Evening star., 1933-09-17

With all destroyers available being
held in readiness for immediate service
In Cuba, the annual cruises scheduled
for the Naval Reserves have been def
nitely Cancelled As all Of the Reserve
divisions in this city and throughout
the country are trained for destroyer
duty, they usually take their annual
cruises aboard this type of ship.
After two years without annual cruls-
es two of the local divisions had just
gotten started on their annual training
this year when an order was flashed to
them at sea summarily ordering them
to return to Washington. They had
completed but seven days Of two-week
allotment, when they were debarkeo
here and the ship left Immediately for
the Norfolk Navy Yard to make prep
arations for Cuban duty.
However, 1t was said that the money
which had been allotted for the cruises
will be retained by the Navy for use
in conducting paid drills for the Re
servists. All three divisions OF the local
battalion. it was said, have been allot-
ted 48 drills, the usual number given
them when funds are plentiful
However, when the necessity for gov
ernmental economy appeared, orders
Of drills here and throughout the coun-
try to "a paid drills However. the local
organization was holding weekly drills
in order to maintain its efficiency. but
did not receive pay for some OF them.
While disappointed over the ending
of the cruises so suddenly, nevertheless
the Reservists were much pleased when
the orders we're received giving them
the full 48 paid drills. This order also
probably will result in increasing the
attendance.
As soon as the 1st and Sd Divisions
returned here aboard the destroyer
Hamilton they were debarked and
within an hour the ship was under
way again on its new mission. The
officers and men Immediately were paid
of and discharged from active duty.
The regular weekly drills, it was said.
will be started next month. With two
drills in August and two in September.
together with five periods of so-called
equivalent duty and instruction. they
will use up the allotted 48 drills by
the end Of the current fiscal year. The
extra drills will be taken once month,
at times to be allotted by the battal-
ion commander and the regular Navy
inspector instructor assigned to the 10
cal organization.
The assignment of the additional
drills will give the organization con-
siderable more time in which to pre-
pare the next annual inspection, which
Spring. The inspections by the Regu-
lar Navy board are becoming more
and more stringent each year, and the
organizations require every minute of
the time they can get. In addition to
providing special tests for the officer
personnel, the boards this year, 1t was
said, will require written tests from
many of the petty officers. In the
past the tests of the petty officers to
determine how well they understand
their duties wen conducted at random,
with a question here and there from
various groups. But this practice was
considered unsatisfactory by the In
spection board, and the new system has
been ordered, and the organizations
given plenty Of time to prepare for 1t.
A new recruit class has been organ
lied by the local battalion. Young
men desiring to enter the organization
are required to serve q certain period
in this group even before being enlisted
to determine their fitness for the naval
work, and 1t also gives the applicants
an opportunity to ascertain whether or
not they will like the service.
Three officers Of the local battal-
ion who were taking their annual
training cruises on the battleship
MisassIppi, which had Just completed
q tour Of overhaul at the Norfolk
Navy Yard, were s,lmmarily relieved
when the Cuban situation became tense
and the battleship was ordered to the
island.
Lieut.. Comdr. Walter c. Lockhart
chief engineer officer Of the local bat
TALON, was one of these officers, but
after five days he was ordered ashore
while the ship prepared for the emer-
gency duty in Cuba. He completed
his tour of duty, however. at the Nor
folk Navy Yard. Two other officers
from the local battalion who also were
on the ship were Lieut.. E. M. Dingley,
communications oficer, and Lieut..
(Junior Grade) John L. Cardwell, Med
ical Corps. Both Of these officers, how
ever, returned to Washington and were
released from active duty after they
were debarked from the Mississippi.
Preparations are being made for the
the local Naval Reserve who will try
for ono Of the coveted appointments to
the United States Naval Academy at
Annapolis, Md, from the Reserve. Each
year Is enlisted men Of the Reserve
from the country at large are ap-
pointed to the Naval Academy. Last
year 13 members of the local Reserve
went to the new class at the Academy,
not all Of them. however, Is Reserve
appointees. Some Of them received con-
QreSSional appOintmentS.