The Winslow mail., 1925-05-15
BY CHARLES F. RENICH,
Especial Correspondent of The
WinslOw Mail)

w IAOlOW NlCiA.J
April Is.
1t was indeed an inspiring sight
witnessed by thousands of people of
San Francisco when the United
States naval fleet said farewell to
that city and started on it's long
cruise over Pacific waters to the
Hawaiian islands and later from
there to the South Sea islands and
Australia.
The fleet, including about 100
vessels of every type belonging to
the American navy, had been at
anchor in San Francisco bay for
ten days, which period of vacation
was much enjoyed by both officers
and men in various recreational
ways.
The people of San Francisco,
Oakland and other places around
the bay had outdone themselves in
showing the navy a good time dur
ing this period of vacation. They
had decorated the city with flags
and bunting similar to when some
great patriotic celebration is in
progress, and banquets for the Of
ficers and programs of various
kinds and amusements for the men
had been the daily routine until
one of the high officers in COM
mand expressed it that he had been
fairly run ragged" by the many
invitations and honors to which he
had been called upon to respond.
Wednesday, April Is, had been
set as the day of departure,
although the Flagship Seattle, with
Admiral Coontz and General Hines
on board, and few lesser craft
departed on the day before to reach
Honolulu in advance of the rest of
, the fleet and inspire the events
which were to follow.
) Early Wednesday morning every
thing on the warships in the bay
seemed to be in more or less sup
pressed but excited frame of mind.
1t was the day of departure and
last-hour duties had to be per-
formed.
Small boats and launches were
hoisted on board, gangways were
drawn up, final orders were issued
and gradually, one by one, the
various ships were set in motion.
The Flagship Seattle, with Admiral
Coontz on board, having departed,
the West Virginia, with Vice Adj
miral Wiley on board and in COM
mand of Captain Sem, led the pa
rade of battleships, surrounded by
cruisers, destroyers, submarines
and other craft, out of the bay,
through the Golden Gate to the
open sea.
Into the Open Sea.
The California is flagship of the
entire fleet in the absence of the
Seattle, with Vice Admiral Robin
son in command. She came third
or fourth in the line, the West Vir-
ginia being the flagship of the bat
tleships of the fleet, but not includ-'
ing the other craft.
AS the ships came into the open
sea they formed several lines with
the battleships forming the center
line, cruisers and destroyers in
line on the right and left, subma-
rines and other craft in line across
the front and tenders, supply ships,
repair ships in line far to the left.
The ships moved slowly at about
nine knots an hour, and about a
quarter mile apart. Knot is nau-
: itcal term, equivalent to mile and
an eighth. The whole fleet was
spread out over a distance of a
number of miles.
1t had been the plan of the high
command to maneuver into circle
formation soon after the open sea
was reached and the various ships
were moving toward that end when
a heavy fog suddenly settled over
the sea about the middle of the aft
ernoon and in a very short time
only few minutes, it became i'm
possible to see more than the ship
next in line.
The circle formation which had
been contemplated was abandoned.
Had it been executed the fleet
would have spread out over a dis
lance of thirty miles. The flagship
California would have been in the
center, SuTTOuHu6U ny supply anu
other small ships, the battleships
would have, formed circle five
miles out. with the destroyers form
ing two more circles each five
miles farther out.
Fog Menace.
The heavy fog was serious men
ace to maneuvering and instead of
executing beautiful parade forma-
ton of such size and magnitude as
had never been undertaken by the
J., American fleet before, the foghorns
began to sound at regular inter-
walls and the searchlights were
thrown out to prevent the possibil-
ity of the vessels ramming into each
other.
Riding comparatively comfortable
on the rough sea in the proud West
Virginia is an easy task to what
the men on submarines experience
at such time. These craft are
built low to the water line, so that
their visibility is very low, and
they roll and toss heavily in the
rough sea.
Despite the fog and it's attending
inconvenience, everybody seemed
IL -, he