The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-07-27
BkAKINC OF NAVYTRADTTION
TOPROMOTE COMMANDER LOCKE
REVEALSAN INTERESTING STORY

new York. July 25.-Breaking a rule
WMcn bars the issuance of com missions
h-Ener than lieutenant commander to
men from civil life. the navy department
nas bestowed upon Prof. Charles t.
Locke, OF the School OF Mechnfcal En-
gIneering. Columbia University. the ranI,
on commander Of the naval reserve forces
~ recognition Of his services during the
war. Word to this effect has been re-
ce1ved at the university from Assistant
secretary Franklin ID. Roosevelt who ais,
made IL known that a. special citation
commands Prof. Locke "for valuable rs
sistance In training personel to meet the
great demands Of the war, DR.. Locke
mas been released from active service IN
tnc navy. which, during the war.
he was a lieutenant commander. and has
been sworn In as commander In the
service. He VIII resume his work at
Columbia In the fall
Prof. Locke'B promotion was recon-
mended by the official selection board OF
the navy on the basis of his war record.
NO promotion to the rank OF commander
and above can be made except through
the selection board on the basis of officisi
records. The present selection board is
IN. first in the history of the navy 20
|s%nsider a reserve officer. .s
Bound up with the achievements OF
|1rof. Locke is the remarkable record II
the United States navy gas engine school,
the Yankee submarine cnasers in Euro
bean waters Is one OF the brightest chap
fers I'm the allied campaign to fail Ge--
many's underseas fleet.
liz IL little known that this enterprise.
bern OF the energy and patriotism of a
group OF scholars. was but link in The
chain of successful countrywide train
ling systems originated. directed, and fl
ns1ly made permanent on O peace basis
largely through the work OF Prof. Locke.
The complete story, personal and off,
cial, of the aid rendered by Columbia IS
department OF mechanical engineering TO
tho nation Is now told for the first time.
and IL a striking example OF what pa
triotism and initiative of American coll
ler~s and universities did to win the war.
The department of mechanical en-
Eif eering at Columbia had for years been
training post graduate classes of naval
engineers from Annapolis Immediately
after war was declared by the United
States In April. 1917. sne faculty of the
department met with the result that a
t-int letter was sent 20 Admiral Griffin.
eDgineer-ih-chief OF the navy offering
the services Of the department In estab-
fishing instruction I'm naval training. Az
the navy regulations contained no pro-
vision for accepting such an offer, no ao-
ton was taken.
Meantime. all the students I'm mechanic
cal engineering. hearing OF the faculty
letter, volunteered their services to the
navy In a body. and were joined by 9TH
ers from the college and the various pro-
fessiona1 schools OF the university. The
faculty foreseeing the need OF large num-
bers OF trained men. for submarine
cEasers and coast Sd motor boats. or
G1nized. on ITS own initiative a class In
gasoline engine work, in which seniors
were trained to act as instructors. A
class In deck work was also organized
ard was directed by Prof. Lincoln De
Groot Moss. who had served In the navy
Ira the Spanish American war and had
been an officer in the naval militia.