Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-12-07
Secretary Lamont Prefers That
Plan to Building Dry Docks.
SOME ARE NEARLY COMPILE TE
We Now Have Total OF Twenty Ar
mored and FOrty.Two UnArmored
Vessels.

Washington. Dec. 1.-The annual re-
port of the secretary of the navy is
very exhaustive document of 10000
words, with numerous tables. After
reciting the fact of the completion and
commissioning or the new Warsh1ps
OLYMPIA. Minneapolis and Indiana,
built by contract, and the Maine, Tex
as and Amphitrite, built a the govern
ment navy yards, the secretary calls
attention to the failure of the ram Ka-
tahdin to make the rate of speed named
in the contract for her construction,
and refers the matter to congress. He
saws the department expects the Terror
and Monadnock to be in commission
February 1, 1896, and the Puritan about
July 1, 1896
The secretary pays high compliment
to the eXcellency of constr uction of the
new vessels.
OF the vessels now in the course or
construction he predicts the first-class
battleship Iowa will be completed about
October, 1897 The f1rst-class battle
ship Massachusetts is practically COM
pleted except as regards armOr. The
ffrst-class battleship Oregon is as far
advanced as is practicable before the
delivery of armor and gun mounts. Inc
Brooklyn will. not be rea 1y for trial in
less than one year
The report says that Ivy June l, 1876,
the government will have docks on the
Atlantic coastal Port Royal, s. c.. and
at Brool1lyn--large enough for docking
the largest vessels, but recommends
that another be built at Norfolk and
one on the Gulf of Mexico. For the
l, int &c n
that the dock now being built on Puget
sound is sufficient for tie near future.
In this connection the secretary says:
"In my opinion it would be wise to in
vest whatever moneys are to be eXpend-
ed upon the navy, beyond it's current
needs and necessities of existing repair
plants, in the construction Of new ships
and not in building docks"
The report shows that the United
States has in Sci ice: Of the armored
class, three battleships, 16 coast defense
vessels, one cruiser; and of the unar-
mored, Is protected cruisers, 20 un ro-
tected cruisers, eight guuboats, one
dynamite cruiser and two torpedo boats
making a total of 20 armored and AZ
unarmol ed vessels, exclusive of torpedo
boats. There are now authorized I'D
DulIulnS
Tense vessels, one cruiser, all armored;
nine unarmored gunboats and seven
torpedo boats.
The present status of the principal
foreign naVies is shown In tables, CIV
ing the number OF vessels armored or
unarmored, by classes, in service, or
authorized or building.
The secretary urges legislation touch
ing the personnel of the navy, saying:
'"ro reorganize the line Of the navy so
as to bring about the promotion or 9TH
GERS to the command rank at an age
when still young enough to learn and
vigorous enough to be self-assertive
would seem to be all-impOrtant The
majority of our officers now approach
ing the command rank are over SO
years of age These officers come now
first into command at a period of life
when the habit Of relying on others has
become a second nature"
The secretary recommends that the
age of admission to the naval academy
be reduced to either IA to 16 or Is to II,
instead of 16 to 20 as now.
Considerable space is devoted to the
recently established naval war college
which the secretary regards as very
important institution, as putting be-
fore the officers of the navy practical
questions of actual war to be solved
thus versing them in the principles OF
strategy and tactics.
The report says: THE increasing in.
terest in the naval militia movement ir
the lake and seaboard states gives such
promise that the department recon-
mends that steps now be taken to es