US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

The First Thirty Years 33
under strength in oflicers, this left those ships not lucky enough to make the
voyage less than just scrimpily oficered. The Bureau kept robbing Peter to
pay Paul. The Milwuakee with an approved complement of 36 officers on
commissioning 11 May 1906, and oficered by nine commissioned line
oflicers, seven past midshipmen, and nine staff and warrant officers when the
Great White Fleet shoved off, was brought down to six commissioned line
officers, four past midshipmen, and nine staff and warrant officers during
1908.’2
During this first year, and after spending four months in the Milwaukee,
Past Midshipman Turner happily served for seven weeks in the 270-ton
harbor tug Active (YT-14) at the Mare Island Navy Yard. Here, he was
reasonably close to Stockton and the love of his life. Then he was bounced
back to the Milwaukee for a short month and in January 1909 was assigned
for six months to the Preble (DD-12 ), one of the 16 original torpedo boat
destroyers of about 480 tons authorized by the Congress during the Spanish
American War, and whose keel had been laid down way back in April 1899.
Duty in the Miiwaukee was mainly as a Junior Division Officer and as
Junior Watch Officer, within an ever decreasing number of Line officers and
past midshipmen. Under the principle of rotation of duties, Past Midshipman
Turner served in the Gunnery Department under Gunnery Officer, Lieutenant
Edward B. (Dad) Fenner, later a Flag officer, and then for three months as
First Assistant Engineer in the Engineering Department under Lieutenant
Earl P. Jessop. With the exception of his three “additional duty” engineering
assignments in the Navy’s early torpedo boats and torpedo boat destroyers,
and one month in the West Virginia as Second Assistant, this was his only
real engineering detail in almost 40 years of active duty. He enjoyed engineering
duty but even more, he enjoyed working with Navy guns, whether
they were small, medium or large, but he particularly enjoyed his life in the
Navy with the big guns.”
Duty in the harbor tug Active was in the combined billets of Executive
Officer, Senior Engineer, and Navigator; and in the Preble and Davis in the
combined billets of Executive Officer and Engineer Officer.
In July 1909, Past Midshipman Turner commenced a three-year cruise in
the Armored Cruiser Squadron, about which the old song went:
Here’s to the cruisers of the Fleet
So goldurn fast, they’re hard to beat,
wNaval &?glJtf?t’J,1907, 1908, 1909.
* (a) Turner; (b) RKT to Mother, letter, 8 Nov. 1909