Carolina and Texas Or
CARNATIONS.
separate cruise on reserve destroy
ers has been arranged for scattering
urits not participating in the battle
ship cruise,
Body of 1900 Men Ready.
PHILADELPHIA. Pa. July 1.-Two
thousand United States naval militia
men were to leave here today aboard
the battleships Alabama, Illinois and
Rhode Island and the cruiser Chicago
for their annual practice cruise. which
will continue until July 20 The ma
neuvers will be held in Block Island
sound, r. l.. and will be under actual
war conditions. The men sailing from
The local navy yard were drawn from
Pennsylvania. New Jersey. Maryland,
Illinois. Missouri. Minnesota, Ohio and
Washington. d. c.
The ships from this city. together
with vessels carrying militiamen from
Boston, New York and Norfolk are to
rendezvous at Block Island Monday
morning. The. feet will be under COM.
mand OF Rear Admiral Helm.