The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-01
NECESSITIES OF our NAVY
REPORT OF BOARD ON SUBJECT
OF NEW DRY DOCKS

The Board Recommends Building of Mum.
Der Of New Docks and Enlargi'sg Some
Of the present Ones-Our Great DeHcien.
CIV In fhis Eespect-Japan Forging Ahead
In Naval serength-Mcre Dry Docks at
EnSland's Porssmouth Navy Yard Than
On Our Entire Coast
washington September 2s.-Ttne special
board appointed by the navy department
to considcr the needs Of the navy in the
matter of new dry docks Submitted its
report to Acting Secretary Roosevelt to-
day. The board finds hat five new docks
are urgently necessarily, while ONT (the
Port Royal, S. G., dock,, should DE en-
larged Immediately. The total cost OF
these docks, with the Port Royal i'm
prevement. is estimated 1T S,11o,oM- Four
Of the docks. the board says. should be
of concrete, namely: NJ Boston. 100 feet
Jong. to cost 81, 300, 600; at New york, 500
feet dong, to cost $4,000 at Norfolk,
500 feet long, TO cost 81. 100. coo. t%1engthen-
ing tthe stone dock. S25O,0OW; at Mare Is
lafIa. zoo feet long, to cost N;1tJ, 900. Each
of these concrete docks is to I've completed
ins1wo years.
Et. Algiers, neaa New Orleans with
Galveston OF Pensacola rs alternatives),
II Is DTOD0St0 10 place. al Slctl lOdtliiS
dock and wharf. This would cost $3.50 ,0e
and should be completed in tenimonths.
In addition to these. the board recon-
g mends docks at the Following named
points, which, though. not in the nature
s of docks. are required to place
: the docking facilities OF The country on an
: adequate footing: New London fresh
water basin n DOCK CONNECTING with
port News, stetJ floating dock and moor
ings ~{alternatelto Norfolk concrete dock).
$3.50. 900. in ten months q Tortugas, steel
floating dock and mOo1ings, $3.50 900, in ten
months; San Francisco. concrete dock
on Yerbn BueTra Island, 700 feet long, ST.
800. 600, tive years: San Pedro, concrete
dock, 100 feet long, 81, 5000 in two years
making the total cost Of this estimated
supplementary work - 100000. =
Some of tn improv ements recommend
ed are contingent upon compliance with
certain condftionS: for instance, at Nor
folk, upon channel improvements: at San
Francisco, upon survey of Yerba Buena
island; at Mare island. upon channel inn
provements. at San Pedro, upon harbor
improvements. AS 20 Newport News, the
board reports that the ship building COM
pany there c~ontemplates building a Sec
ond large dry dock and is willing to enter
into any far agreement with the govern
ment as to it's use, being governed also
by the wishes Of the department as to
dimensions and material.
The work outlined above seems to be
very extensive, bat the board says that
with all the additions 1t proposes to the
number of our dry docks, we still would
have for naval purposes on our entire
coast Tine only one more dock than has
Great Britain at one Of it's navy yards,
Portsmouth England. At present the
United States has a total of eleven naval
dry docks, only one Of which at this time,
that of Puget sound, Washington, can
take in our battieships.
In support of it's recommendations, the
board speaks as Follows of the strategical
conditions which have influenced it: I'VE
are, from q naval point of view, weak in
comparison with the great naval powers
Of Europe. and the naval strength of
Japan IL growing SO rapidly that within
Il year or two she will over match us in
available strength in the Pacific. Every
effort Is then necessary on our part to re-
tain Of the sea at least on our
own coast and to supplement our naval
strength by providing accessible places
for repair and docking and by fortifca-
lions SO located that when our sQuadrOns
are pressed by "a superior force, theyymay
use them as supports in holding the ap-
proacheS to our coasts. So long as an
enemy rs compelled to draw all of his
supplies from his home stations, his
operations must be limited by the neces-
sity OF holding his communications clear,
and the quantity of supplies he can trans
his fleets. If he must be prepared to
meet upon arrival on our coasts even a
much w~eaikerrnaval force. held completely
in hand. with, repair and supply facilities
near, We can retain the of the
sea on our coasts and render impossible
it's near our commercial GEN.
tres"