The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-25

| NUSe F1eet, tAe MllpS LnNt TUG uTy ul and bowling wind Of the Arctic OcI
 In R weeks Arctic operation aboard heavy cruiser last month, found some truth in that There is much less motion, Where de- stroyers arc tossed Rkout- violently, and battsships crash solldly and jarringly Into the seas, the cruisers yield to the blows and ride them out better than the bRttleships, and at the same time withstand them better than destroyers. Spray and seas come over less frequently than In deStroyers, The larger scale of the ship allows more comfort, and the greater security allows such comforts Of baths at soR and un- dressing for bed,
 But there's another side to the story, Tho cruisers have ranges double or better thosc of dGstroycrs and often stay at sea longer, While tlestroyers have to enter port Rt regular and comparatively short intervals for boiler-cleaning, the cruisers may go months at time without refit, repair or overhaul OK. lcnsive enough to grant the men extended leave,
 Recently I visited R cruiser which hnd gone nine months without homo leave for her mrn, then came in for reflt, and since then had again been operating for six months without q break, Her commanding officer estimated it would Do at least another three months, barring damage in action, before she would again need enough reflt to allow home leave.
 Tho cruisers arc tho utility ships of the Blue Nose Fleet, intended to engage the enemy at any weight from battlcship on down. Packing more punch than destroyer, the cruiser Is supposed to rely on its superior speed, maneuVerabllity, and rapid rate of fire to engage . heavier ship 1T the occasion re. quires, Witness the Graf Spec ace ton, in which the German pockct- battleship's broadsido was 4,700 lbs. against tho 2,l36 of the Ajax( Achilles and Exeter combined,
 That's not to say tlcstroyers don't fight out of their weight clabses ns well, Captain Sherbr00ko Of the Onsl0w and his flotlllN showed New Years Eve how well they can do it. But the difference is that they are not expected to take on an over whclmlngly heavier enemy if major stratcglc considerations do not flat ly demand 1t.
 An example shows what cruiser may be sent up against, with in- structlonS to engage, delay, or shadow. Officers of cruiser which had spent tome time fin the Den mark Strait between Greenland and Iceland told mo that on one occasion aircraft reported the Tlr- pitz, ono pocketbattleship, 6 Hlp- per class cruiser, and three destroy es passing through the Strait, The British cruiser was ordered to es- tabllsh and maintain contact, If possible delaying the enemy until heavier units could come into ac- ton The example doesn't go ke- yond orders and intentions, for the reported force turned out to be m American batlleship of the Wash. ington class with two heavy crui- sers and destroyers,
 In any event, cruisers best chance of overcoming heavier en- cmy is to get in the first punch and cripple him before his heavier guns can score. Az q result, the men in n cruiser at sea are ct action stations daily at dawn, when the growing light extends visibility rapidly. If the darkness has concealed ah en- emy ship which suddenly becomes visible with tho dawn, the cruiser will be ready with that first punch
 Men Eager for Battle
 Action stations generally are cx- ercised at dusk as well, but more for the purpoDe Of exercise ard to assure that the switch-over from day to night action routine has been completed.
 The cruiser accompanied on Arctic patrol had not been in sur face action for about two years, and her company was spelling for fight. Twice during the opera ton, gongs and bugles sounded action stations" at other than the times set for dawn and dusk ex- erclse, and posts were manned in what seemed like seconds. Both were Salse alarms, and both appar- ently great disappolntments to the officers and ratings alike.
 Tn this cruiser for the first time 1 found first names and nicknames more commonly used than sur names, ranks or duties among the wardrobe officers. Tn the destroy CT with which had previously made Q months patrol. ! rarely rare. y