With the Battle Fleet.
by Franklin Matthews.
INTRODUCTORY
On December 16, 1907, there sailed from Hampton Roads, bound for San Francisco, a fleet of sixteen American battleships, the most powerful collection of warships ever a.s.sembled under the American flag and about to undertake the longest cruise that any fleet of any nation had ever made. It was ordered to make this journey of about 14,000 miles by President Roosevelt, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy by virtue of his office, for reasons which he did not deem wise to make public fully and which up to this writing have not been revealed. In his annual message submitted to Congress a few days before the fleet sailed the President designated the fleet, still known officially as the U. S. Atlantic Fleet, as the Battle Fleet.
Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans was in command of the fleet, of the first squadron and of the first division of the first squadron. The ships of his division were the Connecticut, (Captain H. Osterhaus), Kansas (Captain C. E. Vreeland), Vermont (Captain W. P. Potter) and Louisiana (Captain Richard Wainwright). The ships of the second division of the first squadron were commanded by Rear Admiral William H. Emory and were the Georgia (Captain H. McCrea), New Jersey (Captain W. H. H.
Southerland), Rhode Island (Captain J. B. Murdock) and Virginia (Captain S. Schroeder). The second squadron of the fleet and its third division were commanded by Rear Admiral Charles M. Thomas, and the ships of his division were the Minnesota (Captain J. Hubbard), Ohio (Captain C. W.
Bartlett), Missouri (Captain G. A. Merriam) and the Maine (Captain G. B.
Harber). The ships of the fourth division were commanded by Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry, and his ships were the Alabama (Captain T. E. DeW.
Veeder), Illinois (Captain J. M. Bowyer), Kearsarge (Captain H.
Hutchins) and Kentucky (Captain W. C. Cowles). There were about 14,000 men on the ships and the value of the vessels and stores was about $100,000,000.
The following compilation shows where the fleet stopped, how long each stay was and the distance travelled.
Sailed from Hampton Roads, Va., December 16, 1907.
Arrived Port of Spain, December 23, 1907; sailed December 29, 1907; 1,594.7 knots; time 7 days 9 hours.
Arrived Rio de Janeiro, January 12, 1908; sailed January 22, 1908; 3,225 knots; time, 13 days 20 hours.
Arrived Possession Bar, Chile, January 31, 1908; sailed February 1, 1908; 2,076 knots; time, 9 days.
Arrived Punta Arenas, Chile, February 1, 1908; sailed February 7, 1908; 75 knots; time, 9 hours.
Arrived Callao, Peru, February 20, 1908; sailed February 29, 1908; 2,693 knots; time, 12 days 10 hours.
Arrived Magdalena Bay, Mexico, March 12, 1908; sailed April 11, 1908; 3,025 knots; time, 12 days 23 hours.
Arrived San Diego, Cal., April 14, 1908; sailed April 18, 1908; 590 knots; time, 2 days 21 hours.
Arrived San Pedro, Cal., April 18, 1908; sailed April 25, 1908; 75 knots; time, 9 hours.
Arrived Santa Barbara, Cal., April 25, 1908; sailed April 30, 1908; 85 knots; time, 10 hours.
Arrived Monterey, Cal., May 1, 1908; sailed May 2, 1908; 210 knots; time, 25 hours.
Arrived Santa Cruz, Cal., May 2, 1908; sailed May 5, 1908; 15 knots; time, 2 hours.
Arrived San Francisco Lightship, May 5, 1908; sailed May 6, 1908; 60 knots; time, 6 hours.
Arrived San Francisco, Cal., May 6, 1908; 15 knots; time, 2 hours. Total knots, 13,738.
Actual time of cruising, 61 days 19 hours.
The departure of the fleet excited intense interest throughout the civilized world. Its progress was watched with eagerness at home and abroad. The letters printed herewith record what took place on this momentous journey, and they const.i.tute practically a chronological story of the cruise. Every word of them was pa.s.sed upon by duly appointed naval officers with the fleet. Their accuracy therefore must be unquestioned. They were written for The Sun of New York and they were printed originally by that newspaper and its clients simultaneously throughout the country. They are reproduced by the special permission of the Sun Printing and Publishing a.s.sociation and in response to a large number of written and oral requests that a permanent record be made of the cruise and its incidents.
