Evening star., 1898-09-21
NAVY MUST CONTROL
Should Have Command of Army
Transportation at Sea.
VIEWS OF CAPTAIN ALFRED PAGEf
The Dash by Cervera's Fleet Was
FooIhardy.
OUR RSHIPS PRAISED

Capt. Alfred Paget, British naval attache
assigned to observe operations during the
recent campaign in the West Indies. is
engaged here in assembling the large mass
of material gathered in Cuba, and in sup
plementing this with the official data now
beirg supplied by the Navy Department.
He will spend most of the fall in getting
together the material for his report to
the British admiralty, which will be an
exhaustive treatment of the naval branch
of the campaign, with considerable atten-
ton to the military branch, owing to the
JOINT operation of the two branches during
several stages of the war, and particularly
in the siege of Santiago
Navy Should Control Troopships.
Sreaking infol mally today of some of his
observations, Capt. Paget said it had been
shown quite clearly that the naval branch
of the service should have complete con-
troll of all army transportation by sea-
He points out that this is the practice the
ports are under the control of the admiral
ty. Nhen troops are to be shipped the
war officials make known to the admiralty
the number of the men in the expedition
the divisions into infantry, cavalry and ar
nllery and the various requirements of the
SeNe raj divisions. 1t then becomes the duty
OF the naval branch to provide the trans
ports. carry the troops, keeping the sew
eral divisions distinct and with their prop
er equipment and provide all supplies re-
qtlfec Tor the trip. A naval officer, usual
ly lieutenant commander on the retired
list, is placed in command of each trans
port. II being impossible to secure proper
service from merchant captains. The naval
t1ancn also conducts ali loading and un-
ICaClng of troops and supplies this being
9i&hcn II which naval officials are well
Versed.
1t is not until the troops are on land that
the army authorities assume direction of
af2lrs This practice in general opera
ton with all large countries, particularly
tLCse having colonial possessions could be
adopted with advantage by this country in
captain P2getS opinion, much of the
confusion in the transportation and land
ing of the army and supplies was due to
the 1neXperience of the merchant captains
of trans ports. and to the direction of all
sea transportation by the army rather
than by the navy.
Destruction of CcrVera's Fleet.
Captain Paget's report will devote much
attention to the destruction of Admiral
Cervera's fleet as this was the main naval
incident of the war. He is securing from
the Navy Department complete reports of
the gunnery of the American ships with
a view of showing the importance of the
man behind the gun. Captain Paget's
personal view is that Admiral Cervera's
scrtie was a most fooIhardy venture. which
cannot he justified by naval standards. even
though ordered by the admirars superiors
According to Captain Paget's view, the
most effective use Admiral Cervera could
have made of his squadron was to lave
dismantled them of all the lighter guns.
particularly the quick fires and turned
over guns and men 20 General Toral for
use in defending the city. These quck-fire
guns some hundred or more. distributed
along the entertainments and handled by
the trained men Of the squadron, would
have been able to sustain a deadly fire on
the American advance. Captain Paget ex-
presses the belief that such move would
have made Santiago practically lmpreSna-
BILE
He has no doubt starvation and disease
would have broken down the Spanish de-
fcEse in time, but Cervera's guns could
have held the town Fl en- a defeat by as
saUlt. In case o. a sortie from the harbof,
Capt Paget shares the view of American
naval officers that the sortie should have
hecn male at night. If attempted IL day
Eight the SDanisl. ships should have direct
ed their attention to the American trans
ports. as they furnished vulnerable point
WI ere great havoc could have been
wrought. In any event. whether transports
or orr warships We're attacked, Capt
Paget mantains that the Spanish policy
should have been to rush at our ships, tax
ing them unaware before steam could be
got up. and taking the risk of loss so long
as some dan age was inflicted. Had this
plan been adopted he thinks it might have
resulted in the ramming and sinking Of one
o. more of our ships.
Naval Vessels Praised.
Capt. Paget sreaks highly Of our new
battle ships and cruisers. particularly those
new on the stocks. which he has examined
critically through the plans and specifica-
tions. He says foreign naval experts long
ago recognized that frst-class warships
could be built in the United States, al
though he does rot admit that our ships
yet excel or even equal, those of British
build. In this connection a prominent
American naval officer recently told Capt
Paget that the new cruiser New Orleans
bought in England during the early stages
of the war. was a revelation to the author
ties here, in SO far her guns and arma-
ment concerned.