Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 September 1900 — THE AMERICAN NAVY [ARTICLE]

THE AMERICAN NAVY

Work of Preparing It for the War with Spain, Credit Should Be Given to Those Who Administer Its Affairs —Difficulty of Buying and Equipping Auxiliary Vessels Doubling the Force of

Under the present administration the navy has shown itself worthy of its best traditions. The great victories at Manila Bay and Santiago were in no sense accidents: —They were the results of years of careful training of officers and men and the thorough preparation of the fleets for the crucial test of war. For this preparation, this .readiness to meet the supreme moment for which a navy is constructed .and maintained, those who administer the affairs of the navy should have credit. The' glory goes to our .he- • roes who are in command afloat, and to those officers and men who seize the opportunities es war to render conspicuous, service; but in remembering them one should not forget those who labor without ceasing to secure the fleet in a condition of high efficiency, and to place at the disposal of the commanding officers an abundance of supplies, without which the fleet is powerless. As early os Jap. 11, ISOS, more than a month before the Maine was destroyed in the harbor of Havana, the Secretary of the Navy begiin to mobilize the ships of the navy and to take such measures as would place at the disposal of the officers in command the full measure of our naval force. Immediately upon the passage of the bill appropriating $50,000,000 for the national defense, a board was organized for the purchasjpof auxiliary ships, and after careful examination 102 ships of various types were secured at a total cost of $17,956,850. Of these vessels but two, the New Orleans and the Al'batty, were strictly vessels of war. The others were merchant ships, pleasure yachts, tugs, etc., which were rapidly overhauled at the different navy yards provided with such light armor protection as wjts practical, and suitably armed. Between March 16 and June 30 all the 6« vessels were purchased and as rapidly as overhauled were placed in commission and mit into active service^The^_

•the sick and wounded the Solace was fitted out as a complete hospital, and to make repairs to vessels at sea the Vulcan was fitted out as a modern machine shop. In order to meet the increased demands on the navy yards, it was necessary to practically double the force between Feb. 15 and the middle of April. l'n addition to the ships which were added to the navy by purchase, fifteen revenue cutters and four lighthouse tenders were transferred from the Treasury Department to the navy, and four of the great steamers of the International Navigation Company and one of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company were chartered. There were in all 128 ships added .to the regular naval establishment, and it became at onc-e necessary to provide officers and men to man them. For this purpose 225 officers on the retired list were ordered to active duty, 850 officers were appointed for temporary service, and the enlisted force was increased from 12,500 to over 24,000 men. It was an enormous undertaking to make all these additional ships ready for war service, to secure the necessary guns for them, and to keep the fleets supplied with coal, ammunition and provisions. But this was only a part of the work which the Navy Department had in hand. For the protection of the coasts of the United States an auxiliary naval force was created, which was officered and manned by the naval militia of the United States. A coast signal service was established, which kept practically our entire coast line from Maine to Texas under observation, to give warning of the approach of an enemy’s vessel or of suspicious craft of any kind. The operations of the fleets of the Asiatic and North Atlantic squadrons are so well known that it is hardly necessary to speak of them in any detail. Their work was so well done that the power of Spain was swept from the sea, and Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines, which she had misgoverned for centuries, were taken from under her dominion. >