The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-04
OUR USELESS NAVY.
The Dilapidated Condition Of the United States
War Fleet-Ten Only Of Fifty Iron-Clads
Worth Repairing-A Skeleton En-
verite for the Navy Department

WASHINGTON. D. G., Jan. 2, 1873.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
The communication signed "Defencer In vour s
sue OF December 70, 1872, and the notice OF the
same signed "Pluck }" induces me to write about the
"Unted States Navy as 1t Is,n and, possibly.
thereby show the pubic and the legislators that
"Defence" was very much more correct In his est
nation of the deenceless condition OF great sea
forts than the party who wrote under the name Of
"Pluck,n who by the by, think is disposed to be or
has been deceived by the United States Navy upon
paper as navy in reality. viii not criticise their
modes Of defending the great harbor ofNew York.
like what "Pluck' wrote as the most prudent mode,
but "Defence's words had more OF the Anglo-Saxon.
Yankee style OF fighting. think they both will
accord the command of the naval forces to Admiral
Porter; but that Ii not my subject, and will, with
your permission, analyze the entire navy list Of
war ships, according to the "Navy Reglster;' and
falsehoods, and to most people who have not a
NAVAL Dictionary to define the ships and guns
borne upon its pages 1t Is very deceptive.
Now, MIR. Editor, don't you think 1t advisable to
apply the power Of your mighty paper, SO as to
make our legislators peruse cOmprehensibly the
'Navy Register" get naval officers for their dc
tionaries, and let them forget for while that great
Yankee self-laudation and glorncation, and &C.
quaint themselves with the fact that the United
States-a first class natiOn--has almost no efficient
naval ships, and the few she has are fast decaying
for want of the proper appropriation to make
them seawOrthyf SO much has been written and
said by the initiated and uninitated also by author
ty OF those In power about the fleets OF the United
States, and their ability to compete with the
navies Of the world that think 1t certainly be
said that the people of this country at large have
been terribly. cruelty, and perhaps, wilfully de-
ceived. Does 1t not then, become the patriotic
duty for those who can to give the TRUTH though 1t
may be In a form both disagreeable and humiliat
ing to our pride as natiOnp II, perhaps, by 80
doing the legislators may be set Alright in what
they are doing and stirred up to prompt measures
to replace the decaying ships Of the navy, and at
least nave ready sufficient ships to do the police
duty OF the nation towards its commercial interest.
What vessels has the United States Navy that are
efficient or that can be made efficiently We find
upon the "Naval Register' fve first rate screw
steamers from 4,5e0 to 5,4OO tons displacement,
three of them mounting fOrty-fve guns each, one
thrty-nine guns and one Twelve guns four OF them
useful wooden vessels and the fifth may be
counted worthy for naval purposes. Two of them
are now abroad as 1agships OF our squadrOns and,
1t Is said, much to the annoyance OF the ecOnOmi-
cal Secretary OF the Navy, who never goes to sea,
as he considers them unnecessarily large to bear
the flag OF the United States. Why they arc pig
mics alongside any first class nations flagship in
any part vi Ulc WOTlu. mere, CIcL, are IOuT uI5b
rates which may be counted but not one OF them a
naval liner. Now pass to the wonderful list OF Sec
0nd rates. There are wooden liner steamers,
thirtytwo in OIL from 100 to 1000 tons displace-
ment, mounting from ten to twenty-thrcc guns,
and yet rom this formidable list fifteen must be
subtracte0,
NOW ROTTEN AND UNFIT FOR SERVICE.
This leaves seventeen, and i've OF these need eX-
tensive repairs; the balance are in SERVICE, but
four OF them should now be retttng. SO, with all
the repairs yet to be DONE have eight for pres
ent use. There are three padde-wheel steamers
eleven to seventeen guns One, the Vanderbilt, Is
thoroughly rotten; the other two are ut for light
service. SO the second rates OF both type fit for
use and for repairs number nineteen.
The third-rate wooden vessels are next in order.
They n screw steamers, from 300 to 1000 tons
displacement, mounting from 8 to eight guns; OF
these II are now on service, Of which need imme
diate repairs. There are rebuilding, the former
vessels having been condemned, and new vessels
Is ever appropriated TO build them). Three also
are condemned and require extensive repairs
there are 10 that should be replaced with new yes
sells, and this leaves IL nt for present land only
present. USE for they will one BY one be dropping
de-wheel steamers, from 6S5 to 1870 tons dispacc
ment mounting from to guns-2 In the East
india squadron almost ELAINE ducks" ana on the
lakes In the United States.
or wooden sailing vessels we have second rates.
TWO are on the stocks and never will be launched,
are in use for receiving ships and are very rotten
gun cannot be Tired upon their decks for fear OF
breaking through, consequently no use save to
wooden sailing vessels, third rates, first class
from 1900 to $500 tons displacement, from to
sea, are very rotten and require extensive re-
pairs, is In the East India squadrOn-an almost
worthless stOreship. SO this leaves available.
OF third rates. second class, there are 10 vessels,
from 675 to 1,S40 tons displacement from to 10
guns Two Of these have already been broken up,
and 1t is proposed to build two screw steamers to
her way home after three years. cruze, the other
just sailed. The remaining need more repairs
N =, nua 10 hnin nonh ufnrQ.
ship at Pensacola, so only can be counted avail.
able. or fourth rates there are from 100 to OPS
storeships, are so rotten they not ut for re-
pairs and ID q yacht Here we have q tugs; for
vessels of war they don't count.
Lastly we come to the formidable list OF hfty-One
iron cads Now that is q list which must strike the
ordinary reader df We actually had so many tit for
service) as sufficient to project our harbors and
vindlcate any national insult offered us; but what
have we in reality Four OF the most ponderous
are on the stocks, and probably never will be fin
building; five are repairing by removing rotten
wooden decks and beams, and putting in iron
M ah Inc @ ~a %
will need new iron bottoms; one Is at Key West,
and cannot go out OF the harbOr; one ut the Naval
Academy, sadly needing extensive repairs; forty
are laid up in ordinary at League Island, New Lon
don, New Orleans washington, Mound City and
Boston. Out of these last the Dictator Puritan and
Roanoke may possibly be used. The MiantOnOmah
Is condemned out and out. SO thirty-six may be
considered worthless for any use they can be put
TO- as Is would cost more to repair them than to
build new vessels
One may well exclaim, Is this our great navy in
total numbers Yes; we have OF steamers four
first rates, eight second rates. fourteen third rates.
all needing immediate repairs; two fourth rates.
or sailing vessels OF first, second and third class
we have four fit for immediate use at sea. or iron
ciads we have OF second, third and fourth rates
exactly ten which may be put in order, and only
three OF these now 1T for use. Twenty OF the
fourth rate iron clads not fit for any service,
no matter what repairs may be done to them.
Who, then, can contradict the assertion that the
United States has the finest paper navy In the
world All and every one who has read your
newspaper may decide for themselves whether the
article signed defence or Pluck" was nearest
right In the views OF the unprotected seaDOard Of
gave the true view Of the case, and with proper
patriotic motives drew the picture which must
Legislators to see That the navy Of the nation
Is sadly In need OF prompt attention and to place
II soon upon peace footing. At least twenty
new vessels should be built within the next year
and as many more repaired, else In the event Of