The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-05-24
MOST POWERFUL
FLEET UNDER
AMERICAN FLAG
United States Navy Ready for
Service Becomes Vast Train
ing School ..
EXCELLENT MARKSMANSHIP
FOUND AMONG SAILORS
More Than Ninety Per Cent Of
Enlisted Men Are Native
Born
(By Associated tPress,)

Fleet, May 24.-The big ships of the
most powerful feet ever under the
American flag, when visited by cor
respondent of the Associated Press,
through arrangement with. the com.
mittee on public information, 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 sailor
men. The fleet, temporarily, is q
great workshop Of war; Already it is
turning out one of it's finished prod.
ucts-men who can fight They are
serving the guns on American armed
merchant ships. Its other product
men who can run the great merchant
fleet the United States will use to
feed the Allies-will be ready as soon
as the ships.
Guns Everywhere.
Five-inch guns, the kind principally
used against submarines; are there by
the hundreds. On, the decks great
turret house long Hand 12-inch Rifles
two, or three TO- q turret. On high
platforms guns used for defense
against aeroplanes point to the sky.
Brass is always shining, steel is al.
ways polished, paint is always new,
decks are always white with scrub.
bing. ~ - ~ '."s ~
The men behind the guns have lost
shipmates in the War-they were
guns crews on merchantmen sunk by
German submarines. And other ship
mates now are on duty aboard the
destroyers operating with the British
and French fleets. The men with the
Atlantic fleet are working to prepare
themselves to aVengB the killing of
their mates. 4d Iii" anopd ="
riHere's what bhappeHed thes' other
day, A''crewa Way tfacticing with a
5-inch gun A bluejacket about II
he still had down on his chin-was
pointing He grasped handles on a
broad brass wheel; his eye was
steady at a rubber cup at the end of
long sight, through which he saw
the target. His duty was to keep
the gun on the target so it might be
fired at any time.
Around this beardless youth were
grouped other guns crews ready to
fire when his crew had completed it's
period
The breach snapped open, the load
was thrown home, the breach was
hurled back in place and then buz-
zer, operated from the fire control
station, sounded; there wasoa fash,
roar, the hiss of projectile speed
ing through the air and the louder
hiss of compressed air blowing smoke
out of the gun Miles away the pro-
jectile struck the target.
Old Tar Admires.
Guess that's bad said an old
man-o' '-wars-man looking on admir-
ingly at the third shot, as the guns
crew got the range and the pillar OF
white water leaped into the air.
GLOW would that do for Fritzy?
Suppose that had been a submarine
and
The buzzer, the roar of the gun and
the hiss of air interrupted him.
Another hit! Gee whiskers that's
shooting"
90 Per Cent Native Born.
'In this feet" said one of the off,
GERS, more than 80 per cent OF the
men are native born Americans.
There are few foreign born men
here"
On any ship may be heard the
drawl of a South Carolinian or a
Georgian, the New Yorkese OF the
east side: the twang that is New Eng
lands, the rising intonation OF west
ern Pennsylvania and the tone that
only comes from west Of Chicago. SO
fast is the enlisted personnel of the
navy growing that there is no room
for the new men at the training sta
tions ashore. A man enlists one day
in Kentucky and three days later
finds himself at a loading machine on
the deck of dreadnaught.
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 OIL
GERS.
On one of the ships is Wall street
broker. He graduated from Annapo'
lis many years ago, resigned and later
came back into the service during
the Spanish-American war. He COM
manded the Hist in several fights IN
Cuban waters and knows how 1t
feels to be under fire. ---
"sThe navy needs you was the
sign that got me back this time,
said he. when l read that sign l
knew it meant me and ! fixed 1t right
CONTINUED on Page Eight.)