Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-24
Naval Reserve
Officer Groups
Are Held Filled
Some Of the
Groups Are Sold
To Be Overloaded

Groups Are Sold
To Be Overloaded
The Naval Reserve has about
reached the saturation point for
commissioned officers, it was indi-
Gated at the Naval Reserve Armory
here last week, and there will be
little or no opportunity for young
men to get into the officer ranks Of
this branch Of the service at least
for nearly a year. With those al
ready available in the reserve list,
and those expected to come from
the training courses, 1t is expected by
the end of next summer, the Navy
will have enough officers to man the
shore stations and what ships will
be available and in need of COM
missioned personnel at that time.
While the local organized battalion
is going right ahead with an inten-
sive drill schedule to keep up its
efficiency while standing by awaiting
the mobilization call which will send
1t to sea, the headquarters office
here is still handling enlisted men,
seeking enough to bring the present
divisions up to the increased strength
of 100 enlisted men each. Vacancies
are being gradually filled and it is
hoped that the limit will be reached
before the call to sea Is received here.
The local reserve, it was said, sent
away last week its last group of men
who are to try for commissions as
ensigns in the Naval Reserve, after
q period of intensive training and
instruction. These applicants, en-
listed as seamen, second class, are
being sent to a battleship, where
they will be given 80 days of sea
training, during which period they
will be under the close observation
of officers Of the regular establish
ment. Those who are found inapt
for the service will be given dis
charges, If they fail to pass, and on
the other hand. 1t was said, if the
men find that they do not like the
service, they will be eligible to apply
| for discharge.
Those who pass the tests and the
observations, will be sent to some
college where the Navy has estab-
lished forced draft courses in naval
studies. for a period of 60 days in
struction, the successful completion
of which will result in the men being
commissioned as ensigns in the
Naval Reserve and sent to set i'm
mediately. Those even primarily ac-
cepted for the preliminary training
must have back of them at least
two years of college work, success
fully completed.
1t was announced the Navy will be
! unable to take any men in this class
until the first of next September.
This, 1t was said, because all of the
facilities at the college where the
Navy is giving the instruction have
been filled to capacity.
The demand for officers will be
alleviated somewhat, it was indi-
Gated. by the fact that when mer-
chantships are taken over as auxil-
iaries for the feet they will be
Differed by the men who are oper-
atlng them in their private capacity.
Many Of the officers of these ships
are commissioned in the Naval Re-
serve and all the Navy will have TO
do when it takes ship over is to
direct mobilization of the officers.
This fact leads to the belief, 1t was
said, that the officers in the organ
lied branch of the Reserve, the sea-
going branch, will be used largely
for duty aboard combat ships after
they are called into the service.
Probably most of them will be sent
| to destroyers and vessels about this
class. including the patrol boats.
When the local battalion is called
into service for its period of train
ing it will not include the special
Naval Academy Candidate Division,
composed of enlisted men of the
Naval Reserve who are seeking ap-
poptments to the United States
Naval Academy as midshipmen
through the Naval Reserve. The
successful ones will be sent to the
academy in the class to enter on
July /. 1t was pointed out that the
Navy Department had decided that
these men would be more valuable
to the service as potential officers
than they would be at being sent
to sea as seamen, second class, espe-
cially in view of the fact that the
naval authorities want to keep the
academy going with full capacity
OF midshipmen at all times.
At the same time, it was an
nounced that the departure of the
local battalion would not change the
opportunity for young men to seek
appointment to the academy from
the Reserve. Enlistments will be
received for this purpose for the
class which Is to go to the academy
on July l, 1912. The men must have
served a year in the Reserve in
order to be eligible to take the
entrance and competitive examina-
lions. In view of the fact that the
candidates must be below 81 wears
of age they would not be eligible to
selection under the draft law and,
therefore, could give their time in
training in the Reserve at the same
time that they are preparing to
take the entrance tests to the Naval
Academy. The local battalion, as it
has in the past, expects to capture
the largest number of vacancies.
The Reserve is allowed so appoint
mentS in each class and in addition
it receives the vacancies which the
regular Navy is unable to fill from
its ranks. The latter is allowed 100
appointments.
The Naval Reserve is still seeking
young men not only trained in radio
and other forms of communications
work, but wants men who are inter-
ested. Those who would like to enter
this branch may apply to the local
Naval Reserve headquarters in the
Washington Navy Yard, where they