The 1938 naval training duty of the Pacific coast quota of the Merchant Marine Reserve, from the standpoint of the reservist at least, was a success. The first impression of the Navy was decisive. The incident was only a minor one but indicative of the way all details were managed during the 2 weeks, and illustrates the thought and ability directed toward 30 officers of the Merchant Marine who were not accustomed to having little but important affairs attended to for them.
At ten o’clock sharp on a morning in late April, 2 trim motor launches pulled alongside the naval landing in San Francisco and from that moment until 14 days later each officer felt that he was in the custody of a compact unit which knew what it was doing and was doing it in the most effective manner. The officers and their swords, suitcases, assorted bundles, and overcoats were all taken charge of by navy men who knew how to do their duty. A naval officer at the head of the ramp commenced to call out names and check their owners into the launches almost as soon as they were made fast. Friendly greetings and warm welcome were extended by the executive officer as each newcomer stepped on the quarter-deck.
The primary concern the first day of training duty was orientation. Familiarity with the routine aboard, the main divisions and casemates of the battleship, the proper way and when to salute, stations for emergency drills, which ladders to use when going up or down are examples of some of the details first brought into focus. A social group visit with the commanding and executive officers was one of the memorable incidents of the memorable voyage.
To present a condensed view of the entire organization of a capital fighting ship in an orderly and systematic manner to 30 persons in 2 weeks, and at the same time evolve a plan whereby the greatest amount of appropriate indoctrination could be achieved without disturbing the regular functions of routine, must certainly have caused considerable mental acrobatics on the part of the responsible officers up to the point of actual embarkation. From that time forward the skill and facility with which the objectives of the assignment were effected belied any real or apparent effort on the part of anyone concerned with its administration.
Value to the Navy
In acquainting the Merchant Marine with naval problems and their solutions, the Navy is not venturing to groom this branch of the Reserve for ultimate duty on a man-of-war in time of mobilization. The intent is to help the Naval Reserve improve itself by showing the way and stimulating a desire to progress of its own accord. It is in this manner that the Department can assist to make the potential auxiliary forces of the Navy more effective if they are called to action.
In order to accomplish the most that can be hoped for in a very short time, the primary objectives must be to establish familiarity with the system evolved by the Navy to effectively execute its mission, to arouse an interest in and foster an understanding of some of the materials in use and the methods employed in using them.
Merchant Marine Reserve officers have the important qualification of being conversant with the ways of the seas, and the problems thereby presented. They are versed in navigation and ship handling. They thus meet the Navy on the common ground of mutual knowledge of the sea. All that is necessary, therefore, in order that their value to the Navy may be increased, is to give them indoctrination in the issues which confront the Navy in war-time cruising where a large number of ships are in close company—whether those ships are of the combatant type, of the naval auxiliary class, or merchant vessels in convoy. In other words, the merchant marine officer, familiar with the job of the seafaring man, takes periodical training cruises aboard naval vessels in order to meet at first hand the slightly different naval problems.
These cruises also, it would seem, serve another useful purpose. They afford close contact for a limited period of time to men who spend their lives upon a common main, the sea. This presents an opportunity for interchange of ideas which permits the merchant marine officer and the naval officer to gain a closer understanding of the life and problems of two different branches of the seagoing profession. The added spirit of comradeship thereby engendered must stand the country in good stead when the two branches merge their efforts in time of emergency. Cruises of this character, confirmed by the early experience of war-time operations, will assure a ready supply of additional ship handlers competent to meet successfully the varied difficulties produced by close-order, wartime cruising of large numbers of ships.
With a full realization of these objectives and an enduring zeal to improve themselves, the reserve forces cannot help but be a more intelligent asset to the sea power of the nation.
Value to the Merchant Marine
Considerable progress was made toward rectifying the mistake of underestimation, of which some officers have been guilty in the past. Opportunities were frequent for discussion of mutual ambitions and grievances. In this way an affinity was reached and a comprehension of the purposes of each service attained which without the camaraderie of the wardroom would not have been possible.
The admirable manner in which a naval officer is equipped to perform his duties, the study, training, authority, and traditions sustaining his status fit him unqualifiedly for the responsibility which is his. Instead of being on the defensive, as are a considerable number of his brothers in the merchant service, his position is unquestioned and unassailable.
