Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-05-27
FLEET, TEMPORARILY,
GREAT WAR WORKSHOP
Big Ships, Ready for Battle Spend Waiting Time Turning
Out Sailormen-Moving Pictures, Band Concerts
and Athletic Activities Means of Diversion.
;ht. II was a tlauScrous

LIGHTS, As or A CITY,
ARE SEEN EVERY WHERE
! Before the fleet Is darkcned. tho ships
lying In every direction present AN in
spring spectacle. Lights. as of a city,
show everywhere. BlinlSer signals fash
on and OFF. signaling in the dots and
dashes OF the Morse code Long fingers
OF white from searchliShts shoot up
into the sky--on and OFF; on and Off
signaling also with dots and dashes.
! other searchight beams pick up
| boats that approach them. some illum-
mate a landing wharf. Away In tho
distance ScarchliEhts OF the patrol
boats flash on every now and then:
| sweep the waters to discover that what
might have been "A pcriscopc is only
Il whitecap. Then they flicker out
again. From tho shore, at night. boats
passing anywhere In the neishborhood
suddenly find themselves in tho glare
OF scarchliEhts
While the guns crows arc being
trained on some Of the ships. aboard
others are being trained men TO run
the hundred or more German vessels
the United States Will operate as soon
as repairs arc made to their engines.
and the fleet or merchantmen being
built to carry food and supplies to tho
allies The feet Is training engineers.
Observation-Disclosures to III every position
Tho Atlantic Fleet is confident that 1t
Will be able TO supply a full compile
mont for every ship for tho navy is
getting men now faster than ever be-
fore. and II the officers arc proud of
their ships. the guns on the decks and
the power OF the engines in their hulls
they are doubly proud OF the spirit OF
the new men who are coming into the
navy. y ranking officer said:
These new men have come into the
navy to fight and they want TO get
into the thick OF II. We arc turning
out guns crews every day. and every
day we get orders for more. In three
months from now many hundreds Of
guns crews VIII have left the nee,
for places where they may sink Ger
man submarines or checrfully give up
their lives trying. And these boys
for most OF them arc no more than
that-can shoot"
\ large majority OF the new men In
the fleet. their officers said have come
from farms. especially in the Middle
West. On any ship may be found youths
who until the war began were follow
ing plows.
In this fleet" said one Of tn. on
GERS. more than 90 per cent OF the
men are native born Americans. There
I are lew lOTelSn porn mon mere.
| No ROOM FOR NEW MEN
At SHORE-TRAINING STATIONS
! ON any ship may be heard The drawl
( OF South Carolinian or a Georgian
| the New Yorkcse OF the East Side; the
twang that Is New England's. the ris-
! ing intonation OF Western Pennsyi-
/ vania. and the tone that only comes
! from west OF Chicago. SO fast is the
enlisted personnel OF tho navy grow
/ ing that there Is no room for tho new
men at the training stations ashore. 4
man enlists ono day In Kentucky and
three days later finds himself at
/ loading machine on the deck OF a
I Dreadnought.
Many ships have aboard them the
naval militia from the various States
some OF the militia are pronounced
| good sailors
! On nearly every ship are men who
used to be in the navy and who have
! gone back TO their old. and usually
| low, ranks, because their country needs
them. They are regular officers.
! On one OF the ships is a Wali-Str-et
broker. He graduated from Annapolis
many years ago. resigned and later
came back into the service during the
/ Spanish American War. He command
ed the Hist in several fights in Cuban
waters and knows how il feels to be
under fire.
THE Navy Needs You was the sign
! that got me back this time" said he
when read that sign ! knew it
meant me. and ] fXed IL right off so
| could come back. left the navy at
! the close Of the Spanish American War
and have been in the brokerage bust
ness In New York ever since"
On another ship is little man with
/ gray hair--a Erandfather-who wears
! tho uniform OF an ensign
| II resigned from. The uavv many
years ago" he said. Il have grandchil-
| drcn now. When we went TO war with
F. Germany knew the navy needed
| trained men and offered myself. They
accepted me. and here | am with the
junior officers. suppose am the only
grandfather ensign in the navy"
The grandfather ensign" is just as
| anxious TO fight as tho newest recruit,
at the loading machines, and he is
capable, too.
They've got a slight attack of spy
scare in the navy. Officers said that
it was quite possible there were Ger
mans on the ships. The spy who is
caught is very likely to find himself
looking into the business ends of the
rifles OF firing squad Every now
and then suspicious of the officers and
men are aroused and quie; investi
CATION is conducted. BlucjacketS arc
suspicious of anything unusual. One
new recruit brought suspicion against
himself because he carried aboard ship
with him a geometry book.
MAGAZINE WRITER ENLISTED TO
GAIN FIfiST-HAND IMPORTATION
magazine writer enlisted to gain
first hand information about the life
Of an enlisted man. He had an agree
ment with the navy department,
through which he was to get out OF
the navy in couple OF weeks, and
enlisted as 4 yeoman. His second day
on the ship he started to look around
and finally appeared in the boiler
room. The fireman chased him out
and one Of the coal passers informed
the boatswain. adding. "a yeoman has
no business in the boiler-room. II
he comes down there again--the
sneaking spy-I'n brain him with A
shovel. That ought to save firing
squad a lot Of trouble"