Four American naval heroes : $b Paul Jones, Oliver H. Perry, Admiral Farragut, Admiral Dewey; a book for young AmericansBeebe, Mabel Borton
History
Four American naval heroes : $b Paul Jones, Oliver H. Perry, Admiral Farragut, Admiral Dewey; a book for young Americans
Beebe, Mabel Borton
Dewey, George, 1837-1917; Farragut, David Glasgow, 1801-1870; Jones, John Paul, 1747-1792; Perry, Oliver Hazard, 1785-1819
At eight o'clock, he is dressed for the day, and the colors go up. From
then until six o'clock in the evening he is busy with different drills
and duties about the ship. In the evening, from six until eight o'clock,
Jacky has an easy time. It is then that he takes his ease, smoking his
pipe and singing his songs.
At nine o'clock "taps" are sounded, and once more he rolls up in his
hammock for the night.
Saturday is mending day, and every man must do his own work. Some of the
men make their own clothes, although there is a tailor on board. In the
ship's crew there are also barbers, shoemakers, and printers.
On Sunday morning, the captain goes about the ship and gravely inspects
the men, and it is then that each one tries to look his best. Then they
must all attend religious services, after which they rest most of the
day.
The marines on a ship-of-war are men about whom most people know
nothing. A marine is not a sailor. He is a soldier who does duty on a
warship. He is a kind of policeman, and sees that Jacky behaves himself.
He wears a soldier's uniform and has soldier's drills.
The marines have their own mess and their own sleeping space, forming a
community of their own.
Perhaps some boys and girls may think that the captain and his officers
have a much easier time than Jacky or the marines. This is not so. In
the first place, they had many studies to master before they could be
officers. They had to learn a great deal about mathematics, mechanical
and electrical engineering, navigation, gunnery, and international law.
And then these studies are never ended; the progress that is made in
them, each year all over the world, must be known by each officer.
The officers are responsible for the lives of the crew and the safety of
the ship. They must be ready to think and act quickly in emergencies. In
hours of peril they never leave their posts.
XI.--SOME FACTS ABOUT THE NAVY OF 1898.
The Constitution of the United States provides that the President shall
be commander-in-chief not only of the army but also of the navy. His
chief assistant in the management of naval affairs is the Secretary of
the Navy, who is also a member of his cabinet.
In 1898 the Navy Department of the United States was just one hundred
years old, having been organized in 1798 with Benjamin Stoddert as
Secretary.
The work of the department is divided among eight bureaus, as follows:
1. The Bureau of Yards and Docks, which is intrusted with the
construction and maintenance of docks and wharves, and with all civil
engineering work in the navy yards.
2. The Bureau of Navigation, which superintends the education of
officers and men, controls the enlistment of men and apprentices, and
directs the movements of ships and fleets.
3. The Bureau of Equipment, which attends to the manufacture of ropes,
anchors, cables, and other articles required for the equipment of naval
vessels, purchases coal for their use, and controls the Naval
Observatory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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