Evening star., 1940-08-25
Naval Reservists
Developing Gun
Crews for Cruise
Other Preparations
Being Made for
Tour of SEQ Duty


seas taking their annual period of
sea training. They will go aboard
three destroyers of the Atlantic fleet
which will keep them at sea most of
the period, and during which they
will be given an opportunity of
seeing how the American neutrality
patrol operates off the Atlantic coast.
They will get brief period of shore
leave at Charleston, S. c.. after
which they will have their annual
target practice.
Target practice training is being
given considerable attention by the
division officers of the local battalion
who are drilling their crews in
cessantly. in order that the organ
ization may keep up the record
which it made on the cruises last
-ear. They have the advantage this
year of lot of new enuipment in
the armorv to develon this feature
of their training and the officers are
hopeful that thev will return with
such high scores that other divisions
throughout the countrv will be un-
able to top them while on their
training periods.
Although the divisions have been
losing men who have volunteered
for active duty with the feet. the
large influx of new applicants has
enabled the divisions to fill their
vacant ranks. So. it IS expected
that all of them will go aboard the
destrovers at the WASHINGTON Navy
Yard with their full comnlements.
In view of the fact that the
divisions are expected to take a
large number of new men with them
on the cruise. it is believed that
after many of them have been to sea
and have gotten a taste Of the serv-
Ice. that their return to the city
will be marked bv number OF
applications for active service. This
means that those who stav behind
in the local battalion will have A
large turnover during the armory
period after their return. This is
predicated on the delav in any order
of the President declaring the
existence of full emergency. Until
such a proclamation is issued, men,
bers of the Naval Reserve cannot be
ordered to active dutv without their
consent, but after that they have
no choice.
With the constant increase in the
size of the fleet as new vessels are
placed in commission. it is expected
demands of the Navv on the Naval
Reserve will constantly increase and
If it is found that officers and men
are not volunteering in sufficient
numbers it NAV be necessary to de-
clare the existence of a full emer-
gency. Although the country may
not actually be at war it was pointed
out that the availability of number
of ships without personnel. parti-
cularlv commissioned perssonel to
operate them would be serious
emergency. Although the deDart-
ment has called for officers and has
been calling for them for some
months. there have not enough re-
sponded to meet the demand In
its calls, however. the Navy indi-
Gated that it wanted officers who
could respond without serious eco
nomic loss. In other words, it has
indicated that the service would not
be for more than a year. or at least
would not guarantee a period of
service longer than that, therefore, it
did not want responses from people
who might have to give up their jobs
only to be forced into the army of
unemployed should there be a sud-
den cessation of the present emer-
gency.
Up to the current time there has
been no open discussion of plan for
calling the Naval Reserve into act
i've service for period of year as
has been planned for the National
Guard. However, those conver-
SAINT with Naval Reserve affairs point
out that most ofthe officers and men
now in the Naval Reserve are those
who have come into the service
since the end Of the last conflict,
Many of those who served in the
last world conflict have either
reached the age limits or have
passed out of the service because of
the pressure of their civilian jobs.
The question has been raised, how
eyre, as to whether the Naval Re-
servists should not be given the
same opportunities to get first-hand
training for long period at sea. as
is being planned for the National
Guard on the shore While they
have been trained in the rudiments
of theil jobs, many of them have
never had any long term service
In the operations of vessels in for
nations, and this is particularly
true of the officers, nor have they
been engaged in any fleet battle
problems and tactics, all of which
is quite different from the mere
duties of ship operation in vessels
operating singly
The next two weeks will be crowd
ed with active prepara tions for the
cruise.
AS each man steps aboard the
destroyer he will be given a ticket
showing where he is to sleep during
the period of the cruise, where he
will eat, his station while under
way and at anchor, his station for
battle, collision and abandon ship,
and as the vessels steam down the
Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay
heading for the Atlantic the men
will be given an opportunity to ia
miliarize themselves with their sta
tions, so that the serious work of
drilling can get under way. It will
be two weeks of intensive drilling,
so that when the vessels return the
whole complement will be ready to
go to sea on moments notice on
any ships that they may be assigned
to. Primarily, the citizen sailors
are trained as destroyer men, but
with ships of various types being
constructed for the Navy, they may
be sent to any duty.
Rninhow Division