egular personnel was
increased, naval militia units of various States were taken into the
service under the classification National Naval Volunteers, and
volunteers were accepted in the following classes: _Fleet Naval
Reserve_, made up of those who had received naval training and had
volunteered for four years. _Naval Auxiliary Reserve_, made up of
seafaring men who had had experience on merchant ships. _Naval Coast
Defense Reserve_, made up of citizens of the United States whose
technical and practical education made them fitted for navy-yard work,
patrol, and the like. _Volunteer Naval Reserve_, made up of men who had
volunteered, bringing into service their own boats. And finally, the
_Naval Reserve Flying Corps_.

It is from these classes that have come the men to put our navy on a war
footing; for while the reserve classifications brought thousands and
hundreds of thousands of men into the service, the permanent enlisted
strength was kept at the specified figure, 87,000, until last June, when
Congress increased the allowance to 131,485. This action was regarded as
one of the most important taken since the country entered the war,
inasmuch as it gave notice to the world that the United States in the
future intends to have a fleet that will measure up to her prominent
position in the world's affairs. It means, too, that the number of
commissioned officers would be increased from 3,700, as at present
arranged, to some 5,500, which will no doubt mean an opportunity for
officers who are now in war service in the various reserve
organizations.

When we entered the war, a decision to send a number of our destroyers
to France imposed upon the Navy Department the necessity of protecting
our own coast from possible submarine attack. We had retained destroyers
in this country, of course, and our battle and cruiser fleet was here;
but a large number of mosquito craft, submarine-chasers, patrol-boats,
and the like were urgently demanded. Several hundred fine yachts were
offered to the Navy Department under various conditions, and in the
Third (New York) District alone some 350 pleasure craft adapted for
conversion into war-vessels, were taken over. Some of these were sent
overseas to join the patrol-fleet, more were kept here. Besides being
used for patrol-work, yachts were wanted for mine-sweepers, harbor
patrol-boats, despatch-boats, mine-layers, and parent-ships. They were
and are manned almost exclusively by the Naval Res