The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-05-06
RETURNS
LOANED ships
SEA FORCES HAVE BEEN LARGELY
DEMOBiLiZED, SEcY. DANIELS
EXPLAINS IN STATEMENT.

washington, May 4.-fSpeciaD.-
Secretary Daniels authorizes the fol-
lowing:
With exception, perhaps, Of the
maritime world, the people of the
country generally are not aware of the
extent to which the navy has been de-
modified in point of ships. They do
know that in SO far as personnel is
concerned the navy is but skeleton
of its former tremendous war strength,
having experienced a reduction in COM
missioned and enlisted personnel of
over 100000 men.
A reduction in ships almost as great
in proportion to the number of vessels
operated by the navy during the war
has taken place. At the close of the
war the navy had about 2,400 vessels
of all descriptions, including battle
ships of the first line, the auxiiiaries
necessary to their operation as n fleet
and the staunch little submarine
chasers and yachts of all sizes which
so effeetually helped TO paralyZe the
morale of the crews of the German u
boats.
In addition to the vessels which the
navy had at the outbreak of the war,
there were taken over by purchase
and charter hundreds of vessels of
every description, including big steel
transports, supply ships, golfers,
tankers, tugs, yachts and motor boats.
The logistics of the navy's operations
in the war. that is, the problem of
keeping the naval forces which were
scattered over the seven seas supplied
with all material requirements includ-
ing food, clothing, ammunition, COAL
fuel, oil, ETC., was without parallel in
the history of the country. This great
fleet of volunteer vessels has now for
the most part been mustered out and
one by one they have been and are
being "honorably discharged From
the doughty little motor patrol in the
coast defense service, to the yacht that
tracked the U-boats across the At
lantic, they all served their purpose.
The chartered vessels have been re-
turned to their owners. Those acquired
by purchase are being sold along with
a number of other purely naval yes
sells of the fighting type that have be-
come obsolete. This latter class in
cludes coast torpedo boats, destroyers,
submarines, gun boats, etc. The gun
boats Yorktown and Machias are in
cluded among those to be sold, also
the steel cruiser Cincinnati launched in
1892. Among the largest vessels re-
Gently offered for sale were the two
steel transports, the Yale and Charles
Eek Harvard). These vessels are big
rangy transports of 3,700 tons displace-
ment, with an appraised value of $780,
900 each. They were sold to Edward
Farley Company for $1.755,000. The
transports Nopatin and Narragansett
now at Brooklyn, y. Y, have also been
placed on sale. These vessels are sis
ter ships of $500 tons.
In the sale of vessels purchased dur
ing the war the navy department is
following the policy of offering them
first to their original owners at the
appraised value If the original owners
do not wani them. the vessels are
by sealed PROPOSALS.
The navy department states that a
total of TT vessels have been sold since
the armistice for which S2,549, 1855
have been paid to the government.
There are still a number of vessels re-
naming to be sold, including about 100
submarine chasers.
In connection with the sale of the
that the navy is preparing plans for
the conversion of these boats into
yachts and fishing boats for which
purposes it is stated they are excel
lently suited. Some of these boats pur-
chased from the navy and now pri-
vately owned are already being con-
verified into yachts and it is under
stood that a western fisheries associa-
ton is negotiating for the purchase of
three of these submarine chasers and
will convert them into fishing boats.
There appears to be ready market
for most of the vessels that the navy
offers. Many are modern vessels with
many years of usefulness before them
and are to be sold "as ship to be
operated for pleasure or profit, accord
ing to their type. A number of obso-
lete fighting ships are valuable, how
ever, for the metal that can be sal
VACATED from them and as such are
being sold for scrap.
The sale of these vessels is being
by the bureau of supplies
and accounts, navy department, Wash
ington, ID. c., where sealed proposals
are opened periodically.