Evening star., 1925-03-29
YOU AND UNCLE SAM
Series Of Educational Articles Telling Hoo Federal
nent Is Organized and Ho,o 1t Functions-W rtten
Expressly for School Children.
No. 44-The Navy as Training School

Uncle Sans Navy, in equipment and
in the wide variety of instruction
given, is beyond comparison the great
est industrial training institution in
all the world. This is stated on no
less authority than the word of Cur
tbs d. Wilbur, Secretary of the Navy.
1t is taking $4,000 recruits a year,
from all walks of life and usually
entirely ignorant of the work they
are to perform, putting them through
26 trade schools ashore and turning
out men not only specially trained to
do the work required Of them in the
Navy, but fitted for responsible jobs
and as artisans in civil life, to which
they go back with broader general
education.
Not only must these men receive
technical and mechanical training,
but they must become familiar with
naval customs and procedure Their
instructors are naval officers who are
graduates from the United States
Naval Academy at Annapolis, assisted
by petty officers who have special
qualifications for the work. The fact
| that there are 137 different ratings
among the enlisted men shows the
magnitude of the problem of educa-
ton and training involved in making
these unframed men fit to serve as
Intelligent and effective units of the
Navys personnel.
The graduates from these 26 trade
schools ashore must have their in
struction continued at sea. So eyery
ship in the Navy maintains trade
schools for instructing men 1t needs
In special trades. The courses for
these schools are furnished by the
training division of the Bureau of
Navigation. There are "a different
Of
listed men under the general titles
of seamanship, communications, en-
gineering, deck artifcers, special
branches ana general academic sub
jects. These courses, with text
books, are furnished free to all en-
listed men ashore or at sea Thirty
seven thousand of these courses were
distributed to the enlisted men last
year.
The Navy today is essentially oil
burning. Practically everything
aboard is done by electricity. with
she single exception of actually train
ing and elevating of small guns. Po-
tatoes are peeled, ice cream frozen,
quarters ventilated, guns operated,
and even the larger ships are steer
ed-all by electrical contrivances.
All of the large ships have machine
shops, carpenter shops, foundries, re-
frigerating plants, evaporatfng ana
distilling units. There are facilities
for coppersmithing and blacksmith
ing There are print shops and paint
shops and machines for repairing the
large amount of canvas still used in
the Navy. There is a fully equipped
hospital, or "sick bay" where the
most delicate operation can be per-
formed even at sea. There are store
rooms large enough to carry SIX
month supply of tons upon tons. OF
nuts and bolts, paint and canvas,
leather, lead, cement. lumber ana
steel There must also be colo
storage large enough to carry all
sorts of food supplies for 1,20o nun
cry sailors for 80 days.
Each individual ship Is built, equip
ned and organized to be "self-support-
ing" So, with all this costly equip
ment and supplies 1t is necessary to
have a skilled and trained personnel.
The $4,000 men recruited annually
come from every State in the Union
and from all walks of life-some are
students, farmers, laborers and some
had no trade in civil life. These men
later come out of the Navy's train
ing schools as expert coppersmiths,
blacksmiths, boilermakers, machinists,
yeomen (the clerical force), painters,
carpenters, plumbers, storekeepers,
electricians, radio men, cooks. bakers.
musicians, Hospital Corps men and
| experts in many other technical
| trades.
Secretary Wilbur was asked: How
does the Navy get it's skilled ex-
perts?" He replied, "The. Navy make s
| them" At sea and ashore the Navy
| is keeping, its personnel under con-
| tinuous instruction. The commission
ed officers, who are given four years
Of intensive, higher education at the
Naval Academy, and the chief petty
| officers, who have become experts in
| their particular ratings during their
16 or 20 years of service. are espe-
cially we'll fitted to give this type of
| instruction.
At all training stations and at GER
tain other places, such as the naval
torpedo station at Newport, r. l.; the
naval radio laboratory in Washing
ton, the Sperry Gyro Compass Works,
: ct Brooklyn, N. Y; the naval gun