BANQUET. 311 



ADDRESS BY ADMIRAL HENRY B. WILSON. 



The greatest asset of the Navy is, in my opinion, its large number of true and loyal 

 friends who know its work, its aims, and to whom it does not have to be continually justi- 

 fying its existence. Of these friends, a goodly number are before me, and, therefore, I will 

 not speak on the Navy in general but on that part of which I am the representative — the part 

 which operates the ships you design and construct; and let me say right here that that por- 

 tion of the Navy believes you build the best ships possible. 



Not only are we content that, with the passing years, have come developments of hull 

 design which have resulted in obtaining more speed with ships of greater mass without pro- 

 portionately increased power; developments in engineering features that a generation ago 

 were not dreamed of ; development of the gyro compass and its adaptation to other control 

 instruments ; improvements in steering gear and gim gear ; but that at the same time you are 

 improving the really vital features of the ship as a fighting machine, you are always ready 

 to give careful consideration to the ideas and wishes of those who live on board and mal<e 

 the ship their home. 



It is, naturally, to the latest products of he naval architect and marine engineer that we 

 point with pride and, yet, splendid fighting machines that they are, I sometimes think that 

 it is from the older and, perhaps, the humbler ships that we obtain the best examples of that 

 honesty and staunchness of construction which have stood us in such good stead. Unfortu- 

 nately, the late war gave us little opportunity to test our large fighting ships, but it did our 

 smaller vessels, and of the lot I know of none which made a name for herself like that of the 

 little destroyer Stewart, built about twenty years ago and of only 450 tons displacement. 

 Prior to the war she had been considered as having outlived her usefulness and destined to 

 be scrapped, but with the submarine campaign in full swing and threatening a victory for our 

 enemy, every craft which could go to sea and steam faster than a submarine and carry depth 

 charges was pressed into service. 



The Stewart, with others of her class, eventually found her way to the Atlantic coast' of 

 France and was assigned to the duty of escorting convoys up and down the coast — a hard, 

 exacting and most important duty. 



During the dark night of March 16, 1918, while the up-coast and down-coast convoys 

 were entering Quiberon Bay, a 10,000-ton British steamer was run down, by another vessel. 

 The crash of collision was heard on the Stewart and she was headed at once for the scene. 

 On arrival, it was found that the crew had deserted the ship and that she was rapidly sink- 

 ing. The crew was forced to return on board their vessel. The Stewart was secured along- 

 side, and both vessels were then headed in the direction of the beach, the Stewart furnishing 

 the power. Here she stayed until the steamer, sinking, parted her lines; but, fortunately. 



