The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1898-04-30
The Naries Of the United States and
Spain-a Comparison.

sides about how easy it would be for us
TO annihilate the Spaniards the follow
ing from the Scientific American, one
of the best informed papers on matters
Of the kind in the country, should prove
interesting reading This article was
published before war had been declared:
While we are hopeful that the existing
difficulties with Spain may even yet
prove to be capable Of adjustment by
peaceful methods, it is likely that if
hostilities come at all they will come
quickly. 1t is equally certain that the
issues of war would be determined upon
the sea, and brief comparison of the
fighting strength of the two navies will
be Just now of special interest.
Could we defeat Spain upon the high
seasY It is safe to say that there Is not
citizen of this country that doubts for
moment that we could. To the lay
mind the task of annihilating the
Spanish navy appears not only certain,
but easy to the professional mind, as
represented by the men who design and
fight our ships, the task appears equally
certain, but by no means SO easy of
accomplishment.
It is better to over rather than under
estimate an opponent, and it is best of
all to rate him at his true value hence
we may as well admit at the outset that
Spain would go into the war, as far as
her ships are concerned, with d
homogeneous, compact and very
formidable fieet-one which, If properly
handled and bravely fought, would be
for
the powerful ships of the United States
navy. Each fleet would be strong
where the other is weak and taking the
two fleets as they stand-swift, heavily
armored cruisers and deadly destroyers
against mighty battleships and more
lightly armored cruisers-the issue
judged independently of the men
behind the guns, would be by no
means so certain as is popularity sup
posed The man behind the gun. how
ever, would be the controlling factor.
and it is the supreme confidence of the
American public in the pluck and
discipline of the crews and the skill and
daring of our naval officers which
renders it so confident of final victory.
If war should come, it would be the
object of Spain to obtain decisive
naval victory at the very outset. Cuba
being the objective point of both
combatants, the war would probably be
carried on in Cuban waters. The
almost insuperable difficulties of coal
supply would prevent any delay in risky
attempts upon our now we'll defended
sea ports. The same difficulty would
render it to Spain s advantage to wage
an aggressive warfare and deal as early
az possible an effective blow in a
general engagement. The approach of
the powerful battleship "0regon,
from the Pacific, would prompt such a
policy 1t il more than likely that a
numerous squadron, comprising all the
powerful arrnored fighting ships of the
Spanish navy and their recently COM
pleted torpedo boat destroyers, would
be dispatched to give battle to our com
bined fleets in the neighborhood of
Cuba
We will suppose that only the armored
ships would be placed in the first line
of battle, and for the purpose of com
parison, we will suppose that all the
modern armored ships of Spain would
be sent over in the effort to win a
decisive battle.
The Spanish line could boast of only
one first class battleship, the
,Pe1ayo. - She is a 9 900 ton ship, of
16 knots speed, carrying two 1915 and
two II inch guns in IL Inch steel bar
bettes, placed high above the water
line She has a 17'7inch steel belt
along the whole water line, and her
secondary battery contains nine So inch
rapid fire guns She is a good ship,
but possesses the fatal defect of having
no armor protection between the bar
bettes and the belt On this account,
high explosive shells bursting beneath
the barbettes might easily put them
ont Of action To the "Pelayo' we
could oppose the Iowa, of II 410
tons, carrying four l2-inch guns, eight
S-inch guns, and a secondary battery of
four 6-inch guns. She is protected by
IA inch belt, and the main battery is
protected from the turret roof down to
the belt with Is inches of steel She is
thus larger and more heavily armed
and armored than the "Pelayo, and,
saving the chances of a modern sea
fight, should easily silence or sink the
Spaniard
With the exception Of its one first
class battleship, the Spanish line of
battle would consist of magnificent
feet Of eight swift, heavily armed and
heavily armored cruisers, similar in
size. speed and power, and admirably
adapted to act together in a concerted
feet action. There is no nation in the
world that possesses such a fleet, not
even England, and the fact that the
ships are all built to carry the large
normal coal supply of 1 200 tons would
seem to indicate that they were built
for just such an emergency as now con-
fronts them
The most important and largest of
these ships is the Carlos V, 80 of
0, 235 tons and 30 knots speed. Her
curved deck plating is 81 inches thick,
and her secondary battery is protected
by a continuous belt of inches of steel.
She carries two II inch guns disposed
in two barbettes of 10 inch steel, and
secondary battery of eight 5h and four
SO inch rapid fire guns. Against her
we could oppose the Brooklyn.
which closely resembles her in many
points. She is of $50 tons displace-
ment, 81 8 knots speed and IL protected
by steel deck inches thick on the
slopes, to which is added belt of 3 inch
steel extending in the wake of the
engine rooms and boilers She carries
an exceptionally heavy battery of eight
s-inch guns, protected by 5h and 8
inches Of steel, and secondary battery
of twelve 5-inch rapid fire guns. I'm
less a lucky shell from the great IL inch
guns Of the Carlos v. - should find
its way into her engine or boiler room.
she should prove more than match for
the Spanisrd.
Following the Carlos " - in i'm
portance is the ''Cristobal Colon,
hnilt in italy whose sister ship the