The Portland daily press., 1898-07-22
LESSONS FROM NAVAL BATTLE.
An Expert Gives His Views.
Very interesting Points Brought Out by
an Officer of tho Iowa.

of the naval battles with Spain are now
coming in. The New York Commercial
Advertiser Saturday printed the follow
ing interesting letter from an officer on
the battleship Iowa.
This battle will be accepted by some
II avail experts as the only one of modern
times. that could be counted on for theo-
retical conclusions of value to the builders
OF war ships, In the Yalu tho inequality
OF the two sides in character e>used
students to hesitate about drawing many
differences from it. 1t is true we have
only emphasized the Yalu lessons in
many respects, but 1 think we can go
ahead with the two togather one check
ing the other, to say positively that we
have learned something.
To go back q bit, the ineffectiveness of
fleet against land batteries is demon
strated, I think, by our bombardment of
San Juan and Santiago. We failed to
reduce their works. We silenced them all
right enough. AS we gained in skill we
were able to drive the gunners away very
quickly. But their silence was only
temporary, even when the batteries were
weak anu the conditions all favorable to
our ships; when our guns numbered 20
to l.
Everybody knows by this time that the
batteries guarding Santiago harbor are
on the bluffs, some of them 200 feet above
the water line. This unquestionably make
them harder TO hit, but it likewise in
creases the difficulty of their aim.
We found out the difference in the
latter respect when the same gunners
(probably) came out in the ships The
first broadside from Cervera's squadron
was much more effective than the fire of
the shore batteries, and this despite the
fact that the range during the lombard
ment was often less than at the opening
of the sea fight, when the Spaniards fired
so well.
The ability of watchful and efficient
fleet to ward off hostile torpedo boats has
been fully brought out Here we have
remained for months blockading port in
which there were always two torpedo
boats. Our ships lay sometimes as clos
in as q mile off the entrance. And
several attempts were made by the
destroyers to attack us. None of them
got out without being seen and always
they were driven back. Our readiness
torpedo attacks have been successful
several times and the torpedo boats were
nowhere near as swift and powerful as
the Spanish destroyers Furor aud Pluton.
1t is safe to say that we have shown that
If man-of-war is ready at all times to
open up Instantly an efficient rapid fire
that ship has little or nothing to fear
from torpedo boats.
With the rapld-1ire guns modern YES
sci can throw storm OF shell into an
enemy. A torpedo boat with her paper
sides, might is we'll sink herself before
starting so certain is she of destruction.
There must be swarms of these boats to
have any prospect of success against a
N odern ship of any size, even when the
circumstances are most favorable for the
attack. Searchlight tactics were well
brought out off the blockade and the
great service that they can do. Without
the sarchlights our fleet could not have
kept the Spaniards penned up. Illum-
mating as we did, night after night the
light slowly from side to side over all the
water, nothing could have escaped unseen
by the picket boats. Then. too, the light
was of great service in indicating to the
crews manning the guns just where to
direct the fire. Since it was an invariable
rule never to throw the beam of search
light On one of our own vessels, there
could be no doubt left in the minds of
the gun -pointer as to the hostile character
OF the approaching vessel. 1t eliminated
all the delay and liability of error to
which any verbal orders are SO liable.
The necessity of a secondary fleet, as it
might be called, was also shown Tho
number of important and hazardous mis-
slons was SO great for these small vessels
that they We're moro constantly on the go
tnan she proverbial fashion butterfly in
the height Of the SEASON. The work of
these dispatch boats was most exhausting,
and care should be taken that they be
given great credit for their efficient and
valuable services. Indeed, these smaller
craft are noted for the lack of space
aboard for elders.
1t is obvious, of course, that a large
supply feet is Indispensable A ship
can't run without fuel, and in war times
the boilers seem to eat up coal. Nor can
crew, no matter how brave, fight as
we'll hungry as they can on a full
stomach. cit is hard work fighting on
cracker hash, SO let there be plenty of
supply ships Our repair ship Vulcan
was an indispensable adjunct, and so of
course, was the ANN unition supply ship
Alter each engagement every ship, no
matter how little she used, brought her
ammunition supply up to the limit The
hospital ship has to fleet not only the
obvious use that makes it necessity; it
gets out OF sight the wounded men, and
is q comforting thing to know is near at
hand.
Perhaps one of the most important
lessons is the advantage of smokeless
powder. With the incessa Mt firing -four
ships there was always smoke hanging
round some part of the ships batteries,
though we had "a gentle breeze and the
enemy was windward of US. Fire from
the guns had to be slackened again and
again, and l doubt if the Colon could
have escaped with SO little punishment if
the smoke from the few minutes of firing
Mt the leading ship had not left cloud
which combined with the firing of the
smaller quick-tlre guns, prevented the
pointing OF the heavier guns. Of course,
with quick. fire gun, any temporary
lifting of the smoke Will give plenty of
time to deliver fire, but with the slower
firing turret guns the view must be TN
iinpeGed for some time. The smoke from