The Washington herald., 1917-03-17
Army and Navy News
Rasf aervles r~Iu a. S-s<~

Twenty coast submarines having a sur
face displacement Of about 500 tons each
and to cost not to exceed 81, 800 900 each.
exclusive of armor and armament. may
be buildt by private builders or con-
structed by the government in navy yards
on the Pacific Coast II the cost Of con-
struction does not exceed the cost OF con-
struction on the Atlantic coast plus the
cost Of transportation from the Atlanic
to the Pacific, according to q provision Of
the naval appropriation act.
Secretary Of the Navy Daniels has
stated there are sufficient facilities on the
Pacific Coast TO build these submarines.
AT the present time" he says. there
ore hve places at which submarines can
be built. and are built. OF these Long
Beach. Union Iron Works and the Seattle
Drydock and Construction Company are
private. and two. namely. the navy yard
at Puget Sound and the navy yard at
Mare Island. are government plants.
THE Long Beach Company has stated
IN correspondence with the Navy Depart
ment that 1t is possible for the firm to
lay down as many as twelve submarines
at one time. but the department has not
attempted to verify this figure. There
are five submarines building at Long
Beach at the present time. At the Union
Iron Works there are six submarines
now building, and 1t would be difficult
to state how many this company could
lay down.
1T should be borne in mind. however,
that to use all available means for the
construction Of sIbms rnes on the Pa
ctfc Coast at both government and pri-
vate yards would mean ncglecting other
work which this depa artment considers
OF equal Importance. Under these cir
cumstances 1t is, OF course, impossible
to estimate how many submarines could
ln ut
a number Of places on the west coast
which might be suitable for building sub
marines where no works exist at the
present time, and these places could
doubtless be prepared in an emergency
for the construction of submarines. The
department, however. does not consider
such step necessary or desirable at this
time"
Student officers In the ordnance depart
ment OF the army may be detailed in
ordnance establishments under the au-
thority OF section L. of the national de-
fense act without regard to the detached
service law OF 1872 according to the War
Department
The words Of the law. detachment or
detail . for duty in the
ordnance department" which constitutes
one OF the exceptions to the application
of the ManChu law. is held as clearly re-
lating not only to details from the line
in the ordnance department, but to other
detachments from the line for the pur-
pose Of performing duty in the ordnance
department. and II was the intent OF the
statute that the detached service status
Of an officer should not interfere with his
assignment to ordnance duty. whether by
detail in the ordnance department or
otherwise.
Section l OF the act Of June authorizes
the Secretary Of War to detail not to ex-
ceed thirty lieutenants from the army at
large for duty as student officers in the
establishments OF the ordnance depart
ment for a period OF two years. That an
officer whom the Secretary OF War in
execution of this statute orders to an
ordnance establishment as a student off,
Ger Is "on duty Is on duty in the ord
nance department and that he is detached
from his command for duty in the ord
nance department are regarded as SO
plain as to require no discussion. 1t is
decided. therefore. that the case of such
an officer Is included in the exception to
the general provisions OF the detached
service act.
The War Department Is arranging for
four citizens training camps at Platts-
burg. n. Y, this year. The camps will
be held from June to July !. from July
to August 5, from August II to Septem-
Der 9 and from September 10 to October
Il 1t is estimated that the attendance
at each camp will be about 800 men, Of
which 1900 will be infantry.
Funeral services will be held here today
for Rear Admiral Vincedon L. Cottman.
L. 8. N, retired. who died here Thursday
night at the age of e. years. Admiral
Cottman was a native OF Louisiana. For
many years he was on special duty at the
Bureau Of Navigation here. At the time
OF his retirement three years ago he was
commandant Of the navy yard at Puget
Sound.