Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-19


of South and Central America could
American naval strength have been
divided.
Three Most Modern Ships.
The composition of the Pacific fleet
tells it's own story. The three most
modern ships of the line in the navy.
the New Mexico. Idaho and Missis-
sippi. are headed west. The people
of the western coast are to see for
the first time ships Of this type and
size.
Never since President Roosevelt
sent the Atlantic fleet to girdle the
oregon and Washington seen in their
harborS a more powerful and modern
fighting craft than the old hero ship
Oregon. long out of date and holding
her place on the Navy list only be-
cause of her valiant record.
Beside the four ancient thirteen
inch guns of the Oregon, the ten and
twelve gun batteries of the big YES
sells rolling southwark today on their
way to the canal will look !ncred-
ible. They are twelve inches and
fourteen inches longer. more power
full. of greater range. Against the
10000 tons Rodmans flagship dis
places, the Oregon's IL 600 makes her
almost a pigmy; and against even the
wonderful speed of more than seven
teen knots which made the old ship
queen of the Navy for years. Rod
mans main fleet, his eight big ships.
can maintain about twenty-one knots
for hours at time, while his de-
stroyers can turn up thirty-five.
The folks of the western coast have
never seen even a dreadnaught: and
now fleet of superdreadnaughts said
by naval officers to be unsurpassed by
any foreign craft is steaming toward
them. Leading the fleet is the New
Mexico. in some respects surprising
any fighting ships ever built. for she
is electrically driven, the only battle
ship in active commission thus equip
size previously launched carrying this
wholly American innovation is the
collier Jupiter, built at the Mare
Island yard in California
Spectacular at Canal.
Arrival of the Pacific fleet at the
eastern entrance of the canal will
mark the most spectacular day the
people of the zone have witnessed.
During the war many ships FASTENED
through the path that
had been torn for them. cutting two
apart; but their missions
were secret, their business urgent
There was no advance notice Of their
coming, no record of their going
Admiral Rodman plans to make the
passage in such fashion as to give
his more than 10000 men and Off
GERS each a chance to see some of
the spectacle.
1t will take him two days or per-
haps three to clear the last of his ar
mazda on the western side. then head
Ing north and west up the long, slow
curve of the Mexican coast past Mag
dalena bay, where of old the puny
forerunners of this new and mighty
Pacific fleet walked the echoes with
their target fire.
Ahead of ships and men will, lie San
Diego, and as they enter that port.
their first call on the coast Entrusted
to them, they will receive from the
people Of the west a welcome home"
that will last through every Pacific
port into which they put. The west
will have come into it's own at last
Tor the heart of the west has been
which it read, to which it sent it's
sons, but which it has never seen he
fore in its full might
The commanders of the battIeships
md cruisers announced today BY the
Navy Department are as follows:
Fleet flagship. U. s. 8. New Mexico.
capt. Arthur l.. Willard.
Battleship Squadron 1, Division IL
Commander. Vice Admiral Clarence s.
flagship, U 8. s. Virrfnia
capt. William H. Stanley.
U. s. s. New Jersey, Capt. Walter r.
U. s. s. Rhode Island. Capt Walter 8.
Crosley.
Division 2.-Commander., Rear Adj
niral William r. Shoemaker; flagship.
L. S. S. Georgia, Capt. Leigh c. Palmer.
U. s. S. Nebraska, Capt. Percy M.
olmstead.
L. $. s. Vermont. Capt. Edward S.
Battleship Squadron 4.-Flagship. U.
5. S. New Mexico, Capt. Arthur L. Will
Division 6.-Commander, Real Ad-
miral Robert E. Koontz; flagship, U. s. 4
5. Wyoming, Capt. Harley H. Christy.
U. Is. S. Arkansas. Capt. Louis de
Steiguer.
U. S. 8. New York. Capt William v.
L. S. S. Texas. Capt. Frank scofield.
Division 8.-Commander, flagship, U.
S. S. New Mexico. Capt. Arthur l.. Will
lard.
U. S. s. Arizona. Capt. John H. Day.
ton.
U. $. s. Idaho, Capt Carl T. vogel-
gesang.
U. s. S. Mississippi. Capt. william A.
U. S. Cruiser Squadron Com
flagship. T. 8. S. Seattle, Capt.
John r. Y. Blakley
Division 2.-Commander, Rear Ad-
miral Spencer S. Wood; flagship, U. S.
S. Chicago. Capt. Ernest Frederick
u. s. Cleveland, Capt. Frank L. Fin
ney.
u S. s. Denver, Capt. Edward B. Fem
ner.
L. S. s. Tacoma. Capt Edward S.
Jackson.
L. S. s. Marblehead. Capt. William T
Tarrant
U. s. s. Machias, commander Frede-
rick r. Naile.
~ L. s. s. Vicksburg. Lieut.. Com
mander Charles f. Reordon.
Division Flagship. L. s. 8. Seat
tie. Capt. John r. Y Blakeley.
u. S. S. Montana, Capt Ivan o. Wet
tengel.
L. s. s. North Carolina, Capt. Will
liam d. MacDougall.
l.. S. S. Pueblo, Capt. Frank r. Up
ham.
Secretary Daniels Leaves August 1.