The unbalanced conditions obtaining in our civilian seafaring profession today are caused in part by a new, violently awakened philosophy of living. This has upset us because it is new and sudden, extreme and forceful. The merchant marine officer is now an unwilling victim of opposing interests and sharply contrasting views. He will remain in the impotent, unenviable position where his responsibilities and obligations are not safeguarded by consistent authority until ship operators and seamen reach a firm basis of mutual accord and forthright attention to duty and agreements.
When a lawful command is given on some merchant ships an immediate query arises in the mind of the officer, “Will the response be yes, maybe, or no?” If disobedience follows, what immediate action can be taken without running the risk of tying up the ship or initiating his own removal? He must either attempt to find someone who will do the job or execute the command himself. What is the answer? The Navy furnishes a large part of it. Our present statutes for usual cases are adequate; their interpretation by the courts is just; minions of the law are readily at hand; those concerned already know the difference between right and wrong—then unwavering, vigorous, and immediate enforcement of existing laws must be another part of the solution. The responsibility for this enforcement lies as heavily upon the shoulders of those whose duty it is to maintain order and discipline on ships as upon the civil authorities ashore.
All naval officers are well schooled in procedure applicable to breaches of discipline in their service. If sustained thought is applied to the formulas used by a successful warship, facts will be revealed which carry an obvious message to even an unseasoned observer. All seagoing peoples must invigorate their attempts to produce order, reaffirm the sanctity of lawful contracts, and have a true concept of the inevitable consequences which will attend their continual breach. Within the minds of the unlicensed personnel must be engendered a new regard for their duty and a respect for their officers, because until an altered attitude toward these fundamentals is realized the condition of the merchant service will not improve. The employers and the officers must furnish good grounds for this respect, give reasons for its continuance, and supply impetus to the movement when it is well founded. When we have established these principles our troubles will decrease.
Breach of good order or discipline in the Navy is punished in a proper, unmitigating, and just fashion. It is perhaps a knowledge of this fact that accounts for the few violations and promotes prompt obedience to orders and vigilant observance of routine. Primarily, however, there is an inherent respect for the source of command. Merchant officers who observe at first hand the results obtained by the Navy cannot fail to recognize the correct prescription for many of the ills in their service. These problems have got to be faced and answered before the Merchant Marine can become an effective component of the fighting forces of the Nation.
Routine Observed
Trainees were told off in groups of 5 and detailed to the various divisions for purposes of observation and instruction. Pairs, a senior and a junior, were assigned watches, a different watch of 4 hours being stood every day under the supervision of the regular watch officer. In this way acquaintance was made with the organization on a battleship and with the administration of the multitudinous affairs which develop on a large man-of-war.
Opportunity was thus afforded for personal acquaintance with the routine and emergency function of each division and the manner in which its duties were executed. It was this proximity to the problems and their solutions which created a feeling of being an integral part of the activities. An esprit de corps was achieved as a result of this closeness to the organization, which is such an essential ingredient to the proper operation and to even a partial understanding of anything with the capacity and magnitude of a modern capital ship.
Damage control, gunnery, tactics and maneuvers, communications, emergency drills, inspection tours, lectures, and recreation—they all received undivided attention in their turn. More natural interest seemed to be evinced in gunnery and its manifold ramifications than in any other single activity of the large field covered.
Matters which received extraordinary attention were the devious but certain chain of fire control, the mechanical and manual operation of the guns, the almost acute concentration of equipment and men in the turrets, on the bridge, and in the plotting room. Securely riveting the attention of those who observed it was the rapid, faultless handling of heavy ammunition and projectiles, combined with the intense activity and unerring co-ordination of brain and muscle maintained throughout the whole artful concert of gunnery drill. The ingenious methods and capacities for providing substitutions of system and material in case of casualty created admiration for the intellects behind naval evolution.
In connection with this phase of activity an admonition of Admiral Farragut’s was given as the creed of gunnery, “The best defense against an enemy’s guns is a well directed fire from your own guns.”
