commander-in-chief at the port, and then passed into the fleet reserve
as ready for sea, and there the captain of the fleet reserve is
responsible for her efficiency. Other important officers of a dockyard
are the chief engineer; the superintendent civil engineer, who has
charge of the work involved in keeping all buildings, docks, basins,
caissons, roads, &c., in repair; the naval store officer, who has charge
of most of the stores in the dockyard; and the cashier of the yard,
whose name sufficiently expresses his duties.

The system of conducting business at the dockyards is analogous to that
which prevails at the admiralty. There is personal communication between
the officers responsible for the work, and facilities are afforded for
coming to rapid decisions upon matters that are in hand, and the
operations are conducted with an ease which contributes much to
efficiency. In 1844 the custom was introduced of all the principal
officers of the dockyard meeting at the superintendent's office at 9.30
A.M. every day, to hear the orders from the admiralty and discuss the
work of the day. But this system of "readings" was abolished at the
beginning of 1906, the naval establishments inquiry committee
considering that the assembling of the officials was unnecessary since
the communications after reception are copied and sent to the
departments concerned.

The police force necessary in a dockyard is in some cases supplied from
the London metropolitan police, and is under the orders of the
superintendent of the yard for duties connected with it, and under the
commissioner of police for the discipline and disposition of the force.
The charges are, of course, paid by the admiralty, and the system
answers well.

_United States._--The shore stations under control of the Navy
Department (see also ADMIRALTY ADMINISTRATION), and collectively known
as naval stations, are under different names according to their nature.
Of those called _Navy Yards_, and intended for the general purpose of
sources of supply and for repairs of ships, there are within the United
States eight in number. Two of them are on the Pacific coast, situated
on Puget Sound, at Bremerton, Washington; and at Mare Island, near San
Francisco. The other six are on the Atlantic coast, and are situated at
Portsmouth, N.H.; Boston, Mass.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Philadelphia, Pa.;
Washington, D.C.; and Norfolk, Va. There are also naval stations at Port
Royal and Charleston, S.C