U.S.A. FLEET.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 February 1925, Page 1

U.S.A. FLEET.

THE PACIFIC CRUISE. SHIPS AND PERSONNEL. 'USTBiLIAN AND N.Z- CABLE ASSOCIATION WASHINGTON, Feb. 12. Commander Halsey Powell, of the Navy Intelligence Department, states that the following is the tentative list of the senior officer personnel commanding the various units of tho Fleet participating in the proposed tour of* Australia and Now Zealand:— Cominander-in-Chief of the United States Fleet: Admiral Coontz, aboard the flagship Seattle, which will bo commanded by Captain W. R. Sayles. Commander-in-Chief of Battle Fleet: Admiral Robinson,’aboard the flagship California, which will be commanded by Captain R. O. Hasbronck. Commander of Battleship Divisions: Vice-Admiral Tf. A. Willey, aboard the flagship West Virginia, commanded by Captain T. .T. Sean. Commander of Battleship Division (Three): Rear-Admiral IT. .T. Ziegomeier, aboard flagship Pennsylvania, eonnnnaded by Captain Tf. Lnnning. Commander of Battleship Division (Four): Rear-Admiral TV. F. Pratt, aboard flagship New Mexico, commanded bv Captain F. If. Brumby. Commander of Destroyer Squadrons of Battle Fleet: Rear-Admiral Frank IT. Schofield, aboard flagship Omaha, which will he commanded bv Captain F. J. Horne.

Commander of Destrover Squadro Eleven: Captain E. H. Dodd, a hoar the flucsbip Melville, which will he com mantled by Captain J. B. Gay. . Division Thirty of Destrover Sound rnn Eleven will be commanded by Com nmnder A. H. Hire: Division Thirty one by Commander B. TL Adams: Di vision Thirty-two by Commander T. C Johnson. The commander of Destroyer Squad ron Twelve will he Captain J. G Church, aboard tho flagship Altair which will bo- commanded by Commander E. P. Finnev. Division Thirty-four of Destrovei Squadron Twelve will lie commanded bv Commander A. Claude: Division Thirty-five bv Commander T. A. Kittinger; Division Thirty-six by Commander B. E. Koch.

Light Cruiser Division Three will be commanded as follows:—Raleigh, by Captain W. C. Watts; Detroit by Captain J. Ilnllignii; Marblehead by Captain (’. Sliackford; Memphis by Captain 11. JO. Lackey. The destroyer Omaha and the tenders Melville and Altair arc newly ineluded. Other auxiliary vessels now scheduled for the Australian trip include the Mine Squadron (2). Ludlow and Burns, also the oil tankers Rainnpo. Speio, Kanwha. Cnvaina, Neelies, with the store ship Arctic, the bridge repair ship Medusa, and the hospital ship Relief, (which will visit Sydney with the battlesliips sind 'Wellington with the destroyers) . The list of port assignments will include the visit of one division of battleships to Melbourne and Wellington. Commander Powell, who will also participate in the Australian visit, was an officer in the 1908 fleet, when lie was navigator aboard the Yankton, which was the advance vessel making preparations for the fleet’s arrival and departure at tin' various ports. Commander Powell on lhaL occasion did valuable work, making soundings off the Australian coasts which are useful for Hie merchant marine. He points out that the technique of making soundings lias much improved since then. The destroyers Corry and Hull, which it, is hoped will make the forthcoming cruise, are equipped with a sonic device which measures the water’s depth automatically.

THE F.S.A. MANOEUVRES. WASHINGTON’, Feb. 13. Further data lias been supplied concerning plans as agreed on by the Army General Stall' and the Navy Department underlying the Hawaiian manoeuvres and the Australian cruise. Hawaii is considered as providing navals with a secure base at the cross-roads mi the Pacific Ocean, and is in advance tjS Alaska-1 ’aeiliv Coast-Panama line, with a fleet based at Oului. it is considered of tbe highest importance ti at the Foiled States should defend the Hawaiian Islands specifically at Oahu, at all hazards. It is believed that lucre will he no difficulty in defending the islands from the sea, became the American Fleet is considered to be slroiigr than that of any other power in the Pacific, because an enemy, in order to attack the Island, would have to come a great distance, and could therefore, be met cm more than even term's by an Amriean fleet at Oahu. 'l’lie General Army Staff do not consider it worth the cost to make Oahu the Gibraltar of the Pacific, because it is felt Unit it is quite unnecessary to make any point impregnable. In cider to have it. accomplish its purpose, it would suffice to make it so strong that its reduction would not be worthy of the cost to an enemy.

It would lie impossible to fortify and defend all the Hawaiian Islands, hut even if an enemy should capture some of them, except Oahu, they would not be of much value to him, since none of them possesses the geographical conformation and the facilities to permit, of its ii.se as a naval base. The contemplated war games envisage on American fleet simulating an attack on Hawaii. It is one approximately of the same size as the largest foreign national fleet operating in the Pacific. A landing force of American marines, playing the part of an enemy, will represent about forty thousand men, each marine representing approximately seven men. The small boats effecting the landings will make the same number of trips between the shore and the boats affecting landings as would be necessary in the event of there being' fully forty thousand men being landed. A garrison of about 15,000 men will defend Oahu. It is believed that the alien population of the Hawaiian Islands are of no value whatsoever to their defence, except as labour, and. in fact, much of this alien population is positively detrimental. The manoeuvres and the cruise are considered to provide a fair test under conditions approximating to those of war : namely, an attack on Oahu by an c’licinv fleet, and its defence by its garrison of naval and military forces; -bringing out, among other things, the sufficient and smooth working of the arrangements made hv tho fleet in at-