The author takes pleasure in making acknowledgment of the kindly co-operation of Lieut. F. Taylor Evans of the Louisiana in the preparation of the letters and in the elimination of technical naval errors through his watchful supervision. The author is also under obligations to very many officers of the fleet, especially to Lieutenant Commander C. T. Jewell, navigator of the Louisiana, for suggestions and for a.s.sistance in gathering information, as well as for the cordiality with which he and the other correspondents, all of whom were sent with the fleet by special direction of the President, were received on the ships.
F. M.
New York, July 1, 1908.
WITH THE BATTLE FLEET
CHAPTER I
FROM HAMPTON ROADS TO TRINIDAD
Run of the Battleships Down to the West Indies--The "Sweet Sixteen" Quick to Get Down to Business After the Sentiment of the Good-by--Formation of the Fleet--Difficulties of Maintaining the Proper Distances--Naval Routine--Gospel of Neatness-- Neptune"s Preparations for Celebrating the Crossing of the Line--Arrival at Trinidad.
_On Board U.S.S. Louisiana, U. S. Battle Fleet,_ TRINIDAD, Dec. 24.
"I call "em "Sweet Sixteen", sir," said the bos"n"s mate to the Sun correspondent as Admiral Evans in the flagship Connecticut led the battle fleet past the capes of the Chesapeake out to sea just before noon on December 16 and the gentle swells lifted and lowered the bows of one ship after another to nod their own farewells to the Mayflower at anchor near the Tail of the Horseshoe.
The officers and men had stood at attention to receive the good-by and G.o.dspeed of the President, and they had thundered their farewells to him from the throats of the 3-pounder barkers that spat fire and snorted out great puffs of smoke, but when each ship began to find herself she too made her good-by as only a dignified ship could make it, taking no orders from Admiral or Captain as to when and how often she should bow to the ship that carried the President.
A stiff northwest wind seized hold of the great streamers of smoke that poured over the tops of smoke-pipes, and as these streamers frayed themselves out against the blue sky and the bright sun the breeze seemed to lift them toward the southeastern heavens, where some power wove them together to pull the ships along and give them a fine sendoff. All of Monday and Tuesday whoever it was in the kingdom of Old Boreas that was doing the tugging on the ships made a good job of it, for practically every vessel in the fleet had to check speed constantly.
Admiral Evans had his own notions as to the way a great fleet should set sail on a prolonged voyage, and his commanding officers got down to business in a jiffy. All acted as if sending a fleet of sixteen battleships on a 14,000 mile cruise were a mere matter of ordinary routine. The officers of the deck on all the ships were concerned chiefly about keeping their proper distances, the navigators were taking bearings and already getting ready for figuring out lat.i.tudes and longitudes, the executive officers were going about to see that everything was in proper order for routine at sea and the captains were mostly on the bridges casting their eyes about and keeping their ears open, alert to correct any move that might mar the performance of their ships in the fleet formation.
Below decks in engine and fire rooms, and in all the other of the scores of places where men watch and work in a warship, routine was established quickly.
It was all very businesslike. Every ship was doing the same thing at the same time. True, the fleet had started for San Francisco, but that was a mere detail, so little has the matter of destination to do with perfecting drill on a warship.
[Ill.u.s.tration: _Copyright by Pictorial News Co._
The Fleet Leaving Hampton Roads]
Getting away from Hampton Roads may have sent a lump into many a man"s throat, but not one showed it. On every ship the band was playing the usual good-by medley composed of "Home, Sweet Home," "The Girl I Left Behind Me" and "Auld Lang Syne." The middle part of the medley brought thumping of many feet on the deck, but there was silence and stern looks ahead when the beginning and end were reached, over and over again.
A staff officer on the Louisiana showed the att.i.tude of the naval man.
He had told his wife and family exactly where to go in a remote but conspicuous place on the ramparts of old Fort Monroe so that he could distinguish them easily with his gla.s.s. He had told them he would be on the after bridge. When the ship came near the station of his family he stole far out on the bridge, fixed his gla.s.s on the family group and waved and waved his handkerchief. The answer came quickly and the flashes seemed to be wigwags, such as a naval officer"s wife might be expected to know.
The officer stood it for about two minutes. Then he pulled himself together sharply, turned and walked away. He walked over to a group of his mates.
"Did you make out your people, Jones?" asked one of them who had noted what was going on.
"I believe they were over there somewhere in the crowd," was the reply with an apparently unconcerned smile.
He had finished with that side of his existence. From now on he knew no family; his duty was to his flag and ship. What was that signal at the forward truck? Had anybody made it out? His heartstrings were out of sight and he was thankful they were.