Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-02

washington yard also has model basin
m which tests of various kinds are
carried out. A total of 118 models were
tested last year, of which 81 were ship
models. The basin also carries on tests
OF airplane hulls and floats for the
Bureau of Aeronautics.
undermining Ships Costs Millions.
The fleet during the year requires
vast amount of repair work. Owing to
the fact that the United States has
built few ships since the Washington
Conference, the average age of the yes
sells in the service has been increasing
The older the ship the more repair
work as a rule is required. In addi-
ton to repairs, the navy yards carry
out certain improvements in naval YES
sells OF various types.
The modernization of battleShips has
given the yards considerable work. In
January, 1929, Congress authorized the
of the Oklahona and
Nevada at cost not to exceed 3d.
100000. The Oklahoma was sent to
the Philadelphia yard and the Nevada
to the Norfolk yard.
Later in the year Congress authorized
ST. 100000 for undermining the Penn
Sylvania and the Arizona, These were
among the biggest individual Jobs the
navy yards have recently received.
determination consists Of the installa-
ton of additional protection against
submarines and air attack, reboilering
and the installation of new cruising
the elevation of the turret
guns, the raising of certain of the sec
ondary battery guns, the replacement
OF the present anti-aircraft batteries by
batteries of 5-inch anti-aircraft guns
and the installation of new masts and
modernized fire control.
Activities Cover Wide Range.
OF historic and sentimental interest
is the work which the Boston Navy
Yard has done in restoring the famous
frlgate Constitution. When this labor
Of love is completed Old Ironsides again
will be ready to 90 to sea. The London
Conference may take no account of the
Constitution in measuring American
naval strength, but when the repair
work is finished this historic vessel will
be ready to give new inspiration to the
American Navy for another 100 years.
Yet the navy yards represent but two
seventies Of the cost of the Navy shore
activities. The other activities cover a
wide range. One of the most important
single activities is the Naval Observa-
tory IN Washington, manned by staff
tory sends out daily the time signals
which establish standard time for the
country and enable mariners at sea to
ascertain his chronometer error and his
longitude by observation. The signals
are transmitted by the naval radio
stations at Arlington, Annapolis and
Key West, and the noon signal goes
out by wire also.
Observatory Gives Special Service.
The observatory also superviSes the
repair and inspection of the aero
nautical and aerologial instruments for
the ships and the aircraft of the Navy.
The astronomers stationed here main
tain observations for absolute positions
Of the fundamental stars, and the in
dependent determination, by observa-
ton Of the sun, of the positions of the
stars, moon and planets with reference
to the Equator and the equinoxes. The
observatory likewise supplies data to
assist in the preparation of the Ameri-
can Ephemeris and the Nautical Al
The photographic Office Is a naval
activity of particular interest to Amer
lean sailors. It is the sale agency of
the Government for the production of
nautical charts in all parts of the
world, excepting the United States
proper and our inSular possessions. It
now prints more than 1900 charts from
Its own plates on its own presses.
1t Is charged, among other duties.
with directing United States hydro
graphic surveys in all foreign waters
and with preparing pilot charts and
sailing data. 1t maintains branch Of
nces, IN charge of naval officers, in all
the principal maritime cities of the.
United States. Several years ago it in
Stituted a radio broadcast service by
which information of dangers to navi-
CATION are reported by radio.
Air Service Requires Many Fields.
The Naval Air Service has many
ground establishments. It maintains
air stations and flying fields at many
points. The development of aviation
mas made it necessary for the Navy to
be air minded" as well as sea minded,
and that means naturally correspond
Ing increase in shore activities. Am
mun1t1on depotS are another important
shore activity. These depotS are built
so as to be able to supply the fleet at
sea quickly with ammunition In case of
an emergency.
They must be guarded with great
care-another duty for the versatile
Marine Corps; and, If possible, they
must be located where If a fire or an
explosion occurs, the damage to
civilians will be the least possible. Fuel
depots are a closely parallel shore ac-
tivlty. for it is upon these depots that
the Navy must rely for fuel reserves.
The Navy requires many hos pitfalls to
take care of its sick and disabled.
These are all on shore, and they are
so placed that a hospital may be found
near most Of the centers of naval OPP
erations. About IS hospitals are
maintained, in addition to
and the hospital facilities
with the fleet.
The Marine Corps functions under
orders OF the Secretary of the Navy
1t has many shore activities IN CONT
mental United States. These include
barracks, training fields, depots, rife
ranges, etc. Every navy yard has
marine guard, which is assigned to
many other shore activities.
Four Prisons Maintained.
The Navy has four prisons-at Cavite,
in the Philippines; Mare Island, Calf,
Paris Island, S. c., and Portsmouth,
N. H It has a powder factory at In
dian Head, Md, and proving grounds
at Dahlgren Radio compass stations
and radio stations extend the activities
OF the Navy over a wide area. Then
the Navy has land reservations, rifle
ranges, torpedo stations and visual sig
nal stations. To the future naval on
Ger the academy at Annapolis is the
most important shore activity Of the
Navy. Rated by experts as one of the
finest educational institutions in the
world, Annapolis will remain with West
Point as the great national universities
of the United States.
This is by no means all. There are
many activities on shore listed as mis-
cellaneous. In Annapolis or near by
you will find naval experiment sta
ton, Government farm, a dairy farm,
hog farm and at Bellevue, just out
side the District of Columbia, the Navy
has a research laboratory that carries