Evening star., 1938-09-25
TRAINING SHIP USE
Will Be CHECKED
Semi.Annual Reports to Be
Required on Vessel
Activities.

Plans are being made by the Navy
Department to keep a check on the
use made by Naval Reserve units Of
the vessels assigned to them for train
ing purposes and Of the officers and
men who participate. Also any other
duty performed by the Reservists,
without pay, is to be made matter
of record in the future, in accordance
with instructions just issued by the
Bureau of Navigation. =
In the future week end cruises aboard
vessels assigned to the units will no
longer be known as such, but Reserv-
lists performing cruises or other forms
of group training duty of this nature
will be issued written orders thereto
as training duty without pay and an
entire group will be covered in a
single set of orders. While the Navy
Department says that it does not desire
the commandants of naval districts to
send copies of these orders to the
department, nevertheless 1t has issued
instructions that records of these
cruises and personnel participating be
maintained, and appropriate entries
will be made in the service records
of the participants.
The bureau has informed the COM
mandants that every six months they
will require report giving the fol-
lowing information: The name of the
vessel or station, dates on which
group periods OF training were per-
formed, average number of officers
participating, average number of men
participating, average miles steamed
or hours flown, total number of differ
ent officers participating, total number
OF different men participating and the
total miles steamed or hours flown.
These semi-annual figures will give
the Navy Department close check on
the amount of use to which a training
vessel is being put, and how much
interest is being shown by the officers
and men in volunteering for this duty.
Sun-tanned and hardened after IA
days on the North Atlantic, the three
divisions Of the 1st Battalion of Dis
trict Naval Reserves returned to the
city Friday. and after being paid of
for their period of active service were
placed on the inactive list for another
year.
The cruise was aboard the battleship
Texas, to Caribbean and Cuban waters
After spending the first week getting
accustomed to the details of duty
aboard the big ship. and perfecting
themselves in handling the big guns,
they were taken to sea for divisional
target practice The scores made are
secret but some time later the Reserv-
lists will be informed as to how they
stood in their firing as compared with
the other Naval Reserve units through
out the country.
In view of the fact that each of the
three divisions here is trained habit
ually to form the nucleus of a
destroyer crew in the event they are
called into active service at the time
of an emergency, this probably will
be the last battleship cruise in which
it will participate for several years.
Next year, it is expected, it will return
to its usual custom of going to sea
aboard destroyers of the Atlantic
Training Squadron
The local unit is preparing to have
open house on Navy Day, October ~,
Yhen visitors are received and enter
tanned. All Naval Reserve vessels will
be open to the public during the
entire day. as well as Naval Reserve
armories.
1t Is hoped that the local Reservists
will have their new training ship here
by that time, and If it is it probably
will be on display at the Washington
Navy Yard. According to present
plans, the ship will be ready early in
October, when a crew of men will be
sent to the Charleston IS. c. Navy
Yard to bring it here.
The department informed the local
Reservists that 1t is desirable that drills
and other exercises be held at the
armories on the evening of Navy Day
and that the public be invited to
attend, but these special drills or
exercises are not to replace the regular
weekly scheduled drills of the Organ
lied Reserve.
The Navy Department is arranging
for a special combined Navy Day
demonstration Of the surface and avi-
alton branches of the Organized
Reserves Of the 1st, Sd and 4th
Naval Districts. in conjunction with the
Naval Communication Reserve. The
department also said that it will be
in order for the commanding officers
OF Naval Reserve organizations to pay
calls upon local, Federal, State and
municipal officials, extending them
personal invitations to visit and In
spect their various commands. They
have been urged to cooperate with
local or State Navy Day committees
in celebrating the day.
The services OF individual Naval
Reserve officers will be utilized in
every practicable way in assisting the
Navy League in bringing the Navy to
the attention of the public. The
theme to be stressed on the day is:
THE Navy-Our First Line OF De-
fense."
The Naval Reserve Inspection Board
this year will be composed of one
captain. who will be designated as
president of the board; at least two
other officers of the line of the Navy
and one additional officer not below
the rank of lieutenant commander,
who is to be naval aviator. Sub
boards will be appointed to inspect
the Organized Reserves beyond the
continental limits Of the United
States.
The aviation member of the board
will assist In the inspections of all
Naval Reserve aviation bases and
organized squadrons. Not less than
two members of the board will be
required to inspect each organized
division, squadron or Reserve aviation
base within the continental limits of
the United States.
The board will report to the chief of
the Bureau of Navigation upon De