Evening star., 1897-04-26

Unprotected crulS- DOllt since lSOS... {
ers ................. 3 Armored cruisers. 4
Dispatch boats of Wooden frigates.
iron and wood. 5 built since g.. 3
Gunboats of iron Protected cruisers. Z
and steel. III Wooden corvette5,
Torpedo boats. Il built since 3D.. 5
vic 1T e torpedo Gunboats ...........n
boats ............. 10 Paddewheel dis
Torpedo depot ship ! patch boats. -
Submarine boat. / Torpedo boat de-
stroyers III
Torpedo boats. ~
Submarine boats. z
AS can be seen, the united Greek force
amounts to 50. while the Turkish fleet has
100, to which may be added three paddle
wheel yachts, four transports and two sail
ing brigs. constructed about fifty years ago.
Turkey has besides. at her disposal twen-
ty-nine steamers of the Mahroussa COM
pany. varying in size from 395 to $50 tons
displacement and capable of making from
to 13 knots.
Unprepared for Service.
When it is known that most of the Turk
ish sailors lave been drawn from the in
land peasantry, and that most of these ves-
sells have lain dormant in the Golden Horn
for years, the superiority of numbers means
but little before the efficient force of the
Greeks. 1t las been said, from the best of
authority, that the Turkish ships are ut
terly unDrepared for active service, and
that more has been spent on the paint and
gliding of one ship than on the furnishing
with war material of the whole squadron; ;
and 1t is certainly well known that two of
the vessels did not get cut of the Golden
Horn before they had run down two bridges
and been instrumental in occasioning a con-
siderable loss of life through ensuing pan
les. The handling of torpedo boats and
worst of all torpedo boat destroyers, prom
ises 10 be a task far beyond the present
personnel of the Turkish navy.
1t may not be out of place here to men
tion the defenses upon the sea shore neigh
boring upon the Greek capital as, in some
sense. contributive to Greeces naval pro-
lection.
The port of Piraeus is defended by five
batteries, of which the principal has an
altitude of something like 80 feet, and is
armed with four Armstrong guns of nine
inch caliber. This is the Castella battery,
and while commanding the port of Piraeus,
also covers the bay of Phaleron the usual
anchoring ground for vessels
Coast Defenses.
In the south of Piraeus itself is found the
powerful battery of Drapetsona, armed
with three Armstrong guns of seven-inch
caliber. On the west side at the extremity
OF the Isle of Lipso, which bars the en-
trance to the bay of Salamis and the bay
OF Eleusis, are two heavy batteries, armed
with three Armstrong 5.9-inch guns and
!! three rifles of nine-inch caiber. Continuing
on, one reaches the Isle of Salamis the site
of the naval arsenal now in course of con-
struction, and there is the battery of St
Nicholas, armed with two guns of 2.S inches
and two of 80 inches. In total these works
have in battery twelve pieces of heavy
ordnance and ten guns of lighter caliber:
ard as they are CT recent construction, they
are no doubt modelled on modern lines
Fhese batteries form serious defenses
against possible bombardment the result of
which would cost the assailants more than
TIER attack on Alexandria did some six
teen years ago.
Summing up, then, either the Greek
armorclads or their torpedo boats should
seek the enemy, If foul weather has not al
ready driven the Turks either to shelter or
the bottom of the sea- and reckon with
them with that certainty of success that is
bound to follow the efficient handling of the
Grecian squadrons. Then. with that quasi
defense obliterated, the Greeks would he
able to carry the war into the enemy's
country.