Evening star., 1937-04-18
DRILL ATTENDANCE
CUP IS AWARDED
Third Reserve Division Gets
Award for Second
Time.

lme.
For excellence in drill attendance
Tor the year just concluded, the Sd
Fleet Division of the 1St Battalion,
United States Naval Reserves in the
District of Columbia, was honored by
having the trophy for such distinc-
ton formally presented last week by
Rear Admiral Adolphus Andrews,
chief of the Bureau of Navigation of
the Navy Department.
This is the second consecutive year
this division, which is commanded
by Lieut.. F. S. Kirk, won the trophy.
II it wins it third time it will become
the permanent property OF this divi-
sion. The officers will then be faced
with the problem of providing a new
cup. The present one WAS donated
by group of Naval Reserve officers
employed in the former United States
Shipping Board, which has now be-
come a part of the United States
Maritime Commission.
The cup was given for the purpose
OF stimulating attendance at drills
Officers said it has accomplished it's
purpose we'll, as the attendance has
shown marked improvement from the
date the trophy was first put in COM
petition.
In addition to Admiral Andrews, the
ceremony was witnessed by a distin-
guished audience of other naval Off
GERS, among them Rear Admiral Pet
tingel, commandant of the Washing
ton Navy Yard and head of Naval
Reserve activities in the city; Capt
w. o. Spears, chief of the Naval Re-
serve Division in the Navy Depart
ment, and Lieut. Comdr. Lyman c.
Perry, aide to the Navy Yard COM
mandant.
Admiral Andrews was rendered all
the honors due his rank as he en-
tered the battalion, similar to hon.
ors which are given an officer board
ing ship. There were sideboys at
the gangway, boatswain piped him
'over the side" where he was met by
the Reserve battalion commander,
Lieut.. James E. Sullivan.
Admiral Andrews made a detailed
inspection of the personnel and
watched the divisions put through a
series of drills, including battle prob
lem on the fire control erected in the
armory.
= The name of the division and it's
commanding officer as well as the per-
centage of drill attendance, is engraved
on the cup.
Other individual awards will be made
subsequent to the annual inspection.
These will include three gold medals,
one to the enlisted men in each of the
three divisions who has contributed
most to the efficiency of the division
during the year. Their names have
not yet been selected.
The award is based generally on
leadership and in reaching a conclu-
sion the board of officers which makes
the selection takes into consideration
the number of Bureau of Navigation
correspondence courses which the man
completes, the number of extra hours
of work he puts in at the armory, in
addition to the one drill a week. In
order to even be considered, it was
pointed out, a man must attend every
ordered drill during the competition
year.
These medals are given each year to
the battalion by the same group of
shipping men employees who contrib
uted the attendance cup, it was said
ta 1rtf fnI trYa Inrf
which has been at the Washington
Navy Yard for several months for,
training the Reserves. is now making
series of cruises in the Potomac
River and Chesapeake Bay in connec-
tion with some naval tests. Two men
from the Naval Communications Re-
serve have been ordered to duty
aboard her for period of five days.
During this period the reservists in
the lst Battalion will have little oppor-
tunity to use her for drill purposes.
Furthermore, they are making prep
arations for their annual inspection.
AS this will be held in the armory, the
officers have decided it is best for
them to devote the time in preparing
for these in the area in which the
' board will examine them
Next Tuesday night will be the last
period before the inspection on the
night Of April 26. Every detail Of the
inspection program will be gone over
by the officers, who will be aided in
the work by Lieut.. Comdr. Charles B.
McVay, jr., U. S. Navy, instructor of
the local contingent and in charge OF
all Naval Reserve activities in the
District of Columbia
The attention of Naval Reserve Or
CARNATIONS has been called by the
Navy Department that it has for dis
tribution some equipment which has
been salvaged from destroyers about
to be scrapped Among the material
are number of ships bells and steer
ing wheels which come under the
category of relics and are issued by
the Bureau of Construction and Repair
to Naval Reserve organizations, on the
request of the Bureau of Navigation.
Figures made public by the Navy
Department show there are 1856 en-
rollees in the correspondence courses
of the Navy as Of February last. The
courses were divided as follows: Navi-
cation, %; seamanship, IA; gunnery,
8; Navy regulations, "a; visual COM
: munications, TO- engineering, IL; inter-
national law, l; military law, 8, and
naval intelligence, Is.