Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-21

After two full weeks on the high
seas, the First Division Of the Firs:
Battalion, United States Naval Re-
serves Of the District Of Columbia, re-
turned to Washington yesterday aboard
their training ship, the United States
destroyer Abel p. Upshur. During this
period, the vessel operated out Of Eng
lish ports with squadrons Of the Allan
tic Scouting Fleet, to which the Upshur
was attached during this period for
instruction purposes.
There were both night and day
maneuvers,' including anti-submarine
operations, the exercises ending on
Thursday when the crews aboard the
gun target practice of the end Of Long
islands
The First Fleet Division of the local
Reserves Is commanded by Lieut. Harold
Richardson. There also was aboard
for the vessel for training purposes the
First Fleet Division of the Baltimore
Md, battalion, and these citizen sailors
Immediately upon being relieved from
duty aboard the ship yesterday. departed
for their home stations in the Monu-
mental City.
The cruise just ended is the first OF
three to be carried out this Summer
and men assigned to the feet Reserve
here. The Upshur will remain in port
for q week replenishing her supplies
and making other preparations to sail
again next SATURDAY., this time with the
Second Fleet Division, commanded by
Lieut., (junior grade) John r. Moore
aboard, to follow substantially the
same routine as was followed on the
first cruise.
Ia .
been away, the members Of the two
been perfecting themselves in gun drills
In preparation for their target prac-
tice. All Of the training has consisted
in armory instruction, as while the
vessel is away there Is no other place
in which the officers and men may re-
ceiEe practical instruction aboard a
ship.
Much attention has been given to the
gun training this year, and there Is q
strong hope among the local Reservists
that they will find themselves at the
top Of the list of other Reserve organi-
cations throughout the country in this
important feature of naval training,
the serving and accurate firing of the
guns There Is q hope, too, among
some of the others that this year will
see the end of the present method of
target practice for the Reserves. The
Reserves now are required to partici-
pate in a system not comparable to that
Of the Regular Army, and this fact was
made a subject of action here at the
last meeting of the Naval Ofdcers'
Association Of the United States when
a recommendation was made that the
Reservists be allowed to use the system
practiced by those in the regular
establishment.
The Reservists now use q target de-
veloped during the war. in the form of
a small object like a periscope. They
are given credit for shots within o
certain distance and do not have 70
make direct hits, whereas in the regular
establishment large floating targets
are used in which only the direct hits
count. In the opinion of the Reserve
officers, much better results would be
obtained in the Reserves by the use Of
this type Of target, as the men would
take more interest in the matter If their
shots hit an object. 1t was argued
further that with the two branches
using the same target under the same
conditions, it would furnish a better
method of comparison.
Lieut.. Comdr Harry ]. Nichols exec