Evening star., 1934-03-18
FFICERS and men Of the
United States Naval Reserve
Communication Service will
- ID

U communication OclNlCC Will
~ be expected to man their
private amateur stations this
evening for the purpose of participat-
ing in a problem. The local Reserve
station, NED, located in the Reserve
armory in the Washington Navy
Yard, also will be manned.
The problem is being arranged with
utmost secrecy. The only fact that
has been made known to the local
radio men is that the problem will
begin at o'clock and continue until
$50 o'clock. During that period an
unknown station will broadcast on
various frequencies, and the local
naval men will be expected to pick
up the signals, measure the frequen-
cies on their sets, and determine the
location of the sending station. The
frequency will be changed every Is
minutes during the period of the
broadcast, so that 1t will furnish a
real test of the ability of the radiomen
to pick broadcasts out of the air, and
also will determine how accurate their
| own sets are in measuring frequencies
During one of these problems con-
Quoted about a month ago by the
Navy, it was said that the local
communication reserve men made a
| very creditable showing when the re-
ports we're all in and checked by the
Navy Department communications
section.
After having been at the Washing
| ton Navy Yard for about six weeks
the U. S. destroyer Ellis is scheduled
to leave Tuesday morning and head
down the Potomac River. The vessel
is to go to Norfolk for the purpose oi
| training the reserves there.
During the period that the ship ha:
been tied up here, the local reserve
battalion, under the direction oi
Lieut.. James E. Sullivan, reserve COM
mander. has been put through very
/ extensive drill schedule aboard the
vessel. All departments, including
/ deck and engine room men. have beer
/ required to thoroughly examine the
/ vessel and make sketches of various
| parts of the ship. for the purpose oi
future study and instruction. 1t was
| the first opportunity that the officers
and men have had to drill aboard
ship for several years, and they made
! the most of it. because of the fact
/ that they expect to get in theiI
annual cruises this year, which will
be the first in two years.
/ The work aboard the destroyer will
Put the men in excellent shape to &C
/ out on destroyers for their annual
/ training cruises this year, and par.
ticularly has 1t given them an oppor-
/ tunity to check up on the gun anc
/ fire control training. Officers anc
, men of the Ellis have given the re.
Servists every possible aid during the
/ time that they have been here, anc
! the local reserves expressed them
selves as very grateful for this help
With the destroyer moving out or
/ them and the approach of Spring
preparations are being made to use
the cabin launch which has been
/ assigned here for training purposes
( The boat now is out of the water
but is expected to put down within
| the next two weeks, and thoroughly
overhauled and painted. preparatory
! to taking a number of week enc
cruises down the Potomac The ship
| is equipped to accommodate officers
/ and men on overnight trips. During
/ these voyages seamanship and
/ plotting is taught the men.
/ Lieut.. Comdr. Benson. U. S. Navy
| inspector instructor of the local re.
/ serve battalion, says that there has
been very noticeable increase in the
number of reserve officers, both feet
and volunteers, who have applied tc
take the correspondence courses which
have been provided by the Navy De-
partment for the purpose Of aiding
| officers in becoming more proficient
in their training,
Both the Navy Department, in q
national way, and Commander Ben
son, locally, have been driving fol
/ some months to encourage reserve
! officers to take more interest in theil
commissions by beginning the stud!
courses. The results are said to be very
| encouraging. 1t is believed that tht
departmental notice that the taking
of the courses would be given grea
weight when officers come up fol
! dS oSdAllSO lA1OoC wiz 0lS
not take any of the courses, ha.
served to shake up the service ane
increase the interest.
1t was pointed out that there arr
some officers holding commissions il
the reserve, because of their civilian
pursuits, who did not have tn,
slightest idea of what their dutie.
might be in the event they we're callet
into the service in time of war, ant
it is the purpose Of the department il
having these courses prepared to Civ,
these officers the rudimentary train
ing now. so that there would not b.
any great lost motion after the ar
rival of national emergency.
IT was pointed out that there ar
now "a officers in this city who ar
taking the courses, and that % ad
ditional have completed some of tn
courses. Officers who have taken tn
courses express themselves as yer,
much pleased with the way they hav
been prepared, and the first cours,
has served to increase their interes
to the extent that they are taking
additional courses.
The principal complaint against tn
courses some time ago was that the,
required too much time of those en-
gagged in civilian pursuits. However
the department has taken note of this
and has simplified many of them S,
that they can be finished in the mini
mum of time. The increase in tn
number of officers who are now study
ing, it was said, will give the depart
ment a better idea of the materia
which it has available for duty.