Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-29
BY LIEUT.. ELGIN f. GROSECLOSE,
L. s n r

L. -. y. II.
Anchors aweigh"'
IN S g the squadron commander
| that the Allen is showing off al
! fourteen hundred O'Clock"
One hundred and fifty husky Wash
! ington lads and some fiTe thousand
! others gathered from over these
/ Eastern United States have beer
! learning the meaning of such seago
! ing terms or else refurbiShing then
memories of them in the Summer
! cruises of Uncle Sans reserves. The
| close of the third and final one OF
| this season was marked yesterday
when the destroyer Allen, Lieut.
| Comir Wolfe on the bridge, dockef
! at the Navy Yard. bringing home the
| last contingent of healthy, bronzet
! young men from the Washington anC
| Baltimore Naval Reserve units.
These Summer cruises are part OF
! the training given to that element ir
/ The United States Navy which, though
| not on active duty, may be summoned
| at any time and must hold itself in
! readiness to be called in emergency.
| Last Summer there was trip tC
! Bermuda, the Summer before there
| was Il cruise among the West Indies
and this Summer maneuvers were
held off Long Island and in the
vicinity of Newport.
Men Show Improvement.
During the two weeks just past, a
heightening in color has been every
where noticeable, while many pounds
of flesh have been taken on by the
crew and officers collectively. But it
is not alone a physical benefit gained
Ion these cruises of the Reserve Navy.
Battling the elements gives a decided
training to the wits, q necessary
quickneSS to the eye, certain de-
ciSivenesS to the voice and contrOl
over the faculties that is useful any
where.
Streaming down the river" sounds
comparatively simple, and 1t may be
for the river steamers. But destroy
ers carry considerable draft and a
| channel in which it is possible for
them to pass is comparatively narrow
and very winding. Destroyers are
| long and narrow and hard to ma
| neuver and the channel must be fol
| lowed with eXactitude or the vessel
twill be stranded.
Lieut. Comdr r. A. Smith, the
executive officer on the Allen, who in
private life is a Washington lawyer,
| is an old Annapolis man and perform
ed the office of navigator on the Allen
Cape Charles was finally rounded
about sunset somewhere in the early
hours of the midWatch. Cape May
is passed and sunrise finds the de-
stroyer within a few hours steaming
of New York Harbor and the Statue
of Liberty. Then the week end of
| liberty" in New York.
Join Many Other Ships.
It is here that the rest of the
squadron was joined, and the. Allen
finds itself in company with a young
fleet of destroyers, bearing their con
tingents from Jacksonville, Fla, and
Grand Rapids, Mich; from Bar Har'
Dor. Me-. and Pittsburgh, Pa. The
Hudson River is infested with these
gnats Of the Navy, and New Workers
might ask themselves, us another
| war starting?"
Monday morning the fiotilla--30
vessels in all-steamed out into the
omen sea for the first weeks intensive
drill NIaneuvering 80 vessels In
| formation is a piece of business re-
curing 81 degree of skill from every
person on deck, from the commander
! of the squadron to the man at the
valves in the engine room. From the
flag ship signal flags are run up the
mast. Each pennant has meaning
and message of its own. The quar-
tnrmaster peers through his long spy
glass.
"Corpen none" he shouts, and two
men behind run up an answering pen
nant. And so all down the line, until
every vessel has read the signal from
h" ship ahead and has answered
Ready"
The vessel starts swinging on its
pivot until it has completed right
angle turn to the right. Every shiI
in line has done the same, and shortly
the squadron has turned about and Is
drawn up in q company front forma
ton steaming abreast. Only it is g
company formation 9 miles long
stretching from one horizon to the
other. 1t is a vast line of warships
which, with guns or torpedoes trained
presents u formidable appearance, ri
vailed only hy a similar line of capita
ships.
Varied Other Activities.
While these activities are in prog
reSs on the bridge, other things are
under way on the quarter deck. There
the big four-inch guns stand with
covers removed. the gun crew ir
rcadineSs-loaderS at the stacks
POINTERS. trainers and sightsetters al
their instruments. On either side the
huge torpedo tubes are surrounded by
their attendants, while at the sterr
the anti-aircraft gun is raised nose ir
the air. prepared for action.
Below, the same watchfulneSs Is
apparent. The chief and petty en-
Gineers stand at the valves, the mar
in the after steering room is at his
station in case the helm at the bridge
should so wrong, the fireman, water
tender, machiniSt mates and oilers
are all busy Finally, the radio mer
are busy under their headpieces, keep
ing up the vital thread Of communica
ton.
The maneuverings, which are the
Similitude Of the ones used in bat
tie, provide training of the finest sort
for the men and officers Of the re
serve The climax is reached when
the night maneuvers begin.
For this stage of the practice
cruise. the destroyer force is divided
into two squadrons, which separate
and become, for the night, enemies
seeking to evade or attack each
other. This year the tender Whit
ney acted. as an enemy vessel and
object of attack.
All during the night the destroyers
patrolled the seas in the waters south