The New York herald., 1875-01-19
Admiral Porter's Annual Report to
the Secretary Of the Navy.
WORTHLESS WOODEN SHIPS.
Necessity Of Adopting the Latest I'M
provements In Naval Construction.
HEAVIEST GUNS WILL WIN.
Forts and Torpedoes Are Not Enough fol
lIarbor Defence.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER NAVlES

COMPARISON WITH OTHER NAVlES.
Admiral Porter has transmitted to the secre.
tary OF the Navy his annual report OF the condt
ton OF the national navy and It's history during
the last ear. 1t Is dated November 8, 1874, and
commences with a narrative OF the assembling ol
the several squadrons last winter, when neet evo.
lutons were conducted under the command 0l
Rear Admiral Case, anording opportunity to inl-
prove the discipline and efnciency oil the service.
rapidly making raw crews enective In manHuv-
ring both on shore and anoat. But at the sa me
time the unusual assembling OF naval vessels
afforded opportunity for observing the defects OF
our naval service The report proceeds
INFERIoRIry OF OUR NAVAL VESSELS.
70 the % s wS
s Mh rs regret C vs to Ss. The
being built 6y orsisn Powers or cut up an encmys
In me arss place. nearly al. shps Of wood,
Tla spss o ten ss S %
nsayes, war vessels built in Europe far surpass this
nssa Scarcely that s,csrs q the who
toresn Power. look with anxiety for
az IN our ships more particularly since the
them that our combined OF vessels was incaoabs
modern psnepe Indeed one one sa sash ship
eS sa s and nut ne Dugs at, S 60
short %e for she could either run the them down. or
a Mou ea
ssn sa o. n @ H S s
s se nd e n y % er OWN bs
s aSs wnq Of srr IRE vs aes M
that am hssrayi"s our which already
our peopic are under the impression that we have
While n aet have o Ss
% a.s and % our ARE small when eompaTsd
coasts and fewer ntcrest at stake the second
end and rights 70 mainta which Certainly NJ uS Of
more importancc than few millions of dollars.
WOODEN WAR VESSELS USELESS.
An exhaustive discussion then follows, In which
the Admiral OBSERVES that when Captah Ericsson
armored ngnting ships passed away. lie discusses
eXnaustively the whole wide held OF iron-cIads and
Improved projectiles, and compares our hcet o &
alter our civil war, vessels built IN haste
oned and perishtng materials, With the recent
naval constructions OF other countries. He SAYS
our navy IN the comparison is like loot sooer
armed with pistol encouutering mounted man
IN armor armed with preech-loading rifle. He
ADDS 1t
have now but SIX monitors At for service out of the
s Gs a ns pIxy o twenty
he available monitors formed par. Of our West India
been Ottle dees aghs account Of their Of
riled proectles in use, and they raise their
a % sS tas a ssn,s II & tor h'
These monitors were built during the late war for
d sprnsis o ar
% sssy s .a
ssy @ Ss sh shSp ps haye m
y s os anxT1 srsp
Either o. the above mentioned guns could perforae
s s Sey G any ssrs of rs s Sn aSa w %
where cur smooth bore guns could 90 them no harm
%o"d sve
s e 81 III @ IS oas asS @ II ss
power, IS 20 beariyen at speed q fourteen knots
Ea 81 .ss 'rs %
ah r. 's Would iu'n rsosvc snip vita ass
from one Of our monitors, except at very close
AMONG THE MONITORS.
| Results OF an examination OF the monitors arc
with defensive armor OF iron plating, which
mgnt pro rect them some extent rom the eifact
able ees on ACCOUNT Of the gteer weg san the
snips are intended, to bear, which would bring
them too low in the water for sale navigation out
side OF naroOr& '- 'i'''' f''H 'fiN'i "f
.4 sEHIND OTHER NATIONS So, .
Thus you will that these monitors with their pres
S a Of Win NJ e fespe,
sa 81 the "s sc WSo sS
s 81 the w, 0 s 9Sy Srss Sso O.
men, anu anoGaS SereR not
s Ia as wa sf s whS 10 % Se w s to Ss%a
that hey will be compelled % sacrifice lie and puta
TO ss younger oicerx VINO have not experienced tho
psn in @Sa Sort e u
e sf sfK w afs'ps ss hope say a 10 a
Tts Saase s saTpa s VIZ sr.
p e e uS% & e ex S asaa "a aos % an
ay N s wo!d as q S Sr y
oes seRs Sad
wsa sHy ast who have
aHsS Gss 9sa ess pas to my @
I 70 wts ~ e. q
sss ss sae
win nsn sending ins w0SSsn
Tr SSn iy sas |. @ 70
cruisers driven c py merchant vessels carrying ride
ss T 81 Is esees 10 sssSns Simply wna. will occur
when 2 Saf add i would Sc much better Ssvs
a aH ov % eea Unless tnc We s
wora that our cstnbishmenti. niy Intended Tor cs
Sea ,svasos aud Eastern snatcs sou'n
... t.ts RUBBISH IN TIE WAY. t..s
or ali the wooden naval CONSTRUCTIONS OF the war
only three are lett available; tire paiance are de.
cayed and LAID up, incumberng the yards, aud
the lorty Eight iron -cads thirty. car be OF no
use except TO sink as narbor oostructlons. Out OF
the nineiy-ntne wooden vessels on the navy list
war, and not one Of them can contend with for
eign ships OF equal size. OF the monitors only the
Dictator has speed. and she leeds repairs. YES.
sells OF the Connecticut ana Congress class, IL well
butt, are commended as effective against an
eneniy's commerce. A detailed description OF she
several vessels follows. showing clearly that they
Ore severally far below what we need Tor war SER
VICE outside, though the monitors may be useful
/ as natapr detences:-, ,,.. .,... .as''s -tr
rHE RELIABLE MONITORS.
or tne double rrrcted monitors the Monadnock Mi}n-
tonomoh, Arnpniue, Scanokc and ferTor-reay vau:
iron ana new engines. Inel gopil not now go With
safety from port,o port abthouvh intended tor scagong
ships aud capable, when IN order. Of max .oag
scie OF thec vessels now uuicr repair and
they uiay be cunScried into nne- runchds, would
recommend tn II they be altered rs foow's:-- y.
propose that tho hlls should be built the brAe
plate arrantenent IKE thc English armorp,aiei W.
scs and ike the torpedo vessel Alarm the latter the
rstvcsse IN the une states constructed on this plan.
This would give the vessels double bottom double
frame throughout. aud would enable them carry
nearly twice the thickness iron hun and turrcts
at enough TO make them invulncrabe again 81
the 2, ~ and Is guns generally In use in foreign
naves ~ solid OAK backing is used the resisting powcr
would be sun greater nesc vessels should have
gines great power aud simplicity dc sign OF the com
pound type which would cnaolc them to cross tnc