Apprentices are enlisted between the ages of 16 and 17 with the consent of parents or guard ians and must engage to serve until 21. They are instructed in the rudiments at the training station at Newport, R. I., and at San Francisco, Cal., for six months and then go to the train ing ships for a year's cruise at sea, after which they are promoted from the third class to the second and assigned to the fleet. One year later they are rated in the first class and are eligible for petty office. Their instruction is continued during their apprenticeship and they have other special privileges.
Retirement of officers is compulsory at age of 62, also for disability and under certain con ditions under Act of 3 May 1899. It is volun tary after 40 years' service and above the grade of lieutenant-commander. Retired officers (ac cording to the law under which they retire) receive either three-fourths or one-half the sea pay of their grade on the active list or one-half their leave pay. Enlisted men can retire after 30 years' service and attaining age 50 unless physically disqualified for duty. They receive three-fourths of the pay in the rating they held when retired.
The Naval Home at Philadelphia (formerly called the Naval Asylum), built in 1832, pro vides a retreat for old officers and sailors.
The faculty is mainly composed of graduate naval officers. The new buildings of the Acad emy recently completed represent an aggregate expenditure of nearly $12,000,000 and form the most magnificent educational structures in the world. The War College, founded by Rear Admiral Stephen Bleecker Luce, United States Navy, in 1883 is established at Newport, R. I. It is not a school, but a place for discussion of naval problems by officers of all grades, forming committees in attendance usually during the summer months. It specially considers matters of strategy, planning of campaigns, etc.
The naval stations and constructive and re pairing establishments are at Portsmouth, N. H.; Boston, Mass.; Brooklyn, N. Y.; League Island, Pa.; Washington, D. C.,• Norfolk, Va.; Pensacola Fla.; Mare Island, Cal.; and Puget Sound, Wash.; and naval stations at Newport, R. I.; New London, Conn.; Charleston S. C.; Port Royal, S. C.; Key West, Fla.; N'ew Or leans, La.; Guantanamo, Cuba; Guam, Hawaii; Tutuila, Samoa; Cavite, P. I.; Olongapo, P. I.
Naval is the policy of the United States, not to have the largest navy, but one which shall be fully adequate for the mainte nance of its peace and in every particular of the highest attainable efficiency. At the present time our naval armament is somewhat below the minimum for the work demanded of it. A battleship requires about 40 months to build and it takes six years to produce a competent naval officer. So also it takes time to train
men to handle the complicated mechanism which is essential to the modern war vessel. The training facilities of the country and the means for obtaining the enlisted force are in adequate. A naval reserve is necessary from which to draw men at once in case of need. A naval militia (q.v.) co-ordinated with the reg ular service is also of great value, especially for harbor and coast defense. Several States have established such militia, but its develop ment has been greatly retarded by lack of proper national encouragement and support. The distribution of our naval force in time of peace is in two fleets and four separate squad rons. The North Atlantic fleet includes the east coast of the United States and West Indies, and is divided into the Battleship, the Carribbean and the Coast squadrons. The Asiatic fleet covers the east Asiatic coast and the Philippines and is divided into the Northern and Southern squadrons; the European squad ron, the South Atlantic squadron which cruises on the east coast of South America, the Pacific squadron, which ranges over the whole west coast of both continents, and the Training squadron. See also NAVAL ARCHITECTURE; NAVY, ,HISTORY OR; NAVAL SERVICE, THE.
For histories of the navy consult Cooper's (1839); Maclay's (1895-99); Spears' (1897); also Aldrich's 'History of the Marine Corps.' A great deal of information will also be found in Hammersley's (Naval Encyclopedia' (1881) and subsequent editions. Niles' 'Register and American State Papers' may also be consulted. The 'Official Records of the United States and Confederate Navies during the War of the Rebellion' contain all re ports and like matter, and are published by the Navy Department. Consult also files of the Army and Navy Journal 1863 to date. For cur rent progress, the yearly reports of the Secre tary of the Navy and of the bureaus—the pub lications of the Office of Naval Intelligence and of the United States Naval Institute are indis pensable. Consult also (The United States Navy Year Book' (annual, Washington, D. C.) For the Naval Academy, consult the history of that institution by Park Benjamin, and the Yearly obtainable from the super intendent, which give all qualifications for en trance course, etc. For government and organi zation consult (Regulations for the Govern ment of the Navy' (current issue), and for personnel and stations, the current (Navy Reg ister.' For construction of ships consult (Pro ceedings of the Institute of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.'