The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-23
Our Future Navy.

by our contest with Spain and blythe results
Of that contest In charging our domains
To begin with, we shall hereafter give our
battleships higher speed, greater coal en-
durance and q larger ratio Of plated surface.
OF the value Of battleships there can DO no
doubt. At Santiago our vessels Of that class
had only armored cruisers to contend with,
but In another war they may have to fight
ships Of their own type. We must add at
least three knots to t~heir,speed, and instead
OF the fifteen or sixteen knots hitherto con-
tracted for must demand eighteen or nine
teen. Another suggestion, arising from the
great damage which can be done byshells,
Is that, instead Of combining armor to what
are called vital parts, plates thick enough
to keep out the fire OF small rapid-dre guns
should extend throughout the ships. Ger
tain parts Of a battleship can, indeed, be shot
away without destroying her power to keep
afoat and use her guns, but great loss Of
life may follow from exploding shells in
those parts.
The need Of q good steaming radius a
been emphasized by the war, notably by
what was demanded Of the Oregon, in her
long run, and good bunker capacity will be
among the leading features Of our future
bsttleships. Since for high speed and great
radius Of action more space Is required for
machinery and coal, 1t follows hat our bat
tleships hereafter will be larger than those
hitherto built. Fortunately, the superior
hardness Of the latest armor will furnish
adequate protection from pilates less thick
than the old ones.
We now have the battleshipS Iowa, In
l dia0o Nronnp Moaaaohuaatfa and TaYaa.
building and perhaps to be ready by or be-
fore the end Of next year, the Kearsarge.
Kentucky, Illinois, Alabama. and Wisconsin
authorized but not laid down, the Maine,
Missouri, and Ohio. As soon as possible this
force Of thirteen battleships should be made
twenty, and not before thirty are supplied
can our war establishment be called salts
factory in this type.
In no particular have the teachings Of the
war been more striking than In their dem
onstration of the value Of armored cruisers.
Our only examples Of this type now arc the
New York and Brooklyn; but their services
during the late war were most valuable.
The very apprehension caused by CERvERA's
fleet is q proof Of the value Of armored cruis-
ers, and 1t is worth noting that the destruc-
ton Of that fleet did not alter our opinion re-
garding the type Of vessels. II we can save
the Infanta Maria Teresa and Cristobal
Colon, we shall still have only four thus
classed, and we ought to have at least twelve.
Russia from the first has shown her high
appreciation of armored cruisers and pos
sesses fine specimens Of the type.
OF protected cruisers we can hardly speak
too highly, considering that DEwEYs great
victory at Manila was chiefly won by them.
Yet we cannot be said to need more of them
now. Strong in this class before the war,
we added two Of the finest Of them, the
New Orleans and the Albany, and some of
our auxiliary vessels, II retained, will also
swell the list. Besides, the new armored
cruisers would be faster than most OF the
protected cruisers.
The monitors did well by us In the war,
and the Monterey and Monadnock, although
intended only for coast defence, crossed the
Pacific. Still, with the six double-turrets
now In commission, the twelve single-tur-
rets which lave been repaired and made
serviceable, and the three war monitors
ordered at the last session of Congress, we
shall have all of this type Of vessels i'm
mediately needed.
We incline to think, also, that when the
twenty-eight torpedo boats and destroyers,
for which bids are to be opened to-day,
are put under contract, we shall feel reason
ably equipped in that class. We shall
then have surpassed our original tor
pedo-boat programme, and the events OF
the recent war nave rather tended to d.
minish the prestige of these craft. They
have a sphere of great usefulness Of their
own but in making further additions to
our torpedo fotilla we shall probably never
feel the need again Of adding twenty-eight
at a single stroke.
We shall doubtless take care to keep our-
selves supplied with repair ships like the
Vulcan, hospital ships like tho Solace,
transports and GOLFERS. 1t will not be sur
prising to find that the war has evolved
some new types Of vessel. and armored
mortar boats for harbors. which will carry
the line OF defence, by heavy mortars. out
beyond the range Of shore forts, have al
ready been suggested.
In the construction OF all our new vessels
we shall undoubtedly use as little wood
work as possible, and make that little
hreproof; carry all fire mains below the
protective deck not give torpedo tubes
to ships Of the line, or, II such tubes
are carried, make them of the underwater
type; increase the proportion of rapid
fire guns in the battery. n give rapid
fire mounts to guns Of larger calibres
than now; use smokeless powder only;
finally, extend the area Of armor even at
some sacrifice OF thickness. On the part OF
some officers there will be a strong effort to
have our future ships s~heathed, especially
considering the service to be required In
tropical waters. consequent upon our annex
ations in the Antilles and the Philippines.
Theless frequent need of docking and clean
ing required by sheathed ships will be
brought forward to support this view.
The people have a~pplauded the services
rendered by tho navy in tho late war, but
our duty dYes not end there. We must