Evening star., 1935-09-08
fleet divisions and head

THREE fleet divisions and head
quarters unit, comprising the
lst Battalion, United States
u Naval Reserves in the District
of Columbia, today are out in the
North Atlantic Ocean aboard the
battleship Wyoming heading north
ward toward Halifax. The Reservists,
with other divisions from Baltimore
and Norfolk. are taking their annual
training cruise, the first time the
local outfit has been sent out since
the World War as unit, and the
first time on battleship cruise. For
many Of the men. as well as officers,
this service is entirely new, most OF
their training duty in the past having
been performed aboard vessels of the
destroyer type and smaller.
Lieut.. j. E. Sullivan, battalion
commander, was in command of the
local unit when it left here in buses
yesterday morning for Annapolis,
where the men boarded small boats at
the Naval Academy dock to be trans
ported to the Wyoming, which was
waiting for them at Annapolis Roads,
where the Severn River empties into
the Chesapeake Bay.
AS soon as the Washington and
Baltimore contingents were aboard
the ship the anchor was weighed and
the vessel proceeded down the bay to
take aboard units in the vicinity of
Hopopto1 POadc anJ than y,ronaaJad
to sea. There was little for the men
to do yesterday as the schedule called
for a Shake-down, tours Of the ship,
and it being a holiday, the usual
routine was carried out. This time was
given over to the Reserve personnel
to familiarize themselves with the
ship and to get acquainted with the
members Of the regular crew. Today
also was holiday and only necessary
ships work was to be carried on in the
morning, followed by divine services,
after which the men had another
holiday.
But the Reservists will get a real
taste of their sea duties and routine
tomorrow. starting in after breakfast,
when all hands have TO take their bed
ding out and lash it to the ifelines
which form the guard rail. Then
comes the early morning ships work.
The emergency and gunnery drills
will begin at $50 o'clock. After lunch
con there will be more gun drills,
followed by practical instruction in
deck seamanship under the guidance
of the warrant officers.
Drills and gunnery exercises will
keep the officers and men busy most
of the first week. to be concluded by
a field day on Friday and captains
on Saturday. BY that time
the ship will be at the liberty port
and liberty will be granted in the
afternoon. There also will be liberty
parties on Sunday.
On Monday the ship will get under
the week will be full of preparations
for the coming secondary battery tar
get practice. On Tuesday there will
be an official rehearsal for this, and
on the following Thursday each Of
the division gun crews will fire their
official scores. This will take a day
and half on the range, after which
will be made for the dis
embarkation and the return to Wash
ington.
In addition to the scheduled drills
there will be emergency night fire
drills and night battle quarters These
will be given without warning, and
some time during one of the nights
the general alarm bells through the
vessel will be sounded and the men
turned out of their beds either to
fight an imaginary fire aboard the
ship or TO take their battle stations
to prepare for a scrap.
Lectures for the Reserve officers are
to be held daily except Saturdays and
Sundays. However. it was explained
that these may be held other than at
the periods designated in the plans
forwarded here should division ele-
mentary tactics or maneuvers of bat
tie line be held by the division flag
ship. An attempt also will be made to
leave free certain hours in which it is
customary to take sights for the Re
serve officers to work navigation prob
lens.
Experienced Reserve officers may be
permitted to take the deck. Other
officers will rotate in standing watch
with a different ships officer and
not with the same officer for the
entire cruise.
When the outfit left here the bat
talon commander and other officers
were looking forward to having one
of the most successful training cruises
in its history. Elaborate preparations
were made for the event and the di-
visions, and particularly the CUR
crews, were intensively trained so as
to give a good account of the District
preparations during the voyage. As
other Reserve units will be aboard the
officers will have an opportunity tc
observe the state of training of these
units also.
The training launch assigned to the
local Reserves was used last week enc
by members of the Aviation Reserve
Division, under command of Lieut.
johnson, U. S. NJ, instructor OF this
outfit.
During the next week end Lieut.
Williams and Ensign Lamar will make
a cruise with members of the Recruit
Division Board, and 1t was said that
this will probably be the final cruise
of the year for the recruits. The re-
manning week ends before the boat Is
hauled out of the water for the Win
ter will be used by the Fleet Division
men, after they return from their
annual cruise.
When Capt. William o. spears
U. S. NJ, in charge of Naval Reserve
affairs at the Navy Department, mace
an official inspection of the local bat
talon at the armory last Tuesday
night he inspected his own son, j. r.
Spears, apprentice seaman, attached
to the 1st Fleet Division.