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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Commodore John A. Howell, Commander, Northern Patrol Squadron, General Order No. 6

U.S. FLAGSHIP SAN FRANCISCO

Provincetown, Mass.,           

May 8, 1898.      

Squadron

General

Order No. 6.

 1.  Ships of this squadron shall be at all times ready to repel torpedo or other attack, both by day and night. All officers and men on watch, night and day, both at sea and in port, shall exercise every vigilance to avoid a surprise.

 2.  Search lights shall be kept ready for instant operation from sunset to sunrise, in port and at sea, with crews, competent to manage them, at hand to answer sudden calls.

 3.  In case of a night call to quarters, to repel torpedo attack, the search lights shall be at once turned on, and the watch stationed at the search lights and rapid fire guns shall operate them until their regular crews appear, when the watch shall go to their regular guns.

 4.  The regular crews of the rapid fire guns shall be instructed that the call to quarters requires the utmost haste from them, as their presence at their guns may be necessary to release men of the watch belonging to the main battery. The organization shall be so perfected as to ensure the immediate attendance of the regular crews of the guns of the secondary battery.

 5.  The watch on deck shall be frequently exercised at night in repelling torpedo attack.

 6.  A sufficient number of men must be kept on deck at night, at sea or in port, to enable these and other instructions which may have been already issued or which may be issued in the future to be fully and efficiently carried out.

J. A. HOWELL,               

Commodore U.S. Navy,   

Commanding Northern Patrol Squadron.

Source Note: TCyS, DNA, AFNRC, M625, roll 130. Document reference: “No.27-’98..” Note: This document was attached to a letter from Howell to Secretary of the Navy John D. Long. An address line to the “(Bureau of Navigation)” indicates that this copy was sent to the Bureau of Navigation.

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