New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-31
RATIEsHIPs AND CRUISERS.
A CRITICISM OF lord ARMsrRoNs's hEoN~'i
uAGazrYr ARTICLE

A CRITICISM OF lord hhaoA'N
MAGAzIYr ARTICLE
,hs Editor OF The Tribune.
SIR: IN your issue Of the 10th INST you puoiS" ="
editorial headed Cruisers and Battle Ships III "'
article YOU reproduce tho views OF LORD Arfns'rons
nh,,sbed recently IN Tho Nineteenth Century on 'e
Admiralty shlp-buIldlng programme resro' " o'
that you Indorse these views and In measure roeo'
mend them as good for Americans 10 Io''o"' ''0"
anv point Of view, the opinions oil Ioru Arns''OS'
az EXPRESSED in the article referred TO- are ho' "orn
ono moments consideration by our own So'eT""o".
NJ noonIa The idea that the function OF arHlorOu
Sims IS TO fight similar ships is an aosrdiy.
Tba ,upcton of such ships Is to fight anything that
attacks tben or to defend the property that IL IS iher
business to defend and the idea that force OF uh
armand cruisers can DO substituted for batte-shIps Is
also mistake.
The history OF naval warfare falls to support any VI
Tord Armstrong; conclusions The effectiveness w
cruisers for blockade purposes will depend atoS2her
unou what class OF ships the enemy can send 10 at
,ack such blockade II the enemy las few proper!
constructed armorcd battle ships, the blocKadihs
cruisers would have nothing else to do but run a"SS
His Lorlship also thinks that the 0ru'Soi'
would be superior for coast defence "hen ua"'
rorts conveying a foreign army were apprOsC"hs
rer,ced mort. But what IL the transports were
covered by q small fleet Of heavily armoFed shps' ~
that case where would the cruisers come I'M rive
cruisers he thinks carrying collectively most
formidable armament and having superior adVauVaseS
for outmanocuvring a battleshp, could Close Ia upon
her with ram aud torpedo and compass her
But how does he know this7 Ana III" "'V
cruisers (just five, mind yOu did ms, "ha' WYNN W
their condition at the end of the hght1 respectuS
beg Lord Armstrong TO give us full particulars
Tho limited States ships lying at Hampton hoans Oh
tho Morning OF March 3, 1852, may be ciasSeu a.
.,,ors ,rd Ger, we'll armed and good bghung Sn'Ps
Gov thu lines. vet what lively day they na" "nsH
the old Mcrrimac, tho Confederate apology oI
,h,r -5r.rs1 fire on them aud what happy ume they
,vouId have had on the next day had ho' ""' -
Mon,tor been on band with her irOhelao S'u' I
projected turret. Every Naval omccr h''"'
tcr,rJo struggle Admiral Farraguts meet hSd W
,,n. p,- r,,h tho Confederate ram Tennessee. lie
,,,crcd her With fourteen ships, or s0csea CRUISER
,.,cd bv threc monitors, and yet, Notwithstanding
that the fight lasted for upward oil an houF' o"S
sbot rcnctrated the Tennessees srmor' ana "'"' '
gave the fight to Faragnt' ,a,. q.
ot,,g ,om Admiral Por+er's report OF this hsnt, u
apnears that tho hull OF the Tennessee Was Sr'"a''
,a,., hr tho shots from tho monitors. ON! ono
15-Inch shot penetrated her arn0r. WHO INC ti'
snot rpnde no impression on her. beyond sha'"r,n.
no ,rt shutters and had It not been for the carr! 4
,v,,y M her exposed steering gar ana smohe~'SA
Eucbapans calculations might have oeeh 'e''u'1'
Ye, the only real damage done TO tho Iehne'soo vas
by the monitors. and Il msy Dc asReu' "'u ~
tho monitors have captured her WIth"N '"o on Va
the wooden shlpsl" Yet in face Of all thc"e ~Sso''
-, the mast, uls eminent British authority. Lou
Armstrong advises us TO prepare TO defend DIR cossts'
and meet tho great warshps OF Europe win cruisers
I, clcarl: shows the anxiety OF our Brtsh co"'"'
,bat Ue shah have an efficient navy
you will remember that the anxiety OF mr. Iohn
Johns on that question cost him hts place win 'ho
parrow Ship Duldng Company; The quarrel: now S,;
,ycr ln that case not about rho pIahs DuI
about the money MI whitney sent over. oeSsus "o,,S
fInu~bt we he'd no In TINS CouhHa . MI ~
wciIes nulding Sew.Yorh CITY. Nav H. looo'
This letter, while interesting, deals with con-
,rocr,i,l matters which t. is unnecessary for us
% take 10. We cited Lord Armstrong; views
bcc,use he Is one Of the hest-known naval ex-
merits in Enropc. Such support rs we gave 70 his
onnions WAS restricted 10 the ground that battle
shps orc hrgply experimental in the present stage
~ naval construction, and very costly, whereas
fost cruisers are OF permanent utility ana com
porntiyeiy cheap. Hence We consider that tue
Iri,od states Government has acted wisely in
,,u,ldipg cruisers on large scale and In avoid
ing haste IN designing battle-ships.