UNITED STATES FLEET.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 185, 30 April 1908, Page 7

UNITED STATES FLEET.

~ ...x- ---' •CHANCES IN COMMAND. ' ' THE NEW STAFF. ~ TELEGRAPH.—SrECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) on. i.tr' u,, Auckland, April 29. Herald' suggests that it willcreate aisappomtment in tho Dominion to learn that'On thoI.'1.' occasion of the ,-forthcoming visit: l°ftho American fleet to Auckland ™ ea f"Admiral ® vans > more popularly known as-,;f Fighting Bob,"; will not be in com-fNMf-.'iV", appears;that both.he'-andßear-Adimral Thomas, who succeeds -him,; are about to : be retired, and the commanding' officer. ,of . the fleet' oh . its .• voyage to 'Aus-' .tralasia will - be R-ear-Admiral Charles ' S.' ■ Sperry.. . . .>' ;uLatest;■ American'files to hand thus state thd .position-Admiral Evans, '.who will re- . tire for. _age in August, 'will relinquish the command <or tho. fleet', on tho : evcnii/g o'f Maypß/.'.aftfit ,'theV review of'. : thb'flefct by . the Secretary: of the. Navy,, Mr. Metc'alf, in . San Francisco .'Bay.This eaHy retirement is 'at -tliG request of "AdmiralEvanSj-'v/ho haS- suuered during/ the trip from ,rhemnatism, ißear-Admiral Charles M. 'Thomas,' - now .cbniiiikndiiig-the second squadron,' will succeed Admiral Evans in command of the ■ fleet,>:bufc; ;as tho . former ; retires ''nest October he'-; in'v-turn'willfrelinqiiisli" supreme .command; oil 'July 5-to Admiral Sperry, who - does i not): retire until ' Sept-ember of 'next yedr.. .; Rear-Admiral:. Charles ■ S. Sperry, commanding the ■ fourth division of: the battleship floet, will therefore bring the fleet homo "via iAustralia-j- the Philippines, and the Suez, Canal. >;. ■ ;■ . ■ ' In. the meantime Captain Wainwright will become- .a. Reari-Admiral, 'and ihe .will taktf the second place in the fleet. It had been' intended at the White House that he should be -.put; in. charge, but. the feeling Jn tho •'Navy;;oval"..' tile', 'proposal to'"jum£" him became so 'pronounced that the President abandoned • his■ i/'purpose.' The vacancies caused by the/retirement of Rear-Admirals' Evans and ' Thomas will vbo filled by tile promotion' l to. that rank of 'Captains Seaton, Schrbeder, and' Richard Wainwright, each of':'whom - n6w> a>mmands'"a battleship in' tho flfifet: •' Admiral Emory, who copimarids . one of the squadrons in, the _ fleet, ft ill coiitiniio' in that detail seoond in command to v Admirhl Sperry. Admiral Em'ory.'is to retiro ;ill! September. Captain ■ Ingcfsoll, who is 'Admiral Evans's chief of . staff, will bo detached from the'fleet, before ii sails for tome. -' . : ;' ' ' . -Asi re-organised, the command 'of- the fleet will bV as follows Sperry, Commander-in-Chief aiid of; the! first squacl- : ron-y Rear-Admirals ( Emory,.' Schroe'der, and Wainwright, : Commanders of; the second, third, ''and, fourth .squadrons respectively. - Admiral Sperry is "a Now York, man. Ho entered the Naval'.Academy in 1862, bccame , an ensign In 18GS;'a' mastei;'in. 18CD, lieutenant 'in 1870, '■'licutenahtcommander iii 1885, then commander-captain .in 1900, and redr-admiral in 490G.' ' 116 lias seen service on the Atlantic, Pacific, and European stations.. '.Inj addition,' he .'has served as instructor at Comiiiandaiit of t-lio Non-j. York Njjyy-yard tj head of the Bureau Ordnance;'and a' delegate to, tho Geneva Conference. .