The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-08-27
U. S. BATTLESHIP IOWA.

caused students to hesitate about draw
ing many interferences from it. 1t is true
we have only emphasized the Yalu lessons
in many respects, but I think we can go
ahead with the two together, one check
ing the other, to say positively that we
have learned something.
To go back bit, the ineffectiveness of
a fleet against land batteries is demon
strated, think, by our bombardment of
San Juan and Santiago. We failed to re-
duce 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 tenn
proray, even when the batteries were
weak and the conditions all favorable to
our ships; when our guns numbered
twenty to one.
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 unquestionabIy
makes them harder to hit, but it like
wise increases 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 broad
side 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 bombardment was
often less than at the opening of the sea
fight, when the Spaniards fired so well.
The ability of a watchful and efficient
fleet to ward off hostile torpedo boats has
been fully brought out. Here we have
remained for months blOckading a port
in which there were always two torpedo
boats. Our ships lay sometimes as close
in 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 was the thing. In
South American wars torpedo attacks
have been successful several times and
the torpedo boats were nowhere near as
swift and powerful as the Spanish de-
StrOyerS FurOr and PlutOn 1t is safe to
say that we have shown that if a 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 rapid-fre guns a modern vessel
can throw a storm of shell into an enemy.
y torpedo boat, with her paper sides,
might as well 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 modern
ship of any size, even when the circum-
stances are most favorable for the attack.
off the blockade and the great service
that they can do. Without the search
lights our fleet could not have kept the
SpaniardS penned up. Illuminating as we
did, night after night. the entrance of the
haTbOr by swinging the light slowly from
side to side over all the water, nothing
boats Then, too, the light was of great
service in indicating to the crews man
ming the guns just where to direct the
fire. Since it was an lnVariable rule never
to throw the beam of a searChlight on
one of our own vessels, there could be no
doubt left in the mind of the gun pointer
as TO the hostile character of the APP
preaching 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 il
might be called was also shown The
number of important and hazardous mis-
SiOnS was so great for these smaller YES
sells that they were more constantly on
the go than the pTOverbial fashion but
terfiy in the height of the season. The
work of these despatch boats was most
eXhausting, and care should be taken that
they be given great credit for their eff
cient and valuable services. Indeed. these
smaller craft are noted for the lack of
space aboard for 'idIers."
1t is obvious, of course that large sup
ply feet is Indispensable. y 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 they can on full stomach.
so let there be plenty of supply ships.
our repair ship Vulcan was an indiSpen-
sable adjunct, and so, of course was the
supply ship. After each en-
Eagement every ship, no matter how lit
tie she used, brought her ammunition
supply up to the limit. The hospital ship
has to a fleet not only the obvious use
that makes it a necessity; it gets out Of