Evening star., 1932-03-13
y. c.. Naval Reserve

Revamping of the instruction classes
of the 1St Battalion, United States
Naval Reserves of the District OF
Columbia, has been started by Lieut..
Harold E. Richardson, commanding the
organization, and will be put into effect
as soon as the program OF each Is per-
fected, it was announced by that officer
last week.
The changes have been contemplated
for some time, but it was not deemed
advisable to inaugurate the new plan
while the organization was spending
most of its time in preparation for the
annual inspection. With the mSpec-
ton now out of the way, the changes
will be gradually put into effect, and
1t is expected that the men will get
considerable more training prior to the
beginning of the annual cruising period.
AS visual signaling is one of the most
important means of communication be-
tween ships in formation, the battalion
commander has decided to place con-
siderable more stress on this training
than heretofore. In the future, 1t was
said, the members of the signal gang
will be separated from their divisions
for the full period of each Monday night
drill, and will be given intensive in
Struction under the direction of the
chief quartermasters. The instruction
besides covering flag hoists will include
blinker lights.
1t has also been decided to divide the
engineer force into more groups for
more intensive training with each. A
separate class will be made for the
water tenders and fire and engine room
men.
Preparations also are being made for
the abolition of the Headquarters
Division on April l, and the inaugura-
ton of the battalion commanders staff.
Lieut.. Richardson said that the details
for the change have not been completed,
but that everything will be in readiness
for the change when the time arrives.
battalion adjutant will have to be
appointed and this probably will be one
Of the ensignS now attached to divi-
sion. The organization, it now seems,
may also lose the services of two or
three enlisted men by the change which
was ordered by the Navy Department
some months ago.
Since the aviation division has moved
from the Naval Air Station at Anacostia
to the Fleet Reserve Armory on Eleventh
street southeast for its weekly drill
request has been made by Lieut. Rounds,
commanding the aviation branch, that
an officer of the Fleet Reserve be
assigned to instruct the flyers in In
fantry drill.
Lieut.. Richardson has granted the
request and he announced that for the
time being this duty would be performed
by Lieut.. Junior grade) Cleland of the
I'd Fleet Division. 1t is probable that
other division officers will alternate in
giving this instruction
Lieut.. Richardson has decided to ac-
cept the invitation for the battalion to
march in the Army day parade being
planned here on April in connection
with the Bicentennial Celebration.
Lieut.. Sydnie A. Greenleaf has been
ordered promoted to the rank of lieu
tenant commander in the Volunteer
Communication Reserve.
While the United States destroyer
Hamilton has departed for the West
Coast on duty in connection with a
war problem there, along with other
deStroyers Of the Atlantic Training
Squadron, officers of the local battalion |
are going right ahead it was said, max
ing plans for their annual cruises on
the assumption that the vessel will be
returned to this area before the time
scheduled for them to start.
The Hamilton is the vessel assigned
to this area for Reserve training pur-
poses. While the orders to the West
Coast were a departure from the rou-
tine which had been mapped out for |
the vessel, it was said, it is not believed
that the Reserve cruise plans will be
changed. The plans for the Reserve
NT1l1Cpc
ago, and many of the officers and men |
have made arrangements with their |
civilian employers for time off at the |
time the various cruises are scheduled |
Each division makes a separate cruise |
Two interesting forms of flight opera
tlonS, now being carried on by the |
!St Aviation Division, VN-6R, are night |
formation flying and blind flying navi- |
CATION flights. The division, it was said, |
mas engaged in regular night flying and |
instrument flying operations since last
october, and now is progressing to
more advanced training in these de-
partmentS.
In the blind flying navigational
problems triangular closed course is |
marked off on map and the pilot |
completes the compass courses and time |
on each course which he must fly |
under the hood in order to cover the |
track laid of on the map, it was ex-
planned. The flight then is begun. and |
the safety pilot in the rear cockpit |
marks off on the map the course actu- |
any noWn by the airplane under the |
blnd' control of the pilot in the
hooded front cockpit. 1t was said that
these problems provide valuable train
ing Tor division pilots and are found TO |
be highly interesting.
The naval inspection board, of which
capt. John DoWnes. U. S. NJ is presi- |
Gent, and which recently completed the |
inspection of the Reserve battalion here. |
spent last week in the Midwest II |
VISITED the Reserve divisions at Rock
Siano, Ill; Burlington, Iowa, Peoria, |
ILL.,, and Indianapolis Ind.
In addition to Capt. DoWnes. the |
otner members of the board who made
TINS trip were Capt. Alexander Sharp |
y" from the Navy Department. and |
Capt Halsey Powell, u. S. N. at |
tached to headquarters, ninth naval |
district Capt. Powell formerly was on |
duty in this city in charge of the
cfnce of information in the Bureau |
OF Naval Intelligence in the Navy De-
partment
Lieut.. Comdr. l.. M. VasSilief. U. S. |
N. r., is scheduled to address the Off |
GERS of the lst Battalion of the Re-
serve here at the Armory on the night |
OF March 81. His subject will be
Memories of the Past"
Comdr. VaSsilief was formerly an
officer of the Imperial Russian Navy |
with considerable service In both the |
Near and Far East
The disturbance in the Far East. It |
has been disclosed by the Navy De-
partment, has been the signal for a
flood of communications from Naval |
Reserve officers seeking active duty. |
but it was explained by the depart |
ment that there is no intention on
the part of the department to order |