Emergency signals from an aircraft zooming or circling above a merchantman, the correct way to make fast a disabled plane for towing, new devices for combating depth charges, perfected equipment for submarines were matters reserved for special lectures. Several landing parties were organized and an interesting and instructive series of suggestions for improvement were given by those responsible for the proper conduct of the various units after 4 days of the drills.
Impressions and Suggestions
The predominant reaction was a sincere appreciation of the discipline observed on every hand and the results achieved by its proper administration. The spotless cleanliness and contented well-being of a perfectly harmonized and well-oiled organization received an abundance of notice and comment.
It was natural that the splendid obedience and eagerness to please were compared privately with discipline in the Merchant Marine. The contrast was arresting. The men in the latter service are much more highly paid, enjoy larger quarters, more freedom, and are expected to do less work. Their seamanship and general ability, man for man, are probably as good and the regulations under which they are governed are definitely less stringent and demanding. Is the fault for the unfavorable contrast in discipline and attitude to be placed entirely upon the shoulders of the seagoing personnel?
Future policy.—Certainly it is difficult to single out any one phase of naval activity and attribute to it a position superior in importance to any other for the purposes of specialization on a training tour. With the syllabus of instruction presented on this trip each officer was enabled to acquire as little as he desired or as much as his individual capacity allowed. Since a voluntary plan with these results can hardly be improved upon it should be allowed to stand as it is, undisturbed.
It was suggested that the courses given by the Naval Reserve Educational Centers in visual communications and gunnery be utilized for the purpose of self-improvement in these subjects. For naval laws and customs the course given in Navy Regulations covers this field amply. Any of the courses if used in conjunction with active duty training can accomplish much toward molding reserve officers along navy lines. Thus if their country needs them they will be able to assist more readily than if they depend entirely upon training with pay to fit them for creditable discharge of their duty.
The courteous, gentlemanly attitude of naval officers toward each other and toward their subordinates engenders that mutual respect and co-operation which goes so far toward making our battle forces what they are. Several good hints on this subject were assimilated by members of the training party to be taken back to the potential auxiliaries. There is no doubt that when they can be put into effect the morale of the shipping industry will be substantially improved.
It is offered as a suggestion that on subsequent occasions a much smaller group be sent to one ship. There is much to be said, furthermore, in favor of a lone merchant officer acting singly on training duty. There is then not present even the temptation to avoid the slight exertion necessary in the beginning to commingle freely with the naval officers present. Where a large group is together it is too easy to converse among one’s own party when off watch or on liberty and thus be denied the benefit anyone will derive from personal contact and close association with men of different interests.
With a considerable number of men present on the same mission the normal reaction is to curb a desire to stray and browse in some portion of the ship in order to observe and ask questions. The thought occurs that if someone else from your own group is not already on the scene for the same purpose surely someone has been or soon will be there. It is not considerate to tax the patience, ability, or fervor of one’s hosts too far—whose every day seemed unending and untiring as far as explanations were concerned.
Thirty uninitiated officers on one ship for training purposes cannot avoid being no little inconvenience to the regular officers and each other. The skillful absorption of the contingent from the Pacific coast and the expert manner in which they were made to feel an unobtrusive integer of the normal complement contributed in large measure to the success of the objectives which were accomplished. The usual routine, apparently, was not disrupted in the least.
Conclusion
It seems appropriate to conclude these observations in the same manner in which the cruise of which they speak ended. Therefore, the letter presented to the commanding officer on the eve of debarkation is set forth; it sums up the consensus of opinion better than any further paragraphs in this paper could hope to do.
We wish to take this means of expressing our sincere appreciation to you and to every person on board for the courteous attention and hospitable welcome accorded us during our training duty on the U.S.S. Nevada.
We thank you particularly for your quite obvious interest and kind attention to both our personal welfare and professional advancement, especially in view of the fact that during this time you have had unusual problems of your own with which to contend.
Our experience aboard has been profitable from the professional, academic, and social standpoints, and very interesting as well.
To the entire personnel we wish to express, in the most effective manner at our disposal, our appreciation of the value derived from personal contact and close association with the Navy, especially from the aspects of organization, discipline, and administration.
We would welcome the opportunity of again being under your command.