Braid Men

ARMY & NAVY

The Navy's consumption of gold braid is decreasing. Fewer officers of all ranks results in fewer officers of top rank. Last June, eleven captains were promoted to be rear-admirals. In this year's approved promotion list, announced last week, there are only five new rear-admirals. The Selection

Board, presided over by Admiral Charles F. Hughes, Chief of Staff, passed by ten of the first 15 captains on the eligible list. The chance of a captain to become a rear-admiral was thus 3 to 1, against. Last year it was 2.7 to 1, against. Captain Thomas Tingey Craven, now

Director of Naval Communications at Washington, Captain Wat Tyler Cluverius of the U.S.S. West Virginia and Captain Albert Ware Marshall of the aircraft-carrier Lexington were the first three additions to the rear-admiral list, of which the authorized number is 54. Three vacancies awaited their immediate promotion. In August, when Rear-Admiral Edward W. Eberle retires for age, his place will be filled by Captain Harry Ervin Yarnell, now commanding the other new aircraft-carrier U.S.S. Saratoga. Then comes Captain Arthur J. Hepburn, Chief of Staff of the Pacific battleship division. For Captain Hepburn, the added braid, honor and pay will not necessarily mean a change of assignment. But the aircraft-carrier men, having proven their new ships,* will doubtless go to new posts.

* The U.S.S. Lexington, with Captain (now Admiral) Marshall in command, broke the world's record for 24-hr, runs, steaming 774 nautical miles in one day of a three-day run to Hawaii (TIME, June 25).