Navies of the world

by Edward W. Very

At Madrid there is a Hydrographic Bureau and a Naval Museum, and at San Fernando a Naval Observatory.

The Spanish have five squadron cruising-grounds: the Mediterranean, South American, West Indian, Asiatic, and Atlantic, and a small African station limited to the Spanish possessions in the Gulf of Guinea.

At each of the prominent ports both of the home and colonial coasts there is a naval control under the superintendence of a Captain of the Port.

Promotion in all grades of the service except to that of Rear-Admiral is by seniority. Rear-Admirals are appointed by choice from the list of Line-Ship Captains. All persons in the maritime districts who follow a calling connected in any way with the sea are subject to the inscription, and none but those who are inscribed can engage in fishery or work upon the wharves or piers. The term of service is four years in the active and four in the reserve division. Each department has a separate school-ship and divisional formation, so that those persons who are inscribed are seldom removed from their immediate homes except for short cruises. There is a system of voluntary enlistment by which the main part of the active cadre is kept constantly full. In Spain as in Italy the merchant service is entirely under the control of the navy. In the headquarter ports of Spain, unlike those of other nations, the Commander-in-Chief has no flag-ship and does not display a broad pennant. Flag-ships represent strictly the commands afloat. This is a point of importance, as all ports visited by foreign men-of-war have a commanding naval authority of high rank, although there is no visible sign of such command.

Turkey.

The navy is represented in the Cabinet by a Minister of Marine and in the Divan or Chancellery by an Assistant Secretary. For the central administration there is an Admiralty Council composed of Admirals and General Officers. The service is divided into four sections: 1st. Personnel. 2d. Matériel. 3d. Naval Constructions. 4th. Health. Each control has an Admiral at its head with the title of Director. The Minister has the supreme control of all naval affairs.

The fleet is recruited by inscription from the maritime districts, there being no reserve proper. The length of service is eight years.

The personnel of the navy consists of 1868 officers and 30,000 men, in addition to which there is a corps of marine infantry numbering 91 officers and 4500 men. The grades correspond with those of other countries except that there is no grade of Admiral, and the grade of Ensign corresponds closely with that of Midshipman in other services, there being no Naval Academy and no grade of Cadet.

United States.

The navy is represented in the Cabinet by a Secretary of the Navy, who is invariably a civilian; the President of the United States being the Commander-in-Chief, but without any immediate naval executive. The central control is divided into eight bureaus under the superintendence of naval officers of the different corps having the grade of Commodore: 1st. Bureau of Navigation, subdivided into the Office of Detail, having charge of the personnel of the fleet; Hydrographic Office, Naval Observatory, and Signal Office. 2d. Bureau of Ordnance, having charge of all artillery matters, including the torpedo station at Newport. 3d. Bureau of Equipment and Recruiting, having charge of outfits, recruiting, and the apprentice service. 4th. Bureau of Yards and Docks, having charge of all naval grounds and buildings. 5th. Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. 6th. Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, having charge of supplies and accounts. 7th. Bureau of Steam Engineering, having charge of the design and care of engines and boilers. 8th. Bureau of Construction and Repair. The Naval Academy is under an independent control attached directly to the superintendence of the Secretary of the Navy.