Norwich bulletin., 1918-12-27

 superdreadnoughts, dreadnoughts and I ships of the line which with cruisers, S destroyers and a host of smaller craft made the mightiest Ameri- { can armada ever assembled. Ten or the floating fortresses steamed into the harbor today after eighteen { months overseas with Beattys grand fleet. The others are the flower of the North Atlantic fleet. Grim guar dians of great nation, they symbol ized that the United States has be- come the second naval power of the world.
 In the teeth of northwestern, in the chill of driving snowstorm, millions waited hours until the ten battIeships or the homecoming armada appeared. | This was New York sand the na- tion's-tribute to the ships, far more eloquent than the greatest din of l whistles, bells and human voices The | vocal welcome came later when the | rugged, Weatherbeaten tars who man. l ned the ships debarked, and, with Sec retary Daniels and Admiral Mayo at | their head, marched down Fifth Ave l nue in the country's first great victory 1 parade.
 Leading civilians in the cheering l were wounded soldiers returned from France. With the memory of their own first anxious voyage still fresh in their minds, they paid unstinted tribute to brothers in arms who had guarded them across the Atlantic. ] Passing in review before the secre-
 t2ry of the navy, off the Statue of Liberty the homecoming ships loomed
 suddenly out of the mist and as rap idly disappeared. They seemed al-
 most like phantom craft, grim, gray,
 majestic in their silent might. But as 1 they dropped anchor the skies cleared
 and they stood revealed in holiday at- tire ablaze from stem to stern with multi-colored pennants. To uany of those who lined the shores this flash of sunshine symbolized the light of
 peace which awaited the feet after
 the gloom of war from which it had
 emerged.
 |. Moving at only ten knots an hour, the Arizona was the first dreadnought to pass the presidential yacht May , flower, on whose bridge stood MT.
 Daniels and Secretary of War Baker. , With flags masted. sailors and ma rines manning the rails, the Arizona l swept by stripped for action. As she came abreast the Mayfiower she thun- ! aered the salute of nineteen guns for F the secretary of the navy and her 7 band struck up The Star Spangled l Banner. A moment and she had faded
 again into the mist, leaving only an 7 impression of great gray sides and t massive gun turrets crested with
 snow.
 , The Arizona's guns had not finished : their salute when the Oklahoma be- s gan firing and from then on the can- 2 nonading was continuous. In swift
 succession followed the Nevada and e the Utah, flagship of Rear Admiral 2 Thomas $. Rodgers, and then the su- perdreadnought Pennsylvania bear
 ing Admiral Henry T. Mayo, comman- |, der-in- chief of the Atlantic fleet. At two minute intervals came the New
 York, flying the flag of Rear Admiral
 Hugh Rodman. and the Texas, Ar j. kansas. Wyoming and Florida. with = two kite balloons, lowed by destroyers C completing the procession.
 The New York was the first of the ,, battleships to display from her main- u mast the "homeward bound pennant,
 a long slender strand of red. white and blue, a foot for every day out
 from her home base. All the ships
 which followed her carried the pen s nants and it seemed as if each was e longer than the others.
 > A deep silence followed the last sa- d lute and so accustomed had those or l. the May1ower become to the roar O Il the guns. that it, seemed hardly pos
 SIDI6 IIidC IQ6 G6Nl6W ndu IdSI6u J6S; n than twenty minutes.
 l. When the last dreadnought hat le steamed from sight, Secretaries Dan
 iels and Baker descended from tn y bridge, but only for g. moment. Whil IT the Mayfower remained at anchor t ; give the incoming Warships time t le reach their berths in the Hudson be l. fore SeeretS'y Daniels inspected tn r. entire fleet at their anchorages. tn D. British transport SaXonia. loaded wit lg sick and wounded American troops is hove alongside. The heads of the nav Te and war departments again ascende pc to the bridge and doffed their hats t 'n the fighting men.
 a. Then getting under way, the May f. flower moved along with the trans )n port, and after a sailor had wigwag ut ged to the larger vessel the wcompli 1e nents of both secretaries, the yacht D. band played The Star Spangled Ban ay ner. Instantly those aboard the Saxo 1g nia who were able to stand came 'ir attention and then. at the end of tn
 anthem. broke into a prolonged chee
 In beginning it's tour of the flee 1 the Mayflower first reached the Flor 6 ida, last to anchor. As the yacf
 moved through the lane of fghtin oe craft, with the home fleet to port an oI the veterans to starboard, each shi
 was QT6SSSu dIlu lIOuI 0dCu Ol LIlC uS Ca arrivals came the strains of the ns 11 tiona1 anthem. played by the ship oy band as the Mayf1ower came abreast. III It was ( stern array of ships, despi' e. the splendor of the flags with whic o- they were decorated. All the battle my ships wore coats of sinister gray, whi 1T, destroyers and auxiliaries bore tf or fantastic touch of the camoufeur. ns Under the shadow of the New Yol Im shore, three hundred yards apart, u on 'fbridge of steel'' extends six solid mil
 from Fifty-f fifth street to Fort Wasl 's- ington park, where, in Revolutional ie- days. an iron chain was stretcht py across the river to bar the progress 's hostile craft.
 In inspecting the vessels the Ma, flower made a run of nearly ten mil before she finally dropped anchor <S the berth she had left in the mornir n- Immediately she was surrounded by IDS fleet of gigs bearing admirals, vi nd admirals, rear admirals and captai e. to pay their respects to Secreta ely Daniels and Vice Admiral A. W. Ora led of the home fleet, who arranged t ,a- days program.
 re- A touching scene was enacted in t les main salon of the Mayf1ower, whe yas MT. Daniels welcomed his gues it. Among those invited to:witness the T ,il- view from the presidential yacht we er- the wives of naval officers home
 last after eighteen months service