The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-20
ARMoRED CRUISERS NEEDED.
Views of Ex-Secretary Tracy on the
Requirements of the Navy.

Views of Ex-Secretary Tracy on the
Requirements of the Navy.
WASHINGTON, May 19-Ex- Secretary Of
the Navy Tracy, of New York. under whose
administration of the Navy Department
many of the battle ships and cruisers Of
our new navy were projected and built, was
at the Navy Department to-day meeting his
old associates and talking with the officials
on the status of the present war. General
Tracy was asked if our ships in their pres
ent service met the expectations he had of
them when the new navy was being de-
veloped.
ITO judge from Manila they are meeting
every expectation, said General Tracy.
And yet believe it to be the plain duty
of Congress to authorize Immediately the
construction of six large armored cruisers
of the most modern type, even larger than
the cruisers New York and Brooklyn. These
should be ordered in addition to the ships
authorized by the regular naval appropria-
ton bill. Now that we are called on to
carry on offensive warfare the need of
armored cruisers is imperative, and the lack
of them is at present a serious handicap.
Our new navy was developed on the idea
of being defensive navy, not an offensive
one. 1t was thought that If we ever had
a war it would be with one of the great
naval powers, capable of throwing their
vast naval ornaments against our shores.
To meet this onslaught we proceeded on the
theory of having navy to protect our long
stretch of coast and incidentally to scout
the ocean and cause all the damage posi-
bic on the commerce which most of the
naval powers possess. For that reason we
built our battle ships and our unarmored
cruisers. The battle ship is essentially for
defensive purposes, as 1T lacks the speed
essential to carry on offensive warfare, al
though, of course, it is valuable adjunct
in any line of warfare. The unarmored
cruisers, such as the Minneapolis and
Columbia, were designed mainly swift
scouts and also as commerce destroyers.
Now, however, we find ourselves at war
with q nation which has little commerce to
be destroyed, so that the unarmored cruiser
has little work to accomplish in the line of
its original purpose as a commerce Destroy
er, although valuable as an adjunct in any
line. In short, we are carrying on what
was not expected, an offensive instead of
defensive war; and as a result we ought to
have the ships capable of executing Often
Sive warfare. The armored cruisers New
York and Brooklyn are fine ships of their
offensive work. They combine the features
of the heavy armor and protected decks or
an ironclad together with the speed of a
cruiser. But what we need IS more or
them. The strength of the Spanish squadron
now in southern waters lies in the fact that
it has this type of armOred cruisers, with
speed and protective armor suitable for Of
fensive work. Under the new conditions
which have arisen it seems plain that Con-
gress should provide at least six OF these
armored cruisers. We are not only carrying
on an offensive warfare, but we are reach
ing out to the Philippines. The entire theory
of defensive navy, on which our present
navy was form ed, has been changed by
this conflict with Spain. and being changed,
the new conditions should be promptly met
by Congress-
When General Tracy's attention was
called to the report that he might go to the
Philippines as civil governor general he
laughingly dismissed the suggestion and
said there had never been a thought of this
move except in the vivid imagination of
some newspaper writer. The ex-secretary
strongly approves the energy OF all depart
ments of the government in coping with the
present war emergency and deprecates the
loose gossip and criticism which seeks to
force aggressive movement without regard
to that mature consideration which the
momentous character of the movements re-
uuire.