Evening star., 1935-09-01
lille the officers and men Of

day. they will get hnal mSpecu0n
from an officer of the Regular estab-
hshment. This final inspection, be-
fore departure, will be made by Capt.
William o. Spears, U. S. Navy, who is
the officer in charge of Naval Reserve
affairs at the Navy Department.
Lieut.. James E. Sullivan, comman-
dant of the battalion, said that all ac-
tivities at the arrnory are now centered
on preparations for the annual cruise.
All officers attached to the battalion
were given final instructions last week
to enable them to have their respective
divisions in shape by Saturday. Lieut.
Sullivan on Monday night gave a
lecture to the officers on various phases
of the routine aboard the Wyoming
and what is to be expected of each
division and its officers in order to
make an excellent showing during the
time that they are aboard the battle
ship for training.
According to present plans the bat
talon will leave the armory early next
Saturday morning by bus. Upon arrl-
val at the Naval Academy dock the
local citizen sailors will be met by
launches from the wyoming, which
will be anchored at Annapolis Roads,
at the junction of the Severn River
and the Chesapeake Bay. 1t is ex-
pected that this transfer detail will be
completed in a short time and the
men assigned to their billets aboard
the battleships so that the vessel will
be able to up anchor and start down
the Bay at noon.
Comdr. r. w. WueSt, U. S. Navy,
executive officer of the wyoming, has
forwarded to the various divisions OF
the local battalion schedule OF the
daily operations and routine to be fol-
lowed aboard the ship during the
cruise. With the schedules were in
cluded numerous notes containing in
formation about the ship and the way
the various Reserve units will be
handled on board. This information
will be studied by the Reserve officers
during the week, and is intended to
enable the Regulars and the Reserves
to settle down quickly into their as
signmentS as soon as they get aboard
the vessel.
1t was pointed out by local Reserve
officers that the wyoming now is
operating under reduced complement
for training duty, with the Regular
ships organization skeletoniZed so
that the Naval Reserve divisions as
signed aboard will be given stations
to augment and form an integral
part of the regular division. Expert
enced Reserve officers, 1t is expected,
will be permitted to stand a regular
watch as officer of the deck. Junior
officers, it was explained, will rotate
in standing watch with the different
ships officers, so that they will not
stand watch with the same officer Tor
the entire cruise.
1t was pointed out by local officers
that although the work aboard a
battleship will be new experience for
many members of the local battalion,
the men will have an opportunity to
see every action on board carried out
first by the men of the regular estab-
lishment before such duties are as
signed to them.
Following Lieut.. Sullivan's lecture
on Monday, Lieut.. Comdr. Mark H.
Crouter, U. S. N, inspector OF the
local battalion and officer in charge
of Reserve activities in this district.
gave a short talk at the request OF
the battalion commander on broadslde
battery practice and other pointers on
handling the 5-inch guns for short
range firing on the wyoming. Each
division, it was said, will fire two s.
inch guns. During the target practice
the Reserve outfits will man ship
control and fire-control stations so
far as numbers permit. The officers
of each division will be required 10
fire one string before the practice
begins.
In preparation for the gun drills
the local battalion has done intensive
work with the loading machine at
the ar1nory and also had a number
of lectures from the division gun
merry officers.
In his talk to the officers Comdr.
Crouter pointed out that inasmuch
as many of the men would not have
even heard one of the large guns
fired before that, the nervous tension
of an individual must be overcome
by instilling in each man regular
routine and, in the gun crew as
unit, a sense of rhythm. The COM
mander concluded his remarks by
warning the officers that a single
casualty will ruin good score COM
pletely. Comdr Crouter's remarks
were particularly welcomed at this
time. according to the officers, in that
he was assistant gunnery officer aboard
the battleship Idaho before coming
to Washington. The local battalion
thus had the benefit Of the latest in
formation about gunnery exercises as
held in fleet training.
During the drill periods most Of this
week the sea bags will be closely
checked by the men and officers to
ascertain that each man has the re-
uuired number of uniforms and other
changes of clothing so that he can
make spic appearance at all times,
as the uniform requirements are more
strictly adhered to during daylight
hours, whether in port or at sea, than
on the smaller vessels such as the de-
stroyer type to which the men are
used to serving aboard.
Hammocks will be inspected and
checked and those unfamiliar with
their use will be given further instruc-
tion in lashing them, as there is a
regular way even to tie up the ham,
mocks each morning. using the line
which serves to hang it on the ham,
mock hooks for sleeping at night.
During the day time there is no place
for lounging, except the forecastle
deck and the crew spaces. On the
other hand, on the destroyers the
hunks are ready all the time and men
sometimes lounge in them when off
watch.
Formal exercises and routine drills
are also more strict aboard the big
sJ,ir,S than aboard the small ones and