Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-07-27

washington, July 27.--The great
est concentration Of sea power in the
history Of the American navy will
result from the junction of the re-
Atlantic and Pacific fleets
the Pacific coast next January
under plans now being prepared by
naval operations. The great naval
spectacle probably will be staged' IN
the vicinity OF the Gulf Of Panama.
Onicials Of the navy department
say the proposed. mobilization will in
sense result In grand" m~aneuvers.
No effort will be made to concentrate
all Of the nations naval strength and
only ships regularly in commission
with trained. crews will participate.
The exercises and drills will be simple
atrd mainly Of a competitive nature,
including unofhcial athletic competi-
tons between representatives of the
two fleets and OF individual ships.
The main object OF the mobilization
Will be to give officers and men an
opportunity to compare notes and
meet for a few weeks Of good natured
rivalry.
Admiral Henry b. Wilson, COM
mander-in-chief Of the Atlantic feet,
will. be senior oficer Of the COM
bined force, with Admiral Hugh Rod
man. chief Of the Pacific feet, second
in command.
The maneuvers will be unique in
many respects, chiefly in that they
will afford, the first actual mobiliza-
ton of the bulk Of the new Ameri-
can navy. Before the war the forces
were always more Dr. less scattered
and a shortage Of several types OF
vessels, particularly, of d~estroyers,
submarines, light cruisers, aerial
forces and feet auxiliaries made 1t
to concentrate a we'll
out feet although the major
portion of the battleship force met
for target practice. and drills.
During the war the shortage in
most types of small vessels: notably
destroyers and submarines, was
overcome, but the entire feet was
modified, due. to the use of
practically all light craft in the war
zone, the detail. OF cruisers to escort
duty and the TACT that a considerable
portion Of the battleship force was
on duty abroad much Of the time.
A New Mark.
The January maneuvers will set a
new mark in American naval pro-
gress. For the first. time in the his
tory of the. new navy the battleship
flee will be supported by a reason
ably adequate number, Of d~estroyers
and other light, craft. Submarines
will be available in abundance, to-
gether with sufficient naval aircraft
for all tactical purposes and a fully
rounded out feet Of auxiliary vessels.
The total number Of vessels to par
ticipate will depend on the progress
of recruiting, as many ships are in
reserve nov for lack Of crews, but
1t is probable that Admiral Wilson
will command at least 800 vessels Of
all types. Is
The most modern OF. dreadnoughts
to participate in the maneuvers will
be the great Tennessee. The last
word in naval construction. this great
floating fortress displaces 50, 900
tons, carries IL fourteen-inch guns
and is propelled by electric turbines.
The Tennessee is attached to the At
lantic feet. A sister ship, the Cali
fornia, probably will not be COM
pleted in time to join Admiral Rod
mans force before the maneuvers.
!. A comparison Of the ships avail
able for next winter maneuvers with
the naval strength available for a
similar concentration ten years ago
affords some striking contrasts. Janu-