The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-06-19
LIFE ON A WARSHIP
Home, Workshop, School, Club
and Theater All In One.
RULE OF RIGID DISCIPLINE.

Laxness Is Not Tolerated, Because Re-
sponsibility Rests Upon the Shoulders
Of Every Man on Board-The Duties
From Captain TO Seaman.
The modern battleship is probably
the most complete and complex ma
chine man has ever produced, and,
though the picturesque features which
surrounded the wooden man-of-war OF
years ago have gone, their place mas
been taken by features thousand
times more interesting and inspiring.
The modern battleship is the last
word In a cold, brutal fighting machine
that is also a home for q thousand
men-a machine that fairly radiates
personality and proves itself both a
workshop and a self supporting COM
munity, able not only to clothe and
feed, teach, employ and amuse those
who live In it, but also to supply vir-
tually everything that the average
mans comfort or interest demands.
Truly the modern battleship offers COM
munity life developed to the highest
degree.
Probably, too, there is no more COM
plete and startling proof Of the value
of rigid discipline, drill and co-opera-
ton for maintaining not only eficien-
cy, but also safety, than that given on
a battleship.
Responsibility rests on the shoulders
Of every man on board, and vitaA re-
sponsibility rests on the shoulders Of
many hundreds among the thousand.
That is why practical, not theoreti-
cal, training is necessary, why the ma
neuvers at Guantanamo are the most
valuable side OF naval life, why lax
ness is not tolerated. Too many mill
lion dollars worth Of property and too
many hundreds of lives are at stake to
permit of inefiiciency or carelessness.
With such a completely Of duties in
mind as fall to every man from COM
mon seaman to captain, one may read
lily understand why the government
wants only its best and most intelligent
among the young men Of the country
in its navy.
At the top, with full command and
responsibility, stands the captain. the
administrator. He is perhaps as near
an absolute monarch when at sea as
the civilized world offers.
After the captain comes the execu-
tive officer, on whose shoulders bis
chief places responsibility for main
tanning the general and military eff
cheney Of the ship He is the captains
representative, and to him every ques-
ton is referred. The heads of depart
ments and all officers and men are un-
der his direct orders.
Under the executive officer, who may
have one of several ranks, but ON the
larger ships is likely to be lieutenant
commander, comes the first lieutenant.
To him are delegated the care and or
der of the vessel. In short, he Is "the
housekeeper."
Then, day and night, some officer
must be in temporary and full charge
of the deck. His headquarters are ON
the bridge. He is known as the officer
of the deck. On these officers rests the
main executive control.
At the heads of the various depart.
ments are the medical and pay. officers,
the officer in command of the marines,
or ''sea soldiers;;" the chief engineer,
who has charge of the motive ma
chinery and lighting and heating
plants; the navigator, the gunnery or
ordnance officer, who is responsible for
the real work for which the ship is
built-that Of destruction-and the
chaplain. These men, with their .di
rect subordinates, down to the younger
ensigns, form what is called the ward
room mess
The captain, however, dimes alone.
Other messes, or families" dining to-
gether are those formed by the junior,
the warrant and the petty officers.
Divided up among the various de
partments OF the ship are the warrant
officers and the petty officers Of many
classes and grades. The bOatswain
and his mates, acting under the execu.
tive officer and lieutenant, have charge
Of THE decks, anchors and cables They
summon the crew to its duties by whis-
tie and pass ON all orders to the men.
They are the experts in seamanship.
The gunners and their mates have
charge Of the ships ordnance and cleo.
trical equipment, under the ordnance
officer or his division officers
The carpenters and their mates have
as their duty the maintenance, In good
condition, Of the ship. The quarter
master and his assistants come under
the navigator and see to the carrying
out of all orders which have to do with
navigation. The masters at arms act
as ship police. The yeomen form the
clerical force In the different depart
ments. Coxswains act as boat crew
commanders.-Richard Smith in Les
lies Weekly.