New Britain herald., 1920-01-23
Commander Who | Ship at Sea Deser' No C0mmendat , Unless Circumstan Warrant, Says mirai
CITES THE CASE OF
 COMMANDER BAGl

Washington. Jan. 23.-The kl board is unable to agree with S3 tary Daniels that naval officers lost their ships through enemy Glarine action and performed torlous service in connection such loss should be awarded decorations, the senate inve:stis committee was told today by Admiral Austin Knight. chuiiinl the beard. Admiral Knight said d high dtI tion was not deserved unless thc| ing was accompanied by offensiJ tion against the enemy. Ad Knight said that in the case of mander D. w. Bagley, Sccretary| iels' brothers law. no decoratiol recommended for any circumstai| connection with the sinking of destroyer Jacob Jones because mander Bagley did not engage| enemy. 4 navy cross was Fl mended for the officer he said good seamanShip displayed in q off the crew and passengers oil 
 Commander Bagley was not Fl mended by his immediate super3 said, for any decoration in Cd tion with the sinking of the Jones.
 Some Earned Awards.
 Officers whose vessels were doed, but who. by good seams and discipline, succeeded in their ships, earned the D. $. NJ nliraI Knight declared.
 ''lt is true the board recomm awards for several of the office Ierred to by the secretary as manders Of ships which were | seriously damaged by enemy st rines or mineS." Admiral Knigh
 But in each case there was cial reason. Captain Vernon, Cassin, Captain Dismukes of Mount Vernon, Captain Chase q Minnesota and Captain Graham Finland saved their ships by lent seamanship and discipline the ships were disa bIed-' No Information AvaiIabIe.I No information was avaiiabI guide the board in making reconI dations for Captain Satterlec d| Tampa and Commander Ghent ! Antilles. nor were any circumsiI known that would justify such al Admiral Knight said. Secretary iels awarded the D. $. NJ to bo& cers. Both the Tampa and X were torpedoed and sunk.
 Commander Foote's case is only one in which the board Fl mended the award of a D. $. circumstances connected alone the loss of a ship" Admiral hl said. and this recommendatioTN based chiefly upon the recomm tions of Admiral Gleaves and AdN Mayo"
 The award recommended for tain Christy the admiral said, based not only on his conduct time of the sinking of his shi armored cruiser San Diego. bu his later service in command d battleship Wyoming. Comm Conn was not recommended for in connection with the loss of
  continued. but was recommende. a navy cross under the general ton given destroyer commando
 'The case O d ship destroy an enemy against which she II, opportunity to fire d shot" sail miral Knight" is. in the opiniU the board. widely different ffosI cases of Lawrence and Perry, by the secretary in his letter of uary to Senator Page. Law owes his fame not to his co after the loss of his ship. wh4 was helpless and dying. but toI heroic spirit he manifested thr{ out the engaSem ent, d spirit thJ not falter even when he was fI wounded. It was before-not the loss of his ship that he uI the words that have made his immortal and which are quot{ the secretary as esta blishine q cedent for his action in certain
 Perry is remembered in histo ! for his gailantry in leaving the | of the Lawrence under ire blI the indomitablc spirit in which stunned the fight on the Mia gar{ the skill and daring with whi4 led his almost defeated fleet d tory.
 Admiral Knight said Sect Daniels did not furnish the
 with any policy to guide it in m it's recommendation and the | did not ask for one as the mel did not consider it necessary. board, itself, he added. worked policy based on the following g principles:
 That D. $. Ms. be recomm fEoDtirued on Ninth Pare