maineclass

See notes under

a clear indication of the problems with spotting tops and funnel smoke. Always a miserable combination, sometimes completely untenable.

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad pier on the far left.

As seen from the Brooklyn Bridge, looking northwest across the East River toward the Manhattan Bridge. I think all of those piers are gone now. See also taken from the same spot.

"Mosquito Fleet" was the term being used in 1916 for the collection of yachts and other small, fast watercraft volunteered by their owners to the U.S. Navy to protect the coast and harbors in the event of war. This group of photos is of training maneuvers held around Long Island the week of September 3, 1916 to assess the capabilities of such a fleet.
"More Than Forty Speedy Private Craft Will Hunt Submarines and Go Scouting.
The Navy Department's dream of motor boat reserves for service as scouts, submarine hunters, and dispatch carriers will be realized this week, when on Tuesday more that forty of the finest private craft will be mobilized for a week's training with submarines, destroyers, and other vessels of the Atlantic fleet."
query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9503E3D91439E2...

The LOC Bain collection has many shots of the Maine as she began this training cruise in August:

Thanks for this information artolog. We'll add some of it to the record the next time we update.