Secretary of the Navy John D. Long to Commodore John A. Howell, Commander, Northern Patrol Squadron
LETTER
NAVY DEPARTMENT,
Washington, June 21,1898
Sir:
Instead of keeping the vessels un your command constantly cruising, as heretofore, you will station them singly at fixed points of the coast line, between Hampton Roads and Bar Harbor, sufficiently distributed to have one always within easy reach of any particular section that may be menaced.
You are at liberty to choose such positions as seem most suitable to you, always, however, at a telegraph station, except that one vessel must always be kept at Newport News, with steam up, to protect the battleships there building against possible attacks.1
Shift the position of the ships from time to time, and make a weekly report of their positions at the Bureau of Navigation.
They should also make a tour of their cruising grounds occasionally and lie perpetually with warm water in the boilers.
Very respectfully,
Secretary.
Source Note: Cy, DNA, RG 80, Entry 194, vol. 1, pp. 213-14. Addressed before opening: “Commander-in-Chief/Northern Patrol Squadron,/Provincetown, Mass.”
