INTRODUCTORY.
Signalling, according to the opinion of the Fire Control Board appointed December 14, 1909, and approved by the Secretary of the Navy, is one of the four essentials of a ship's battle efficiency. The signals are in a great measure confidential, and our books and methods are becoming more complicated every year. In spite of all, signalling is left very much to the individual ship's signal officer, which results in almost entire lack of system and consequent lack of efficiency in signalling throughout the fleet.
The army has a separate signal corps. It does not follow that the navy must have, but a separate signal branch would certainly result in much greater efficiency in signals.
FAULTS OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM.
There is no well established method of training for signalmen. At the Great Lakes Training Station, and at other stations where classes have been established, the men are chosen from volunteers, for the most part. Men who appear to be exceptionally bright are urged to go into the signal squad, but there is usually nothing compulsory about it. Once in a signal class, the recruit is left to the instruction of a chief petty officer, because the officer in charge of signals has too many other duties to give the class more than an occasional talk. Each chief petty officer has learned his own lessons under different officers and each will have a different method of teaching which is good or bad according to the ability and energy of the chief petty officer. System is entirely lacking in the method.
On board ship even a worse condition prevails. The signal officer is a junior ensign, often not a year out of the Academy, and sometimes he is given the detail because he had been found generally useless at other duties. That was well enough a few years ago, but with the present cry for speed, the officer of the deck has no time to look out for signals and it requires a good officer to handle them properly and promptly.
Even if the signal officer is efficient and energetic he is greatly handicapped by lack of the best personnel. The bridge requires exceptional men. The supply of such men is not great. Candidates for the signal force must be taken from the deck divisions and whenever there is an exceptional man on deck, who would make a good signalman, the division officer has noticed him and is not willing to let him go. For that reason the signal officer is compelled to take his men, men who will be called on for the most responsible duty in the ship, from a list of undesirable or mediocre men whom the division officer is willing to let go. These men are put on the bridge and left very much to their own resources. A new man is generally put recording or running messages. They are left to learn or not, just as they like. I have known men to be on the bridge for a year without learning to receive a message sent at ordinary speed in semaphore. Men whom a division officer is willing to let go are very apt to be of such a type.
Men who volunteer to go on the bridge seldom do so because they want to learn signals, but because they see a chance to get out of heavy work on deck. A man who wants to work and gain advancement can seldom be persuaded to take up signals, because it offers no opportunity for rapid advancement. It takes an average ordinary seaman about nine months to master semaphore and morse. When he has done that, if he has learned a proportionate amount about flag signals, he is qualified for signalman second class. It takes much longer to master the night systems than the day systems and few signalmen can be depended on to get a message by blinker in less than a year. An understanding of flag signals is much more slowly acquired, and a man is not a first-class signalman unless he understands flag signals and all the codes thoroughly, for he is liable to be called on in the absence of the signal officer or quartermaster, to read and answer complicated hoists. At the present time, I venture to say that not half the first-class signalmen in the fleet know what "repeater" would be hoisted under a ship's call to request that a signal be repeated.
Signalmen are sent on the bridge away from the direct supervision of officers. They are too young to realize fully, the responsibilities of their position. When they have qualified as Signalmen first class, most of them are not able to go farther. They are too valuable to be allowed to change to other rates and their training in signals has not fitted them for the duties of ship's quartermaster. Many of them have never heaved a lead, or taken the wheel. The few who are given a trial as ship's quartermaster, third class, have to learn an entirely new line of work and in doing so they forget much of what they have learned in signals. Those, who are not given a chance as quartermaster, stagnate on the bridge. There is nothing for them to work for. There are few restraints on them, and they quickly develop into regulation breakers. It is that which leads to the bridge force commonly being classified as the "pirates" of the ship.
At this time when so many changes are being made, signals should not be neglected. We are trying a new signal book, because we found trouble with the old one. Why not start at the bottom instead of cutting into the middle of the system with reforms? First, make good signalmen, then revise the book. Until we do have good signalmen we cannot have a good system of signals no matter what the book. Instead of having a small class at each station under an incompetent instructor, centralize the system.
A WAY TO IMPROVEMENT.
(a) Detail a lieutenant commander or lieutenant who has been flag lieutenant to the commander-in-chief or a division commander, as chief signal officer. Let him be stationed at Washington and make periodical visits of inspection to the different signal schools at the training stations. He should direct the instruction and training of all signalmen and all signal officers in the navy. He could make a homogeneous organization with one correct method instead of the present inefficient squads and eccentric methods.
(b) As aids to the chief signal officer, let an ensign or junior lieutenant be sent to each training station where there is a signal class. These officers should be ones who have been successful signal officers afloat. They could be trusted to carry out the program of the chief signal officer and arrange conditions at each station which would almost fulfill conditions afloat.
The men should be picked on enlistment for their general education, brightness, and penmanship. Put them in the signal class and give them such other training as the commandant of the station may think necessary. Let the signal officer pick out the undesirables by competitive drills and observation. He should have no other duties than the instruction of signalmen. Then he would give signals his entire attention, and the class would be well instructed in all methods of signalling instead of being sent to sea, with a superficial knowledge only, of hand-flag and night signals, and no knowledge of flag signals other than what the letters of the alphabet look like.
In order to overcome the reluctance of good men to taking up signals, and to provide a corps of well trained and efficient quartermasters, each ship of the fleet should have a signal force consisting of, a signal officer, a chief quartermaster (signals) and four signal watches, each watch being composed of:
(a) A signal quartermaster, third class, in charge of the watch.
(b) A signalman first class.
(c) A signalman second class.
(d) A seaman or ordinary seaman under instruction for recorder.
Make signals a distinct branch with the cross flags of the army for a specialty mark.
Give signalmen first and second class extra compensation as at present.
Create the rate of signal quartermaster and substitute crossed flags for the wheel of the present signal quartermaster, putting a signal quartermaster in charge of each watch.
Put signal quartermasters first and second class in charge of watches on flagships.
Chief quartermaster at high power telescope.
The sections (one watch) on bridge during maneuvers, eight men.
(a) Quartermasters third class to keep lookout for signals from the flagship and see them quickly and properly answered report them to the officer, of the deck.
(b) Signalman first class, and signalman second class, at semaphore machine on wing of bridge to send and receive semaphore messages while flag hoists are being made. (2)
(c) Signalman first class and signalman second class, at hook and tail halliards respectively to hook on hoists. (2)
(d) One of the recorders who shows special ability, at the halliards to hoist.
(e) In case a messenger is needed one of the men at the wing of the bridge or a man at the hook or tail halliard can be relieved by one of the quartermasters while he is carrying the message.
ORDINARY CRUISING.
(Four men.) (One watch.)
(a) Quartermaster third class," watch, read signals, report signals.
(b) Signalman first class, hook and tail halliards, send signals.
(c) Signalman second class, hoist signals, assist signalman first class.
(d) Recorder, pencil and signal blanks.
18. With a thorough system of training for signalmen as outlined above, careful selection of competent men for advancement, and continuous training which a separate branch for signals alone can give, our signalmen would soon be faster and our system more efficient than that of any other nation in the world.