Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1897-04-29
THE NAVIES OF GREECE AND.
TURKEY.
Commodore HichbOrn on Their
Comparative Size and
Strength.

comparative Size anu
Strength.
Washington, April 26.-Com.
modore Hichborp, Chief Con
structor of the navy, has pre-.
pared an interesting statement
regarding the comparative SIZE
and effectiveness of the havies O.
Turkey ard Greece. He says:
The Greeks have an efec-
tive naval force. consisting OF
three modern armored cruisers.
the Hydra, built in st. NazAire
in 1899; the Spetsai, built in
Granville in 1889, and the Psara,
built in GRANVILLE in 1890. They
are sister ships, with a displace
ment of 4, 845 tons and d record
speed of 17.5 knots, with 6, 93C
indicated horse power. The
have a complete steel armur
water line belt 11.8 inches til OK
amidships, tapering to 4. 7inches
at the ends. The forward battery.
consisting of two 10 inch 36-
calibre Canet guns and five 5-lnch
SO -cali5re Canet guns, is pro-
tected by an armored casemate
49, inches thick, and on the after
deck is one 10 inch 30.calibre
Canet gun in a barbette turret
1872 and III inches thick. They
also mount one 12>pounder,
eight 9-pounder, seven 6>pound-
er, and sixteen 1-pounder rapid
fire guns and three torpedo
tubes. They are rugged as three
masted schooners, with three
fighting tops. Altogether they
are very formidable vessels of
their class.
The second class battle ship
Maine is more nearly like these
vessels than any other in the
American Navy. They r fully
as effective as the Maine, but
would be no match for our first
class bait ships of the Mass
sachusetts and Iowa type.
In addition to the fighting
craft I have mentioned they
have two old iIonsclad ships,
built about thirty years ago, Of
about 1000 tons displacement,
with 7sinch armor bets; one com
p-site gunboat of 1 800 tons; two
steel gunboats of 1000 tons each,
one Of which is fitted as a tran
sport; four steel gunboats Of APO
tons each, one torpedo depot
ship of LOO tons; two guuboats
of 44O IONS eac1; SIX old iron
gunooats of $50 tons each; eleven
first. class torpedo boats, and
forty~fve third class torpedo
boats.
1.-The Turkish navy consists
only of two composite gunboats
of 1900 and 2 800 tons. respects
two wooden guaboats of
800 tons each, two steel torpe~
do gunboats of 900 tons each;and
one of $50 tons, two torpedo
boat destroyers, twenty first-olass
aud fourteen secoed >class torpe-
do boats, and two submarine
They have on their navy
list thirteen obsolete ironclad
ranging in size from 5000
to 400 tons, and in age from
twenty five othirty~three years,
and eleven small wooden gun
some Of which w-re built
about forty years ago.
The Greeks have no new YES
sells under construction, but the
have taken a decided step
in that direction. The Turkish
vessels under construction are
one first class armored cruiser
Of 10, $50 tons. designed for II
Knots speed, with 1850 indicate
I'd horse power, having a IA
nch armor belt reduced to II
a5 the ends, and carrying
our 11~inch Krupp guns in 13s
nch armored barbettes, ard six
) iuch Krupr guns and ten rapid
ire guns, two steel cruisers of
$50 tons displacement, carry
ng two 8 inch Krupp guns, six
inch and four 3-inch guns; aud
steel cruisers Of 1850 tons
displacement. armed with six g.
nch Krupp guns. THESE vessels
ire being built in Turkey, and
hey have also under c%onstruc.
ion III Garden one torpedo gun
'oat of 900 tons displacement.
1T is generally believed. icons
inued Commander Hickborn,
that the Turkish navy has had
intelligent supervision
the last decade, and that
ew, if any, of their older ships
ave any appreciable fghting
alue. All Of their old ironclads
7ere in existence and most of
hem were new and efficient
urlng the Russo-Turkish war
1877, but they performed very
tile real service then, though
1eir navy at that time was waists
superior to that of Russia.
he Turks have little natural
we for the sea, and rarely ems
age in seafaring life. In their
ar with Russia they we're easi-
ratified and slow to take adj
.nUage of circumstances in their
tsor.
"The Greeks are naturally a
'afaring people. You will find
lem serving as sailors on most of
e vessels in Mediterranean wa
rs. 1t seems probable that the
Greek armored cruisers II