The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-07-20
For the First Time in His
tory the American Sea
Forces Are to Be Separat-
ed by the Continent.
GERMAN DEFEAT
BRINGS A CHANGE
Main Naval Base on West
Will Be Puget Sound With
Additional Bases at San
Francisco and Honolulu.

Old Point Comfort "a, July
The vanguard of the Pacific fleet sal'-
ed from it's anchorage here at o'So
o'clock this morning bound for the |
Pacific coast via the Panama canal |
~ unusual ceremonies marked the |
denarture of the six super-dread-
naughts and thirty destroyers ana the
tends which are leading the way Tor
the 20 naval craft now assigned to
Pacific waters.
Admiral Rodman had set $50 Tor
| tho sailing hour He would tolerate
no DELAY wait for no strasSlef5, ms
ca aptains were told with charac.eristlc
force The first sunbeams s9" pai sSs'
p,xs and motor sailors hurryiu@ on
/ last minute errands- The ToadsIeau
was busy with them. Below decNs
stokers toiled and black smoiie clouds
| rose over the fleet.
Gradually the stir died awoy about
the fleet. Boat after boat was holsted
dripping to it's chocks on deck. Nimple
barefooted packies had fastened to
their tasks of lashing and making
IAN ship shape aboard for the voyage
The white jackets of officers and men
stood out plainly against the grim,
grey war paint.
| At 8 o'clock the bugles called softly
ifron the fleet. The hurry.ng white
Figures on each deck were suddenly
stiI. 1t was "colors," and as the
strains of the distant bands rose and
fell on the breeze. afloat and ashore
men in the white of the navy or IN
army khaki stood rigidly at attention
facing the bright flags flung from
/, every staff in the grey fleet.
| In a moment all was hurry 1Saln
The sun picked out the brass work
, of the ships and set it glowing 1t
caught and colored strings or flags
, from signal arms, showed clear the
gesturing boards of semaphores on
/, high bridge ends helped jac<ies with
waving arms send jerky greetings
Once at sea, the destroyess will form
a triangle about battleship divisions
which will steam in double columns
) inside this protection at 12-knor
gait At sea, also, somewhere along
t the line the great dreadnaughts Idaho
and Arizona will join, as will the
. scout cruiser Birmingham, flagship of
the active Pacific destroyer force. 1t
had been expected these ships could
have been assembled here today for
the fleets departure, but crowded
D yards and lack of personnel combined
Y to keep them out of the long line now
pushing forward.
r Formidable as the fleet looked
: steaming out on the voyage that will
Q end for some of the ships only after
a call at Honolulu in mid Pacific, it
i represented only part of Admiral Rod
: mans force The destroyers he took
n out with him were but a quarter of
5 those he commanded. In reserve at
:, Atlantic yards the others await crews
| to man them. or call to arms to send
them scurrying through the canal to
. join the flag. The main base of the
? Pacific fleet would be in Puget
Sound. Wash. That is the destination
q of majority of the craft that sailed
today and also of ships of the supply
and fuel train, of the submarines, re-
pair and mother ships, of the six pre-
dreadnaughts, four big armored cruis-
ers and seven light cruisers. the mine
!, planters and mine layers and all the
& rest of the 200 vessels assigned tC
Pacific waters. Other elements of the
: fleet are moving individually, day BY
:, day, toward their new posts. Some
: will join the flag en- route. After the
. main fleet has passed through the
= canal there will be a steady procession
r. through the great waterway until al
a have assembled in the Pacific.
= To American eyes the sailing of the
great fleet today marks a complete
a change in naval policy. chang
: growing out of the defeat of German,
N in the great war Not while the Ger
< man fleet existed nor while German
" eyes were levelled covetously at th'
a rich and undeveloped resources o
II South and Central America coul,
% American naval strength have beer
divided.