Imperial Valley press., 1924-10-31

y
old Tacoma gave up her life
Perhaps the actual and total saw
ing to the Government effected by
the use OF flashlights in the naval
! service may be impossible to COM
! pute, bVt, estimating from that day
in February, 1921. when the De-
| stroyer Woolsey was rammed and
] sunk Of the Mexican coast until
! last June when Ensign Donald
! Smith crawled in.o the shattered
turret of the Battleship Missis-
! sippi, seven million dollar figure
! is more than conservative.
; Naval Eeroicm
| And always in the moments of
! extreme peril the best traditions
J of the American Navy have been
| upheld in a manner which makes a
! narrative of gripping interest.
! 1t was family moonlight night
when merchantman numbered
into the northbound path of the
: Pacific Fleet o2 the $500 mile run
from Balboa to the mainland, and,
becoming confused as to the right
Of way, struck the IVcolsey hard on
the star6oaEd quarter. The after
part OF the destroyer gave way like
paper. All hands on duty in the en-
gine room aft were killed. A bulk
head burst and the water poured
into. the aft crews quarters, stran-
Cling every man sleeping in his
bunk. With soundings showing no
bottom at thirty fathoms and the
vessel settling under them, col
lision quarters" was sounded.
The ship went dark as an gener-
ators failed and the steam lines
filled with salt water.
Mustered by FIasllIi5ht
Suddenly appeared on all sides
officers, boatswain's mates and ra-
diomen with flashlights. The crew
followed the lights, mustered.
launched the boats and proceeded
to fill them. AS the first boats cut
away from the doomed ship, other
vessels of the destroyer force were
arriving to receive the Survivors.
Ouartermasters began signaling
from the sinking ships decks with
their hand torches in the, conyen /,
tional naval code. The entire res
cue work was then conducted by
instructions given by, the Wool
sey's quartermasters with their
flashlights. Seventeen seamen re-
NAMED on board, dead at their
posts or in their hunks, to go down
with the ship when the Woolsey
parted her tow line from the De-
stroyer Jacob Jones and dove to
the bottom.
Averting Collision
During the nigh. maneuvres or
1921, off the southern drill waters
on the California frontage, the De-
stroyers Stoddert AID Paul Hamil-
ton, representing two opposite
horns OF a great destroyer envelop-
ing movement, suddenly drove out
of the dark at each other at tre.
mendous speed,
Quartermasters on both ships.
even before the topmast lights
could be switched on, swung their
flashlights over the sides and
pressed the switches. Each navi-
eating bridge saw the others
light, and by narrow margin
the des,royers sheered away, a
saving to the Navy Of S3,000,000.
by ready use of the hand torches" :"
In these two cases-the Woolsey
and the StoddertN and Paul Hamil
ton-it is worthy to note that the
enlisted men on duty conducted
themselves with the utmost forti
tude and GOODNESS in the face OF
what they had ample reason to
believe was to be death at sea.
Flashes Save Planes Crew
One of the notable instances OF
the salvage Of, life and Govern
ment property in the Naval Air
Forces occurred in the wintry No
yember. OF 1921, After brilliant
night run down the coast OF Lower
California, in response to weak
radio signal from a sinking plane,
the Destroyer Stoddert secured the
coast line until flashes from q
'hand torch" showed the location
of the flying boat.
The fashlight was used by the
radioman on the plane. the three
officers with him being violently
seasick. The lives of the three
officers hung entirely on the 'hardi-
ness of the radloman and his abil'
ity to fight off seasickness. lie
first rugged a temporary set to
communicate with land station
and then saved tie ship end Off