A Gunner Aboard the Yankee | Page 2

use of notes and diaries.

[Illustration: THE NAVAL RESERVES LEAVING NEW YORK--GOING OFF IN THE TUGBOAT TO MAN THE "YANKEE".]

THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY
RUSSELL DOUBLEDAY
NUMBER FIVE OF THE AFTER PORT GUN OF THE YANKEE
TO THE NAVAL RESERVE ORGANIZATIONS
THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES, WHO HAVE MADE SUCH
AN ENVIABLE RECORD DURING THE SPANISH-AMERICAN
WAR AND BEFORE WHOM SUCH A
GLORIOUS FUTURE
OPENS AUTHOR'S FOREWORD
1898 April 1917
The successors of the crew of the "Yankee" are now "somewhere in the service." The boys of the First Battalion New York Naval Militia were just as eager to get to sea in the service of Uncle Sam to do their part for the great cause, as we were in the Spring of '98.
The old frigate "Granite State" (formerly the New Hampshire), living through three wars, has resounded to the tramp of hundreds of tars in the making. She is the school ship, the home ship of the First Battalion. Down her gangways went most of the "Yankee's" crew and between her massive decks they returned after their job was done.
As I write it seems as if I can hear the shrill whistle of the bo'sn's pipe sounding in all parts of the old wooden ship, then the long drawn call "all hands on deck." The men come tumbling up from below, touching their caps in salute as their heads rise above the hatch coaming. Men standing in battalion formation, by divisions, at attention, each man answers "here" as his name is called. Some of the voices are a little husky as the speaker realizes that war is on and he is about to be called for real service.
And so they are mustered in. The state's sailors become Uncle Sam's man-o'-war's-men. The old "Granite State" is once more emptied of its crew. The decks are silent and the long, low gangways beneath the ancient deck beams are checked with squares of undisturbed yellow-light, as the sun streams through the square gun ports.
The readers of this book can imagine the men on our great gray ships of war going through much the same routine followed by the "Yankee's" crew, for there has been but little change in the work and play of the man-o'-war's-men.
So let us take off our caps and give the men of 1917 three cheers and a tiger. May they shoot straight, and keep fit.
Pipe down.
RUSSELL DOUBLEDAY
April, 1917 Nineteen years ago this month the "Yankee's" crew went to sea.
INTRODUCTION.
As the Commander-in-Chief of the American Naval Squadron blockading Santiago and the Cuban coast, the auxiliary cruiser "Yankee," manned by the New York Naval Reserves, came immediately under my observation, and it is a pleasure for me to speak of the spirit and efficiency shown by the officers and crew during their stay under my command.
The young men forming the ship's company of the "Yankee" were called into service several weeks prior to any other Naval Reserve battalion; they came from all walks of civil life, and their minds, devoted to peaceful pursuits, were suddenly diverted to the needs and requirements and the usages of naval routine. Notwithstanding this radical change, they have made the name of their ship a household word throughout the country, and have proved that the average American, whether he be clerk or physician, broker, lawyer, or merchant, can, on the spur of the moment, prove a capable fighter for his country even amid such strange and novel surroundings as obtain in the naval service. These young men have especially upheld the American supremacy in the art of gunnery, and have, on all occasions, proved brave and efficient.
The conclusion of the Spanish-American War released them from their voluntarily assumed positions in the regular navy, but when they returned to civil life they carried with them the consciousness of duty well done at Santiago and Cienfuegos and whenever their guns were used in hostile action. In a word, the Naval Reserves manning the "Yankee," in common with those on board other vessels in the service, have proved their aptitude for sea duty, and made apparent the wisdom of the Government in calling them into active service.
W.T. SAMPSON, Rear-Admiral, U.S.N.
U.S. FLAGSHIP "NEW YORK," September 3, 1898.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER AUTHOR
'S FOREWORD INTRODUCTION PREFACE I. IN WHICH THE "YANKEE" GOES INTO COMMISSION II. IN WHICH WE GET UNDER WAY AT LAST III. IN WHICH THE "YANKEE" CRUISES FOR PRIZES IV. WE GET ORDERS TO GO SOUTH V. A WILD GOOSE CHASE VI. WE BECOME COAL HEATERS VII. WE ENTER THE "THEATRE OF WAR" VIII. WE JOIN SAMPSON'S FLEET IX. CLEAR SHIP FOR ACTION X. WE BOMBARD SANTIAGO DE CUBA XI. A PERILOUS MOMENT XII. IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE XIII. A NARROW ESCAPE XIV. WE ENGAGE IN A SEA FIGHT XV. COALING IN THE TROPICS XVI. "REMEMBER THE FISH" XVII. IN GOD'S COUNTRY XVIII. THE "YANKEE" ARRIVES OFF SANTIAGO XIX. HOPE DEFERRED XX. TAPS