Evening star., 1940-05-31
Plans 10 SfreamIine
Annapolis Course
Reported Ready
Demand for Officers
Likely to Speed Up
Academy Work
BY JACK STINNETT.

Plans are afoot for the United
States Navy to streamline its Naval
Academy course at Annapolis to
three years to meet the demand for
officers in the vast expansion of our
sea power.
According to grapevine informa-
ton, Annapolis officials already have
the new course mapped out and on
less than 24-hour notice from the
Navy Department could put the
streamlining into effect to give our
fighting ships 165 more ensigns a
year than they're getting now.
The plan, of course, would have
no effect on the 500 young men who
are getting their stripes in June
but the second classmen (juniorsI :,
numbering more than 600, probably
would be kept from their summer
cruise to South America. Instead
they would grind away in intensive
training and be graduated at mid
year early in 1941.
The 1900 other young men in the
academy and the new class of plebes
would be thrown into a speedup
curriculum of high-gear training.
Frills Would Go.
A lot of the frills and furbelows
of modern education would be
dropped. The advanced courses in
English, for example, probably would
go overheard. You don't need
knowledge of restoration comedy to
bawl out orders from the bridge of
. plunging cruiser or a familiarity
with the verse forms of Beowulf to
crack commands down an engine
room speaking tube.
Also tapped for dismissal are some
Of the foreign language courses. A
lot of the social activities at the
academy would be cut off. In the
time thus saved the young sea dogs
would concentrate on technical
studies. such as navigation, gunnery,
electricity and steam.
1t begins to appear that the coun-
try's rapidly expanding naval pro-
gram already has created shortage
Of young officers in the feet.
1t was partially to offset this that
the order was issued that only those
youngsters in the 1910 graduating
class who are physically unfit will
be allowed to resign. In the past,
when there was no shortage of off,
GERS, the young men could resign on
graduation.
The officers detached from the
fleet for postgraduate study at the
Annapolis postgraduate school also
have been ordered back to active
duty. A third measure to fill the
gaps was taken recently when many
officers retired from active duty for
physical disability or some such
were called to the academy to be-
come instructors, releasing abler
officers for fleet duty.
Ships Reconditioned.
One factor which has created the
demand has been reconditioning of
q large number of World War de-
stroyers. These are a little dis
paragingly referred to by some of
the young Navy boys as a bunch
Of old cans and they are not to be
used for anything at the moment
but Atlantic patrol duty, but they
have to be officered and manned
just as well as the crack ships in the
Pacific battle fleet.
If the order comes down to
streamline the academy training,
1t won't be the first time. During
the World War, Annapolis was on
such schedule, turning out classes
at midyear, the classes being known
rs l9l7-A, 1917-B and so on.
Army officials say that plans for
Army expansion will not necessi-
tate any changes at West Point
There, during the World War, how
ever, the officers training course
was virtually blitzkrieged; classes
being graduated not only at the
end of three years, but at the end
OF two, and one class, pushed out
In November, 1918, had only a little
more than a years concentrated
schooling. These youngsters, how
ever, were returned to the academy
later for further training
Present Army increase plans will
create demand for more officers,
but reserve officers may be taken on
for extended service Of from six
months to one year.