Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-06-15
KEEN FOR A FIGHT
With GERMAN FOE
Veterans and Recruits With
Atlantic Fleet Working Hard.
LIKE A WORKSHOP OF WAR

Men.
The big ships Of the most powerful
leet ever under the American flag
when visited by a correspondent were
working day and night to bring about
the defeat of Germany on the sea.
Ready for battle, they are spending the
waiting period turning out sailormen.
The fleet temporarily Is a great work
shop of war. Already 1t Is turning out
one of its finished products-men who
can fight. They are serving the guns
on American armed merchant ships.
Its other product-men who can run
the great merchant feet the United
States will use to feed the allies-wfIl
be ready as soon as the ships.
Five inch guns, the kind mostly used
against submarines, are there by
the hundreds. On the decks great tur-
rets house fourteen inch and twelve
inch rifes-three or two to a turret.
On high platforms guns used for de-
Tense against a~eroplanes point to the
sky. Brass always is shining, steel al
ways is polished, paint always is new,
and decks always are white with scrub
bing.
Crews Anxious For Avenge.
The men behind the guns have lost
shipmates In the ~war-they were gun
crews on merchantmen sunk by Ger
mar submarines. And other shipmates
now are on duty aboard the destroy.
ers operating with the British and
French fleets. The men with the At
lantic fleet are working to prepare
themselves to avenge the killing of
their mates.
Here's what happened the other day:
A crew was practicing with a five inch
gun. A bluejacket about seventeen
he still had down on his chin-was
pointing. He grasped hasdles on a
broad brass wheel; his eye was steady
at a rubber cup at the end Of a long
sight, Through which he saw the tar
get. His duty was to keep the gun on
the target So might be fred any
time. Aroun neardless youth
were grouped kews ready
to fire when his crew had con7pleteN
its period.
The breech snapped open, the load
was thrown home, the breech was
hurled back In place and then a buzz
ger. operated from the fire control sta
ton, sounded; there was a flash, a
roar, the hiss Of a projectile speeding
through the air and the louder hiss OF
compressed air blowing smoke out OF
the gun. Miles away the projectile
struck the target.
Boy Does Wonderful Shooting.
"Guess that's bad" said an old man
of-war's man, looking on admiringly at
the third shot as the guns crew got
the range and the pillar of white wa
ter leaped into the air.
"How would that do for Er1tzyi
Suppose that had been a submarine
and"-
The buzzer, the roar of the gun and
the hiss of air interrupted him.
Another hit! Gee, that's s%hootingr"
Recruits Taught to Handle Guns
On the afterdeck latest arrivals
aboard the ship were set to work that
day and every other day, In fact, upon
the loading machines. They consist
principally Of a breech and block and
a slide that carries away dummy pro
j~ectiles and powder bags.
officers with stop watches In their
hands set one crew after another at
work, the idea being to develop ex-
IRENE loading speed by competition.
The newest members of the ships com
panies work for days at these loading
machines. The next step In their train
ing carries them to the guns. But
they are not yet ready to fire the regu-
lar charges. One Founders that go of
with a sharp crack are dashed on TOP
Of the big guns, and the crews go
through all the motions Of firing, but
instead of a big shell a little one weigh.
ing a pound speeds for the target when
the buzzer sounds or when the turret
captains in charge of the bigger rifles
yell Fire."
After a period of firing with the sub
caliber arrangement the crews get
down to real battle practice. There
are few busier places than a turret
In action. Concave steel walls are all
around, and a steel roof Is just above
the heads of the gunners.
The powder bags are driven home, a
man at the breech swings a lever, q
ton Of steel swings up with a hiss of
compressed air, the breech block turns
and locks, a buzzer sounds, the charge
is ignited, and with a rush of air the
guns recoil about a yard and then
jump back into position. There is q
loud "swish-swash" as the guns come
back and then go forward.
Outside it is much different. There
Is a flash, a roar, a ring of smoke and
the loud whistle of the ~projectile rush
ing through the air.
Fifteen seconds from commence FIR
ing' to 'flre' is considered pretty good
time for the hiQ gins IN tha navy