The evening world., 1917-05-15
MOSQUITO FLEET
NEEDS MORE MEN
AND ARMAMENT
Seasoned Salts Willing to
Serve Hard to Find by
Recruiting Officers.

Twelve hundred vessels, ranging
from famous sea-golng yachts that
have sailed the seven seas to fifty
foot cruisers that have only known
summer excursions under clean-swept
skies, are enrolled in the Naval Coast
Defense Reserve for duty with the
Mosquito and Patrol fleets; but only
twelve OF them are At for immediate
sea duty; not only on account OF lack
Of men, but also to tho fact that guns
Of suitable type are not forthcoming.
And this despite urgent and repeated
pleas from Reserve headquarters at
No. 26 Cortlandt Street. for the w.ap-
ons. Up TO the present moment only
ten guns, and those Of almost obso-
lete pattern, have been granted to the
Reserve Corps by the Government.
and officials In charge OF the patrol
feet work aro frank In expressing
their chagrin over their lack OF weap.
ons to accomplish effective work.
Furthermore, II IL stated by those
in n position to know, that not more
than one half OF the craft enrolled
at the present time are stanch
enough 10 carry modern guns OF the
type suitable for submarine chasing.
for coast defense and the other de-
fensive duties for which they are in
tended. To be effective In withstand
Ing the recoil OF modern sea-service
guns, practically every vessel now
listed by the Reserve, except the tug
boat division. will have 10 bio rein
forced in her steelwork or In wooden
interior construction.
Another serious difficulty with
which the Mosquito Fleet ofticers have
to contend is the lack OF seasoned
bluo-water material. They say II ~
an imposSibility to make "A sailor out
OF a landBman In less than two months.
This period simply includes his break
Ing In to ordinary seafaring duties,
ana does not comprise such studies as
gunnery. navigation ana a general
knowledge of engineering. The United
States navy requires a gunnery course
Of eight months In addition to the
regular instruction term.
Trained men. such as fishermen,
motor boat owners and deep sea sail
ors from steam and sailing ships are
the kind OF material that Is wanted.
rhe rocking cha r" contingent OF the
half-hundred yacht clubs scattered
up and down Long Island Sound and
the Hudson River, many OF whose
members have applied for service. are
about as welcome at Reserve head
quarters as measles In a founding
asylum.
"The kind OF men we want" SAID
Commander Patton, In charge Of Re-
serve recruiting, to-day. "are the sort
OF chaps who have been down to the
sea In ships and know the way of ID
II takes six months to turn out a good
soldier. II takes at least as long on
| blue water to make q sailor who "a
worth his salt. For instance. n sailor
requires Tar more intensive training
/ than a soldier. He has to learn how
| 10 use his brains quickly and effeC-
! lively In an emergency In which he
may have no officer 10 give him Or
ders.
question:" he continued, "it must b.
| taken into consideration that in the
I army the man who aims gun Il
dealing with n fixed weapon. He car
take his sights from q steady base
| Whereas at sea he is aiming from
about as unstable base as II woul'
be possible 10 Imagine, particularly
under bad weather conditions. It 4
for this reason that we are partlcu
larly anxious TO enroll gunners 10
the Naval Reserve as fast as possible
so that they may have ample time L
be instructed In their duties.
ut would be worse than folly e
send to sea with our Patrol Fleet
upon the efficiency Of which the safet!
OF our coasts may depend-men WIN
have not had proper instruction an
experience in gunnery and genera
sea service and 10 whom the ocean l.
an unknown quantity"
Other officers pointed out that IN
Naval Reserve is "a very dlnerentl
constituted force from the Nava
Militia. Tho latter body has had tn
benefit OF practice cruises on boar
battleships and cruisers.
A canvass conducted by an Evenin
! World reporter among tho applicant
accepted for duty in the Mosquit
Fleet disclosed the fact that not NOR
than 20 per cent. Of those enrolled ha
ever experienced moro sea ndventur
than crossing tho Hudson on a ferry