New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-22
ADMIRAL PORTER ON THE NAVY.

ADMIRAL TOhIEH Wv linz A'~l' IL
Admiral Porter in his annual report strongly
reinforces the views of the Naval Board Of In
spection, the Chief Engineer of the Army, and
the military authorities generally, III regard to
the urgent need of improvement in the National
marine and coast detences The opinions OF
Admiral Porter concerning the new steel cruis-
ers being built on the designs of the Naval Ad-
visOry Board are no doubt sound. The expert
ence of the COnfederacy during the Civil War
proves this, in fact. The Confederate agents
who were charged with the duty of providing
commerce -destrOyers" realized from the first
the necessity of having vessels that could keep
the sea when out of coal and would not be de-
pendent upon cOalng stations for the arrange
ment of their cruises. The great success of
such vessels rs the Alabama, Florida and Shen-
andoah in the roles assigned to them was largely
due to their sailing powers. They were all
fitted with appliances to unship their screws,
and all had full sail power, which enabled them
to make their way across oceans without the ne
cessity Of going into dangerous ports for sup
plies of fuel. As Admiral Porter points out, in
the event of war with any European Power all
the neutral ports of Europe would be closed
against our cruisers since it has been agreed by
the Powers that henceforth coal shall be contra
band of war. This fact alone almost destroys
the usefulness of the cruisers already building.
Possessing only auxiliary sail power, these yes
sells must be entirely incapacitatcd for long
cruises. They must remain within easy reach
of our own ports, in short, and therefore they
cannot answer tho special purpose for which
they were designed.
Admiral Porter holds that our cruisers ought
to be able to make thirteen knots going free,
and ten knots close hauled, with sail power
alone Vessels capable of such speed could
keep the seas for any length of time, and could
hold their own with the swift merchant vessels
against which they would be directed. But
England, in the event of war with us, would be
ut once able to make her selection from 5000
fine merchant steamers. all of which have been
built with a special view to conversion into
cruisers in an emergency. These steamers
would carry heavy batteries, and their speed
would surpass that of anything in Our
navy at present. TO cope with them we must
have vessels possessing equal speed and greater
defensive and offensive powers. The steel
cruisers would no doubt be stronger than the
converted merchant steamers, but they must be
rs swift before they can counirract the latter.
70 90 on building cruisers which cannot cruise
would be- simply fatuOus.
Admiral Porter thinks that vessels requiring
20 per cent of repairing ought not to be CON
dcmncd, ~ at present, but that 10 per cent
should be the limit The real trouble X, how
ever that. ~ a rule, none of the repaired yes
sells seem to he worth anything subsequently {;
and unless Admiral Porter can suggest some
way BY which the character of the repairs done
can be guaranteed, it is to be feared that the
change he proposes would only result in in
creased waste of the public revenue. The Ad-
miral rcitcratcs what has already been said 80
often rs 10 our dcfcncclcssneSs in case of war.
lie does not cxaggcrltc in urging that If the
least formidable of maritime nations went to
l.. war with us tomorrow she could sweep our
" gradually increasing commerce 'front.' the ocean,
and that there Is not one of our forts that has
any defence against even an enemy oil very IN
fcliorcharactcr" Without coast dclcnccs, with
out navy and with ship building programme
which. according to Admiral Porter Is all
wrong. we appear 10 be- going from bad to
worse, rather than to be improving. The Ad-
mirll recommends tho building of at least
twenty cruisers, and no doubt the advice Is
good. if only it be possible to determine in adj
vance the efficiency of the vessels To be construct
ed. The Advisory Board was to have reformed
the Navy, but it does not seem to have done so,
and now the question is whether Congress can
be- persuaded to let politics alone long enough
To realize the necessity Of providing some AIDE
Uuatc coast aud naval dcfcnccs for the country.