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Show NAUTICAL :- :. -: NOVELTIES The fallowing "Nautical Novelties" are furbished by the U. S. Navy Re-crui-.inj Station at Salt Lake City: i The Cruiser U. S. S. Northampton, in commission five years, has steamed steam-ed a total of 104,0:20 miles. The battleship bat-tleship U. S. S. Oklahoma steamed 10,000 miles from June, 1934, to June, 1935. The new liner S. S. Normandie lias a crow of 1300 men who man and clean the twelve decks. The rivets used in her construction, if laid end j to nd. would reach 4Cli miles I "Show a leg," the command which is still given with reveille on navy . ships, originated during the days when, up to about 1800, women were carried on m-any British men-o-war. These ladies were allowed an extra hour of sleep and so they identified themselves each morning, at this command, by hanging a stocking-clad log over the side of their hammock. During the world war the United States enlisted young women. These girls were enrolled as yeoman and served at shore establishments in clerical capacities, thereby releasing men for duties on board ships. In the days of wooden ships, oak j was used exclusively in the construe-j tion of the hull because of its strength and resistance! to disinte-! grating effects of sea water. Oak is unsuitable for use in iron or steel ships because it contains an acid which attacks the metal, causing rust, which in turn rots the oak. The first trip across the Atlantic by hydroplane was made by the United States navy plane NC-4, which flew from Trespassey, New Foundland, to Lisbon, Portugal, in , May, 1919. The flight was made in' 26 hours and 47 minutes. i The United States built the first steam man-o-war . and in so doing was about thirty years ahead of her time. The ship was commissioned just as the war of 1812 was drawing to a close and thus never saw active service. She was named the U. S. S. Princeton. She was the first screw propeller vessel ever built and the first in which the machinery was i placed entirely below the water l'ne. The bureau of navigation, navy department, de-partment, recently received a request for information regarding the number num-ber of men by the name of "Smith" that served in the army, navy and, marine corps during the world war. 1 It has been ascertained that there were 50,328 "Smiths" in the army and 6,849 "Smiths" in the navy and marine corps. George Bancroft, motion picture actor, served with Admiral Dewey's fleet at the Battle of Manila' Bay.1-While Bay.1-While in the navy, Bancroft was rated rat-ed among the top-notchers of the ! salt water pugilists. 1 A military secret is not a military secret when it is news. The navy used to be called the "Silent Service" but its policy has been changed not only to allow news to be given out but to educate the American people in the services rendered them by the navy. Recruits at the naval training station sta-tion at San Diego, Calif., average a gain of about 14 pounds in three months, after drilling hard all day in j the open. |