The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-03-27
UNCLE SAM HAS A 'NAVY
-, ON LAND" 81

We are hearing a great deal these
DAYS about our splendid fleet of war
ships and about naval limitation thru
international agreement. Few people
perhaps realize that great deal of
our naval establishment is on land,
and there are more than a thousand
units of this kind scattered over the
United States and its outlying pos
sessions. In an interesting article
under the title "Uncle Sans Navy on
Land" Oliver Mckee, Jr., says in the
current issue of the National Repub-
lie:
"The navy yards, collectively, are a
vast enterprise. Even the smallest of
them, that at Washington, embrace
121 acres, while the largest, that at
Mare Island, covers over 1900 acres.
Each has anywhere from $50 to 500
individual buildings. These figures
help to give an idea of the physical
size Of these properties. The navy
yards have railroad tracks, sewers,
overhead and underground wires and
cables, power plants, coal and oil fuel
plants, fences and walls, marine rail-
ways for dry docking small crafts,
reservoirs, tanks and other public
works, locomotives, railroad cars, mo-
tor trucks and automobiles, land and
floating derricks, concrete mixers,
similar equipment of many kinds.
"The navy yards are responsible for
the maintenance of the fleet. That is,
perhaps, their most important func-
ton and the value of each is in direct
proportion to the services which it
renders to the fleet. The average age
of our naval vessels is increasing each
year, and this makes necessary an in
creasing expenditure for repairs to
keep them in satisfactory operating
condition. The yards, too, have done,
and are doing, much improvement
work for various vessels of the fleet.
They have modernized battleships, adj
ded new guns to cruisers, helped to
make submarines more safe through
the installation of protective devices,
etc. The navy yard, like the efficient
seaman, is jack of all trades. Its
commandant can never tell what new
job the morrow will bring to him and
he and his men must be ready for it..
One of the most interesting works re-
Gently undertaken has been the resto-
ration of the frigate Constitution, the
famous old Ironsides.' This work is
being carried on in the Boston navy
yard, quite appropriately, and Old
Ironsides is now able to take the
water again.
''The Bureau of Ordnance has been
a pioneer in developing heavy machin-
cry, high grade steels and alloys, and
thus, in an indirect way, has fostered
the manufacture of many articles that
have filled a real need in peace-time
pursuits. National defense needs have
required the expenditures. of con-
siderable sums for experimental pur-
poses. Patriotic inventors have been
given chance to develop their ideas
which they could not have enjoyed
had they never had anything more
than their own resources to draw up
on. In manufacturing forged steel
contributed to the advance of the steel
industry in the United States. SINH
larry, chemical research necessary for
making armor plate and gun forg-
ings has given to private industry
knowledge that has been of great
commercial value and Importance.
Though military speciality, the per-
lection of fire control equipment has
resulted in perfecting, the gyro-
compass and other navigational in
struments. Because the supply of
German optical glass was cut off, the
opening of the World War paralyzed
the optical industry of the nation. The
Bureau of Ordnance was instrumental
in encouraging and fostering the do
mestic manufacturers, with the re-
suit that under the stimulus thus
given, the American industry today is
one of the most advanced in any coun-
try in the world. -" = ~
"In the same way, the bureau Of en-
cheering, construction and repair,
and yards and docks, have helped ad-
vance the course of science Develop
ments in the navy have found 4 Vide
use and value outside. The great dry
docks of the navy are available for
the use Of merchant ships when other
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