Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-15
RESERV|STS FINISH
TWO-WEEk CRUISE
Washington Contingent Re.
turns Home After Train
ing Trip on.Destroyer.

Topping their tafo weeks Of train
ing at sea with ian excellent target
record with the big guns late Friday
while of Atlantic City. the members
OF the Sd Division of the United States
Naval Reserve E attalion of the Dis
trict of Columbia returned To WASH
ington Yesterday and were placed Oh
tbs inactive list. for another year. Their
training ship, the United States de-
stroyer Abel p. 'Upshur, returned to her
dock ct the Washington Navy Yard
shortly before. noon yesterday. several
hours late oving to the thick weather
which was encountered in the lower
Potomac cary yesterday morning.
which forced the officers TO bring the
ship TO ancne of Colonial Beach. Va,
Conor. MARK L. Hersey. T. S. N,
captain OF the ship and inspector in
structor OF The local battalion reported
that the G. use was most successful
from ira ming standpoint and he
praised the work of both the Reserve
ofiieers aiad men. He pointed out that
heafy We A>her lowered over the vessel
for the gre alter part of the cruise. add
ing that aoout rs per cent of the time
there WIS heavy fog and that the rest
OF the sirle there was rain However.
Lieut.. Fs3,ry J. Nichols executive officer
ano navigating officer of the trip,
brouShis the vessel safely into port each
time, ana established contacts with the
remainder of the Atlantic scouting feet
where yer they were laid down.
Reservists Stood Test.
Fr'nl the time the vessel put her
nose into the Atlantic Ocean. at the
Che "a peake Capes two weeks ago, heavy
l1c hsxf
IT MAS reported that the citizen sail
ors TODD the trying test well and showed
thsE they were really good sailors. Tar
gets practice, scheduled to have been
he'll nearly week ago. was contin-
u'R sly held up on account of the fogs
f0Eever. the feet remained with the
5rShur down the coast. and as soon
as there was brief clearing late Fri
nay afternoon, preparations were made
sfor the target practice. and the de-
StroyeT Putnam put over a tiny peri
scope target. Stimulating a submarine.
which, according to the officers, could
scarcely be made out through the pow
erful sights on the guns However, it
vas said the Upshur. steaming at IS
knots, with the target passing at FIVE,
giving a total speed OF 20 knots, indi-
Gated that her gun crews must be
reckoned with. for they hit the target
number of times. and at others they
kept it wet from the spray, which in
dicated that the shells we're falling
close enough to worry ship. had it
been in action against an enemy. The
officers are prohibited from making pub
lie the actual number Of hits. because
the Navy Department regards this as
confidential information. It was said,
however, that the training of the past
year aboard the destroyers Allen and
UpShur showed its results, as the guns
crews made more hits, and In remark
ABLY less time the time of running out
each string Of shells having been Sec
onds. whereas before il has been min
utes.
Stops Were Made.
During the voyage the vessel made |
stops at Martins Vineyard and Boston /.
and Newport, where the men were given |
liberty. They also made the passage |
through the Cape Cod Canal
At one time during the cruise the /
vessel had q close call OF Vineyard /
Haven lightship. During q very heavy
fog. while the ship was feeling her way
to port, there loomed up about 20 feet
ahead OF the bow a trim sailing vessel.
Quick action on the part OF Comdr.
Hersey averted q collision but the
sailer was little perturbed. for she then
came close alongside and asked the /
citizen sailors 10 give her her position. /
The sailer. apparently one engaged In |
q race. was lost, and was trying to make I
port. she was put on her right course |
by Lieut.. Nichols, the Upshurs /
navigator.
The Washington officers aboard the |
vessel. IN addition 10 Lieut. Nichols |
who is executive of1ccr Of the local |
battalion. we're Lieut. w. c. Lockhart, |
chief engineer: Lieut.. S. w Stinemetz. |
commander Of the Sd Division. who was
gunnery officer on the voyage: Lieut.. |
Junior grade) H. L. Shenier, battery
officer and junior division oficer.
In addition to the local contingent.
there were aboard q contingent OF
ofncers and men from the Baltimore