Evening star., 1935-08-11


posing the First Battalion, United
1 States Naval Reserves In the Dis
trict of Columbia, appeared at their
best in a review staged last Monday
night in honor Of their new inspector
instructor, Lieut.. Conadr. M. H.
Crouter, who also is IN charge of naval
affairs in the District.
Comdr. Crouter has just been pro-
NOTED into his new grade, and the
Reservists desired to honor him by
putting on this review which followed
regular inspection exercises. The
citizen sailors who soon are to go on
their annual training cruise, this
year aboard a battleship, put on a
snappy review, marching like trained
infantrymen, although they get very
little of this kind of training during
their armory drill year or on the
cruise. However, it is expected, that
this year they will receive more, as
they will be on a larger ship. The
smaller ships Of the Navy, particu-
larly the destroyer type, are not suit
able for this kind of drill, with the
result that the sailors serving aboard
them get very little Of it.
And right from the inspection and
review, the officers and men jumped
into a program of intensive train
ing intended to prepare them for
service aboard the battleship Wyo-
ming for a period of two weeks. The
Wyoming now is engaged in training
midshipmen from the United States
Naval Academy, having made cruise
to Europe with them, and now being
on the southern drill grounds for gun
merry exercises.
Lieut.. Sullivan, commandant of the
local battalion, said that the entire
month of August will be given over to
preparations for the cruise, and in
view of the fact that there is only one
drill night week, and then only for
a couple of hours, it will be a very
intensive training.
It was definitely announced that
the destination of the cruise will be
Halifax. There on the week end in
the middle of the 14-day training
period, officers and men Of the ship
will be given liberty where they can
do some sightseeing ashore. The
Wyoming is scheduled to leave
Annapolis on September z, the local
battalion to go from Washington to
Annapolis aboard busses. Upon ar
rival at the Naval Academy dock,
small boats from the ship will be
waiting to take them down the Sc
vern River to Annapolis Roads, at
the junction Of the river and CheSa-
peake Bay, where the vessel will be
at anchor. AS soon as the Washing
ton and Baltimore, Md, cortingents
are aboard the big vessel will steam
down the Chesapeake Bay.
There are many things facing the
young sailors during the coming train
ing period, and many things which
the older ones will have to forget
Many of them have Served their an.
nual cruises aboard destrcyers for such
long time that they probably have
forgotten a lot of the formality which
Is required of those who serve aboarc
battleships. Aboard the smaller ship.
the requirements as To uniform anC
ship courtesieS are not as stringent a.
aboard the big ships. and Lieut.. Sulli.
van wants the men to appear at theil
best when they are serving aboard tht
wyoming.
There is the matter of the quarter.
deck and its restrictions which mus
be impressed on the men; the impor.
tance of salutes and personal appear.
ance. While on destroyers the uni.
form restrictions are not enforced, or
the battleships this is important anc
the personal appearance OF the officer!
and men at all times is considered
most important. 1t is much easier Il
keep clean aboard battleship thar
it is aboard a destroyer or other small
type of naval vessel.
For the first time, even for thost
men who have been in the Reserve fol
long time subsequent to the Worlt
War. they will get their first taste O.
hammock sleeping. Aboard the small
er ship to which they have been as
signed in the past for their annua
cruising, hunks are provided. and it i:
not necessary to carry along a ham.
mock. But this year things will bt
much different. Each man will havt
to be given hammock and mattres.
and taught not only now to roll Il
and lash it. for there is a regulation
way to do it, but how TO swing it fol
good nights rest. Hooks are pro-
vided throughout the vessel, and eacl
group is assigned to a compartment
and is required to swing its hammock
there so that the boatswain's mate
will know where to find them for call
for duty during the night watches. II
the morning each hammock has to b.
properly lashed and slowed in a Spe
cial space provided for each group
Of course, with this new procedure
the men will have to familiarize them
selves with the bugle call ham
mocks" which is sounded each evening
when the men go to the nettings t,
receive their bedding, to swing it TO
the night.
4AAC gun SiCWo dAoO oAC 4dS1llS
strenuous time, in addition to thes
other duties, for they are to be trainet
to very fine pitch in the hope tina
they will be able to make the bes
scores during the cruise. This yea
they will be able to observe the firinl
of other units when on the range.
Naval ceremonies, including salutes
will be impressed during this montl
of special pre-cruise training. Their
are many other details which will hav
to be crowded into the very few hour
OF drill time intervening between tn
present and the date set for the or
ganization to start the move to An
napolis.
The training launch assigned to tn